I find this disappointing. No change. Obama's reply had to have been written by the bushwhacks still embedded in Hillary's State. Recall that both Fidel and Raul both made positive statements about Obama soon after his election.
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By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer Will Weissert, Associated Press Writer – Thu Nov 19, 2:05 pm ET
HAVANA – President Barack Obama has answered questions submitted by a celebrated Cuban blogger, saying he isn't interested in "talking for the sake of talking" with Raul Castro and indicating he won't visit the island until the communist government changes its ways
In an unusual written response to Yoani Sanchez, who has gained international acclaim for daring to criticize her government online, Obama also said it is up to Cuba to act if it wants normal relations with Washington, saying that a true thaw in nearly 50 years of deep-freeze "will require action by the Cuban government."
His comments were posted Thursday on Sanchez's blog, "Generacion Y," which like most sites critical of the Cuban government is blocked on the island.
Raul Castro, who took over the presidency from his ailing brother Fidel in February 2008, has said he would be willing to meet with Obama and has even suggested they should sit down at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Obama told Sanchez he doesn't want empty dialogue.
"I am not interested ... in talking for the sake of talking," he wrote. "In the case of Cuba, such diplomacy should create opportunities to advance the interests of the United States and the cause of freedom for the Cuban people."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091119/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_dissident_blogger