Top Ten Reasons Why U.S. Policy toward Cuba is "the dumbest policy on the face of the earth"[1]:

September, 2007

10. It hurts American business. 11 million potential consumers 90 miles away, highly desirous of American brands, are off-limits to American companies.

9. It hurts families: U.S. policy that restricts Cuban-Americans from visiting Cuba to just once every three years forces these U.S. citizens to make impossible choices such as "which funeral should I attend, my mother's or my father's?"

8. It misdirects security resources from real threats, such as terrorism. Unsubstantiated U.S. allegations of bioweapons, the continued spurious presence of Cuba on the State Department's list of "State Sponsors of Terrorism," and Treasury Department assets misspent on investigating Americans traveling to Cuba rather than terrorist financing, all detract from efforts to combat legitimate dangers.

7. It creates a double-standard for illegal immigrants. The "wet foot/dry foot" policy that allows Cubans who reach U.S. soil to stay here demonstrates to the world that when it comes to sneaking into America, some illegal immigrants are created more equal than others.

6. "If it doesn't work, keep doing it": 45 years of unilateral U.S. embargo designed to "bring down the Castro regime" has failed to achieve its goal.

5. The U.S. embargo gives the Cuban government a ready-made excuse for its economic failings.

4. It hurts our own security. Retired general Charles Wilhelm called Cuba "a 47,000-square-mile blind spot in [our] rearview mirror" because the lack of diplomatic relations denied him access to Cuba and dialogue with its military leadership. Lack of security cooperation with Cuba on fighting drugs and terrorism leaves the U.S. more vulnerable to both threats.

3. World 184, U.S. 4: Last vote in the United Nations condemning the U.S. embargo. U.S. policy toward Cuba puts us at odds with almost every other country in the world at a time when the U.S. needs allies more than ever.

2. It gives Florida disproportionate importance in presidential elections, as candidate after candidate feels obligated to pander to a tiny but powerful extremist anti-Cuba mafia.

1. Denying Americans the right to travel to Cuba is a funny way for the U.S. to demonstrate to Cubans our belief in freedom.

Author: Glenn Baker

[1] Col. Larry Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, uses this phrase to describe U.S. Cuba policy.