As the rest of the world shakes its head in utter disbelief at American foreign policy, and the devastating effects it is having in the Middle East, the Bush administration hurtles forward, having failed to learn the lessons time and time again.
It seems now that hot on the heels of her outstanding diplomatic mission to the Middle East, in which Condoleezza Rice managed to again raise the ire of the rest of the world, she has told Cuban's that now it's their turn for democracy, and guess what? America is right behind them. It is?
As Cuban leader Fidel Castro recovers from surgery and remains absent from public life, and many American's such as Mal Martinez of Florida are already speculating (or should that be salivating) that he
may actually already be dead, the Bush administration has been quick to point out that the future of Cuba is in Cuban hands. Right, kind of like how the future of Iraq right now is in Iraqi hands.
Rice's message beamed to Cuba today consists of calls that now is the time for Cuban's to push for democracy. Whether the Cuban's like it or not, and regardless of the fact that the administration has said it will not act unless Cuban's show a willingness to transition to democracy, can we predict exactly what little intent is needed to be shown by Cuban's before the US provides it's support?
The government's intent is backed by a recent report from the US State Department that outlines the U.S. policy by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, "which is to support a hastened transition of democracy to Cuba through free and fair elections". A "hastened transition"? It's is all starting to look sickeningly familiar.
How much of a feather in George's cap would the democratizing of Cuba be, even if it did cost a few thousand innocent lives?
Rice's words seemed rather ironic in her support of Cuban democracy as well, but this degree of irony is nothing new with this administration and is certainly not lost on the 65% of this country who don't believe Bush or his cohorts knows what they are doing.
"We will stand with you to secure your rights - to speak as you choose, to think as you please, to worship as you wish, and to choose your leaders, freely and fairly, in democratic elections."
How many of these "rights" are we ourselves having slowly eroded away by the administration? and how many of these have we really given Iraq since we invaded them? No wonder those in Cuba are saying that things will change, but not according to any American plan, a plan that has failed miserably in the Middle East.
Are we looking down the barrel of yet another example of Republican diplomacy?