Now you all know how I feel and where I stand on the issue of rumor-mongering. This story could grow legs. If you go further into the story below, you will see that speculation that it will be the SOS who goes centers on the possibility that the White House might approve travel to Havana by a top-level State Department official. That could as easily be Western Hemisphere Assistant Secretary (and social networker extraordinaire) Arturo Valenzuela. If Mme. Secretary DOES go to Havana, I hope Valenzuela accompanies her since he tweets her trips so well
Hillary Clinton to Visit Cuba in Coming Weeks?
By Michael Miller, Fri., Jul. 30 2010 @ 6:17PMCategories: La Habana
Photo via U.S. State Department website
Apparently, the Cold War is not what it used to be. First we find out that the no-longer-so-Soviet Union (aka Russia) still has spies in the U.S. but they are totally lame and shop at Costco. Now Cuba teams up with the Catholic Church and announces it will release as many as 75 political prisoners.
To top it all off, there are rumors that none other than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could be headed to Cuba in the next week or two to push for the release of Alan Gross, an American citizen arrested for purportedly handing out $5,000 satellite phones like they were Halloween candies.
IF she goes, and that is a BIG IF, it will be a very big deal indeed. Certainly such a high-level visit will entail discussion of sanctions. The nature of the visit, if indeed it is Mme. Secretary who goes, I predict will resemble the reception Fidel gave to my beloved JPII. There will be gratefulness that such a high-level official finally arrives from the U.S.A There will be children. They know Hillary loves children. There will be singing and dancing (and I have GOT to give Mme. Secretary a few quick salsa lessons - it's all in the hips, Hillary). Of course the target is the release of Alan Gross. I do believe that if Hillary Clinton to go to Havana, it would be a huge, wonderful party which would end with her boarding her Big Blue Plane with Gross and other released prisoners, and perhaps, relaxation of the tensions between two neighboring countries whose reasons for estrangement are not what they were 40 years ago. Up in heaven, I can hear Celia Cruz shouting, "Azucar!" And the sound is sweet.
