BREAKING! US & Cuba reach agreement to establish full diplomatic relations

[stevenleser]

Excellent!

http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-cuba-reach-agreement-to-establish-formal-diplomatic-relations-1435702347

WASHINGTON—The U.S. and Cuba have reached an agreement to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in each other’s capitals, a senior administration official said Tuesday, the biggest step yet toward ending a half century of enmity between the two countries.

President Barack Obama plans to tell the nation on Wednesday that the U.S. will reopen its embassy in Havana, the official said, culminating a central aspiration of his presidency and representing the end of one of the last vestiges of the Cold War more than a quarter century after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Secretary of State John Kerry will color in details of the U.S. effort, speaking from Vienna on Wednesday about the move to convert the diplomatic post in Havana, known as the U.S. Interests Section, into a full embassy, officials said. He is expected to travel to Cuba in July to oversee the embassy’s reopening.

[Historic NY]

1. In other news its good news...

[stevenleser]

4. Sorry, fixed. nt

[shenmue]

2. Headline says China?

Sorry.

[stevenleser]

5. Sorry! Corrected. Not sure how China got in there... nt

[shenmue]

7. That's cool

[shenmue]

6. That's moar better

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. What excellent and promising news!

It's way overdue.

[sheshe2]

9. Excellent!

GObama.

[riderinthestorm]

10. Momentous for history and Obama. Bravo!! nt

[H2O Man]

11. Great!

Recommended.

[Starry Messenger]

12. Kind of amazing we are finally ending the Confederacy and the Cold War in one year.

Kudos to President Obama for adding in these little details on top of many other accomplishments.

[joshcryer]

22. This is such a strange year for good stuff.

The cynic in me is dreading next year. Hopefully Obama can keep pulling the punches. Softening relations with Russia would be an awesome but unlikely event. But maybe he can come out for descheduling marijuana. I can't think of anything that he can really do other than marijuana descheduling, it would take 4-5 years for the policy to take effect, but he can get the ball rolling.

(And yes I know we can't credit him for everything good that's happened, a lot of it is due to demographic shifts, even yes, helping Cuba relations, but still.)

[Lisa D]

13. Thank you, President Obama!

A great man doing great things.

[procon]

14. Obama! Breakin' records and makin' history... what a week! nt

[Iliyah]

15. GOPers in congress heads just turned 180 degrees - LOL

K & R

[wcmagumba]

16. Just before...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://baylorlariat.com/2013/04/18/official-several-injured-in-texas-plant-explosion/&h=224&w=300&tbnid=Ur6tVEyHUSDjTM:&zoom=1&docid=eEmIk5SO2PK9pM&ei=hFWTVemKGYemNqO-gfAE&tbm=isch&ved=0CGQQMygoMCg

[Leith]

19. I Think That Those Heads Went the Whole 360

several times. Then they vomited pea soup.

[Adrahil]

17. #earningthepeaceprize. n/t

[brer cat]

18. Excellent news. nt

[craigmatic]

20. I'm wondering what else is there for a democratic president to do in foreign policy.

I guess normalizing relations with Iran should be next. That's going to be harder.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

21. Great, Cuba has been on the forefront for cures...

... for types of cancers that the old blockade would not allow entry to the U.S. Of A. I read just this past month that only now are American researchers getting access to this procedure/medication that actually STARVES the cancer thingys with virtually no side effects.

Oh, then there is the HIV/AIDS cure that the Cubans have come up with that keeps the baby from becoming HIV/AIDS at birth when the mother is positive on those. Just came out today.

[murielm99]

23. Obama keeps doing history-making good things.

We are lucky to have him as our President.

[Uncle Joe]

24. This is good and long past due.

Thanks for the thread, stevenleser.

[eggplant]

25. Cue the "yea, but what about..." in 3... 2...

Good is good.

[markmyword]

26. Finally!

This opening of our embassy is 40 years over due!

The rest of the world has been trading, vacationing, and working with Cuba, while we've been in isolation all this time.

We've been trading and traveling during this same time period with the two biggest communist countries in the world, Russia (which is no longer a communist country) and China which IS a communist country.

The very small island of Cuba has for 40 years been cut off from us BECAUSE of the Cuban exiles that live in America, who applied political pressure to our politicians.

Finally, America is opening diplomatic ties with Cuba!

[eridani]

27. Excellent. At least foreign countries appreciate real diplomacy

Unlike Republicans.

[Warpy]

28. Should have happened decades ago

but too many stubborn and spiteful old men had to die off first. It was a wretchedly bad policy to try to isolate them, especially when the rest of the world decided not to bother.

[Hekate]

29. High time -- and Obama is the one making it happen!

[PatrickforO]

30. Obama has had a very significant presidency. Even though I'm very much against the TPP

because I think it will be horrible for Americans, I've got to admit Obama has really accomplished some good stuff. Gay marriage, the ACA and now this Cuba deal - all pretty good.

Still, too much war and so-called 'free trade' shadow an otherwise illustrious two terms.

[snooper2]

31. Bam, More Greatness from President Obama

suck it haters!

[kenfrequed]

32. Great news!

Great news, though now I have a friend that is boasting about being able to acquire cuban cigars far cheaper.

I wonder if we should be careful in the future appointing people with known higher political aspirations into such a position. I am not a fan of Hillary but I wonder if anyone with a high profile known candidacy wouldn't be automatically put into awkward positions. In that one area I actually feel a little bit sympathetic towards Hillary even if I disagree with her ideas about foreign policy in general.

The republicans went after her for whatever nonsense they could toss at her that wasn't even legitimate (Screw you Issa!) and she had to represent the nation and the president as well as her own ideas about foreign policy all the while working with foreign nations and in this case dealing with stupid politics. I think Hillary was hamstrung by a lot of this and it made her have to work too many angles. For all of this I kind of feel some sympathy for her.

Honestly this position should almost be more of a retiring-politician job where we appoint people with a very long view of the nation as a whole and who won't be held to the vissisitudes of the 24 hour news cycle. Maybe this is why John Kerry worked out so well. He wasn't having to worry about running for anything so he didn't have a big bullseye on his chest. Of course I have to blame the republicans for all of that.