HISTORY BEGAN TODAY, with the terrorist blow to Brussels, so that what happened Monday, with Barrack Obama's visit to Cuba, is now part of your history reading.

And yet, this is a more important story for Americans than the fanatical viciousness of the bombing in Brussels. Our president visited one the few remaining Stalinist socialist dictatorships and did so with a friendly, gushing, all-family visit complete with five-star review of Cuban food.

Was it an unmitigated disaster? Possibly. But some will recall that in 1972, Ayn Rand, in a brilliant three-part article in the "Ayn Rand letter," made what for her followers was a shocking interpretation of the historic visit by President Richard Nixon to the People's Republic of China--called then, by all "Red China." Almost all of us, at that time, would have expected her to damn Nixon to hell and back for making a gesture of conciliation to "Red China."

She did not. She surprised us, as always, by looking at the facts. The facts, not a rationalistic deduction from Objectivist premises. She said there could be value for the United States in reaching out to China--specifically, offering China a way into the world other than through the Soviet Union. In effect, value to helping release China from being a vassal of Soviet Russia.

BUT, she said, and this applies to Cuba, in my opinion, that President Richard Nixon could have made an opening to China without the gushing, open-armed, charming visit to the murderous dictatorship. He could have accomplished the purposes of state without the dazzling historic display that gained him forever a photo-op in history.

And so with President Obama,, who could have made an opening to Cuba, as Raul Castro seeks desperately needed tourism and trade--even at the expense of admitting more freedom into Cuba--without a big, showy, grinning family visit, complete with raves about the food.

He could have made clear that we are giving an unacceptable communist dictatorship an opening into the world--we are not liking, celebrating, or suggesting friendship with it.

Obama would like to see the US become more like Cuba, not the other way around.

I feel like common sense if it was a living entity would be an endangered species nearing extinction . The criticism from the GOP is mute as it has been for every step we have taken toward the cliff in this past two terms. Seems like every couple of months
my mind is blown away by what our countries leadership is doing . From lecturing us about (get off our high horse) the crusades after a terrorist attack . To trading high level enemy combatants for a deserter. To encouraging riots .To giving an economic lifeline to
Murdering thugs in Cuba . Did I mention signing treaties offering the UN power over us and our country. Operation fast and furious, really I mean really . I used to think he was stupid before I figured out he wants to ruin our country.

I happened to be cleaning the basement while he was in Cuba making kissy face with a murderous communist dictator and he came on TV to supposedly make a statement about the bombings in Brussels. I noticed out of one side of his mouth he wanted us to let bygones be bygones with respect to Cuban leadership, let the past be in the past and move forward with a new relationship. Then, out of the other side of his mouth he couldn't resist the opportunity to play race card politics and slap Europeans (white people) around for the slave trade that ended over a century and a half ago. Also, he never did mention anything like naming "radical Islam" in regards to Brussels. What piece of work.

If one looks at Obama as a socialist, muslim, president, one could expect he would slither up to Cuba (another socialist country), and would basically ignore the muslim terrorists (he is friendly with his muslim brothers. The black part of Obama just wants to be "historic", instead of smart.

Is there anyone with a modicum of intelligence who is surprised at Obama's Cuban extravaganza? In less than eight years he has helped foster the jihadist caliphate, raised the debt to insurmountable heights, socialized medicine and embraced murderous dictators. And that's just for starters. It is no accident that he had his picture taken in front of a huge image of Che Guavera. It will be in his presidential library and hanging on the wall in his sumptuous residence in a place of honor. The culmination of a young man's dream.

Just curious. I see that no one posted in the column to the far left, which is a comment on the article. All comments originate with my first comment on article. Does that mean no one read the article itself? How does that work?

WHY aren't you interested in the fate of Cuban freedom? If Cuba becomes a free, democratic country, you may want to move there after the coming Presidential election. Beautiful island, great temperature, hire servants at 20 a month, the average wage in Cuba--hiring three or four gorgeous Cuban house girls and pay them double average wage and no telling how you might spice up your retirement. Remember, Mr. Obama is already speaking of torturing suspects of terror and why not suspects in serial killings or kidnappings of children or other hideous crimes right here at home. If you don't believe he will do it, just consider that he already is torturing most of the population with his campaign speeches. You had been get interested in Cuba pronto.

it would be interesting to see Obama marching down a street in "little havana" in Miami, hand-in-hand, with the Castro brothers...any bets on how far they would get...

Cuba has always been symbolically important to the American left because it is a communist country 90 miles off the coast to Florida. The Republican nominee should run with a platform plank saying he'll invade Cuba and effect regime change.

WTH, Barack Obama is in office to live out all the fantasies of the far left. Cozying up to all the communist dictators in the western hemisphere is one of them.

I still hold to the idea that you don't do business with people who aren't willing to do business fairly. The only reason China rose to be the mammoth it is today is because the US engaged them economically and allowed them to steal and use our own intellectual property against us.

We have even less of an excuse in the case of Cuba. It has a population and geographical location that make it incredibly unlikely that it will be an economic force - ever. I believe that the trade embargos were effective and lifting them without regime change in Cuba is a wasted opportunity.

I'm sure obobo just loves it there...maybe he'll put his presidential library of marxist writings there in an old American bus or something.