In separate press briefings this week White House officials maintained that aid from Cuba would not be needed due to a 'robust response from the American medical community', ending speculation that the Bush administration might accept much-needed aid from an old Cold War enemy. (MSNBC)
Thursday, September 15, 2005
U.S. officially declines Cuban aid offer for Katrina victims
In separate press briefings this week White House officials maintained that aid from Cuba would not be needed due to a 'robust response from the American medical community', ending speculation that the Bush administration might accept much-needed aid from an old Cold War enemy. (MSNBC)
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4 comments:
Hmmm, I'm searching for the word to describe this situation. Might it be estupido? This would have been a great opportunity for us to very slightly thaw relations with Cuba while saving face. Sigh.
I think that the "saving face" part is exactly what the Bush Administration was worried about, though. It did not want to look like it needed Cuba, nor that it was indebted to Castro. It may or may not have been a political move for Castro to have offered the physicians (let's face it, Fidel's intentions are not always pure human solidarity), but I think that you are right in that a slight thaw could have been possible if the White House and State Dept. were going to be mature about the situation, pretend that the political issues (and "face" issues) weren't there at all, and realize that we have a serious, serious problem in New Orleans. Sigh, indeed...
I'm an evacuee from New Orleans, and I have also lived/researched in Cuba. If I could be absolutely certain that Castro's intentions were honorable, then perhaps I might think it silly that we denied their aid offer. Part of me agrees that we should have risen above their denial of our aid for past hurricanes, but at the same time it's impossible for me to pretend the political issues aren't there (particularly with what I have personally seen, heard, and experienced on the island).
I don't think Castro's intentions were 'honorable' per se. I do know that it's only a matter of time before he is gone and we start to form relations with Cuba's leaders again. I suppose I really didn't expect our gov. to accept the aid, and I thought the same of the offer from Venezuelan, excepting the offer of oil.
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