Jimmy Carter Calls US-Cuba Diplomacy 'Courageous'

[inanna]

Source: Associated Press

Former President Jimmy Carter says he is "proud and grateful" for the president's efforts to restore diplomatic ties with Cuba. Carter calls the shift in policy "courageous."

Carter rejects accusations that President Barack Obama is appeasing Cuba's communist leaders.

He said Thursday on MSNBC that the best way to bring democracy to Cubans is to let Americans "go there and trade and invest." Carter says that will show Cubans that Americans are "not the enemy."

Carter tried to normalize relations with Cuba shortly after taking office in 1977 by re-establishing diplomatic missions and negotiating the release of thousands of prisoners. But conflicts over Cuban military action in Africa and a flood of Cuban refugees in 1980 stymied those efforts, which ended when Ronald Reagan became president in 1981.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/jimmy-carter-call-us-cuba-diplomacy-courageous-27686700

[lovemydog]

1. Thank you President Carter.

[MBS]

4. " " " "n/t

[jtuck004]

2. Throw on some sweaters, re-elect Carter, throw the banksters in the snow.

We would have a holly, jolly, Christmas...

I remember what it was like when he was President, and I miss what we could have done with all that. Instead we mortgaged it all and handed the paper to the wealthy. Now we get to pay for it with the rest of our lives.

[riversedge]

3. yes, imagine the green progress we could

have had the last 30 plus years. dah

[Hekate]

5. If only that good man could have had a second term, history would have been different

But no. The corrupt puppet masters engineered Saint Ronnie's election.

Thank you, President Carter for all you have done with your life that benefits humanity.

[ReRe]

6. K&R

I'm sick of the "communism" meme, though. They can't use that term anymore, because look how wonderful capitalism has worked out for us (it hasn't.) What we have now is capitalism on steroids, IOW fascism. The whole cold war was a GD lie. Nothing but propaganda. Basically, my whole damn life.

If anyone is confused about the whole Cuba issue, go listen to Amy Goodman today. She had 4 men on, two of whom were still in Havana this morning. They explained everything you'd ever want to know about what just happened. http://www.DemocracyNow.org

[americannightmare]

7. While I agree with Pres. Carter...

that this is courageous on Obama's part, he seems to be confusing democracy with capitalism. And capitalism, at least as it's practiced in this country, is the antithesis of democracy. And if Koch Bros. capitalism is what they want to export to Cuba, they'll be our enemies again quick, fast and in a hurry!

[Kelvin Mace]

8. The headline reminds me of Sir Humphrey in "Yes, Minister"

Sir Humphrey: If you want to be really sure that the Minister doesn't accept it, you must say the decision is "courageous".

Bernard: And that's worse than "controversial"?

Sir Humphrey: Oh, yes! "Controversial" only means "this will lose you votes". "Courageous" means "this will lose you the election"!

[Cha]

9. Thank you Pres Carter.. "proud and grateful" for the president's efforts"

mahalo inanna

[flamingdem]

10. I love this because lately Carter has criticized Obama in some cutting ways

.. can't quite remember the issue but I noticed it.

So this impressed Carter. I love that for some reason.

[Cha]

11. Yeah, me too.. Carter can acknowledge the good things that are happening with the O Admin.

[DFW]

12. Carter is right. It's exactly the impression I got when I was there

The people, from government officials on down to people on the street--what little contact I was allowed to have with them, all wanted contact with a "yanqui" like me. The government types all knew who I was, of course, but the people on the busses and streets didn't. It was obvious I was a foreigner, but that was about it. I can do a reasonable imitation of a Cuban accent when speaking Spanish, but sooner or later I lapse back into my European/Spain Spanish because that is where I learned it. So, I didn't bother trying to blend in linguistically, since I didn't look the part in the first place.

It's the same reason I always used to encourage people to visit the Soviet Union if they could (and spoke Russian). Contact with real live people is the best way to tear down government-guided prejudice. There won't be any sons of American-born parents in the Cuban government any time soon. But there are sons of Cuban-born parents in the US Congress. In time, the opposite will come to pass as well. Maybe in 15 years, we'll even get one of the Castro Brothers from Texas in the White House, and then the Cubans will get to see that if we can elect a Presidente Castro, the end of the era of mistrust can truly be put to rest, though I hope that it won't take that long.

[jtuck004]

13. Leadership. From someone who knows what it is. n/t

[JDPriestly]

14. Carter -- a rational, intelligent voice. He should have had his second term. Our country would

have been the better for it.

[Sunriser13]

15. The biggest problem with this imho...

"...the best way to bring democracy to Cubans is to let Americans "go there and trade and invest." Carter says that will show Cubans that Americans are "not the enemy."

If the same types of "trading and investing" go on there as have gone on here in recent years, we will be showing Cuba we are indeed an even greater enemy. The one percenters will destroy the "lesser" classes just as they have here in the US.

That said, the importance of the support of Jimmy Carter for President Obama's actions is not to be denied. He is a wonderful man with the most wonderful heart. One could even say he was "too good a human being" to make the most effective president.