Sen. Norm Coleman is wrong about Cuba

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Most people in Minnesota — and in this country — think Americans should be allowed to travel to Cuba. Our embargo against Cuba, which dates back over 40 years, has done nothing to improve the human rights or democracy situation there, while it restricts Americans' right to travel and hurts our agricultural and other commercial interests.

Minnesota's junior Sen. Norm Coleman, in his election campaign, appeared to agree with this common-sense position. In fact, he told reporters that Cuba policy was one thing about which he disagreed with the Bush administration. When he went to Washington, Coleman quickly joined the bipartisan Senate working group on Cuba, a group of senators committed to changing our antiquated Cuba policy and engaging with that island nation in ways that might both have an impact on the human rights situation there and also benefit the United States.

Coleman recently changed his mind. Returning from a short trip to Cuba, the senator said: "Right now is not the time to get rid of the embargo. It's not the time to get rid of the travel ban." The senator explained that Cuba's arrest of 75 dissidents in the spring concerned him, and that "I would not do a trade deal today while those people are in jail."

We do not fault Coleman's concern for Cuban dissidents and his recognition that trade issues shouldn't be completely independent from human rights concerns. We, too, are critical of the arrests of Cuban dissidents and the restrictions on human rights in Cuba.

<http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/opinion/7005262.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp>

Minnesota's junior senator's name is spelled S-E-L-L-O-U-T.

about anything? I love Minnesota, but I'm sure glad I'm not living there and that I don't have to deal with him as my senator. Just the thought of him and how he got into office (does anyone really believe that he would have been elected had Wellstone not been murdered--uh, killed, I mean?), and the fact that he seemed to be desperately trying to hide his giddiness over what happened to Wellstone because he knew that meant he was likely to take office, and how he's totally trashed the memory and legacy of Wellstone, makes me physically ill. If I were a Minnesotan, I'd be doing everything possible starting NOW to get rid of him in 2008!

I guess he's not concerned about China's imprisonment of Falun Gong members and other dissidents - so long as American business interests continue to be served by our relationship with China.