I saw a group of reporters who seemed excited about something so I chatted with them and waited quite a while after finding out a US delegation was about to arrive to the National Hotel. It was Flake and William Delahunt and a support staff bus load of people arriving from the airport for a press conference. I remember that I had a baseball cap and blue jeans on, and a woman in a baseball cap was still kind of unusual in Cuba, it's wasn't considered fashionable! That plus other details and Flake picked up on it and I'm sure he was wondering what I was doing there -- it was after Bush shut travel down again. I almost said something about that but he moved on. I'm glad that Flake continues to push on this issue but he hasn't been very effective so far.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121501214.html
U.S. Delegation Seeks Ties With Cuba
By ANITA SNOW
The Associated Press
Friday, December 15, 2006; 3:51 PM
HAVANA -- A delegation of American lawmakers sought improved diplomatic and economic ties with Cuba on Friday, anticipating leadership changes in Havana and on Capitol Hill.
Ten U.S. congressmen were expected to discuss the possibility of easing U.S. trade and travel sanctions in meetings with Communist officials. They also scheduled talks with Cuba's Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega, as well as foreign diplomats, during their trip, which ends Sunday.
Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, and William Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, led the group _ said to be the largest congressional delegation to visit the island since the 1959 Cuban revolution. Both legislators advocate ending decades-old trade and travel sanctions against Cuba.
"This certainly seems like a good time to move ahead," Flake said. "I think that there is more momentum to move ahead than we have had in a while."
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