Let's seize the moment in Cuba

It all hinged on one man. For almost half a century, under presidents both Democrat and Republican, the official policy of the United States has been: As long as Fidel Castro remains in power, our stand on Cuba will never change.

Hallelujah! That long-awaited day has finally arrived. Even though he's been missing in action since transferring power to his brother 18 months ago, Castro has now officially resigned. After 49 years in power, he will never again rule the Communist roost.

Hallelujah! This is the moment we've been waiting for. This is the time to end sanctions against Cuba and normalize relations. Yes? Alas, the answer is no. Sniffs Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte: "I can't imagine that happening any time soon." And why the hell not? If America can trade with Communist China, surely we could trade with Communist Cuba.

Maintaining economic sanctions against Cuba has long been one of the dumbest elements of American foreign policy. And, in this case, George W. Bush doesn't bear all the blame. The same shortsighted policy toward Cuba was followed by every president since John F. Kennedy.

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In a nutshell, here it is: As of 1962, an embargo on all trade with Cuba. No American tourists allowed to visit. No improvement in relations as long as Fidel Castro is in power. In the meantime, the CIA made at least 16 clumsy attempts, from exploding cigars to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, to assassinate or overthrow the Cuban leader.

I've been to Cuba. I've seen the results. I can tell you: The embargo clearly isn't working. Forty-six years later, every industrialized nation in the world trades with Cuba, except the United States and Israel. And Cuba is booming. It's the next major tourist attraction in Latin America – which everybody is taking advantage of, except Americans. American tourists can't explore one of the most beautiful, and least developed, islands of the Caribbean. American farmers can't sell their crops. American businessmen can't build office buildings, hotels, rental car outlets or restaurants. Instead, those tremendous business opportunities in Cuba are being gobbled up by the Spaniards, Germans, French, Dutch and Canadians.

There's a reason why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports immediate normalization of trade relations with Cuba: By the time our government gets around to it, there may not be one undeveloped parcel of land in Cuba left.

The embargo also failed in its primary mission, which was to hurt Castro. Indeed, it had just the opposite effect: strengthening Castro, not weakening him. Since a trade embargo is, technically, an act of war, Castro was able to use U.S. sanctions against Cuba as justification for his emergency, wartime, dictatorial powers, suppressing freedom of speech or assembly and putting political opponents in jail. In the end, the only ones hurt by the sanctions are the Cuban people, denied their most basic freedoms, and denied access to better, cheaper, American products.

How did we get stuck with such an obsolete and unworkable policy? Easy. For the last 50 years, American foreign policy toward Cuba has not been written in Washington. It's been, and still is, dictated by Cuban exiles in Miami's "Little Havana," supporters of the former dictator, Fulgencio Batista, who exercise an undue and unhealthy stranglehold on both political parties. No president, and no presidential candidate, dares cross the Miami Cuban community – unfortunately, to date, not even Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain.

The ultimate irony is that sanctions against Cuba are not only ineffective; they are also self-defeating. If we really want to assist the birth of democracy in Cuba, the way to do it is not to keep Americans out; it's to let Americans in. The more cultural and educational exchanges, the better. Establish foreign study programs. Schedule Major League baseball games. Send in American cruise ships. Let them see how freedom works, and let Americans discover the beauty of Cuban music, dance and literature. And then, send in American farmers and businessmen. Build a Costco in every town. Open a McDonald's on every corner. Let them see how the free market works, and let us profit from a major new market just 90 miles off our coast.

There are exciting new opportunities awaiting both the Cuban people and the American people, and this is the moment to seize them. Fidel Castro has resigned. We shouldn't have to wait until he's dead.