Obama and the Cubans

Barack Obama has signalled a thaw in relations with Cuba this week by relaxing travel restrictions to the island.

Has he gone completely mad?

Presidents love to have a scary communist regime in America's backyard. Its presence can be used to deflect attention away from any embarassing problems that might arise elsewhere.

That is why they continued its Cold War attitudes and it is why no President since Kennedy has gone all out for regime change. That and Cuba's lack of oil.

Of course, Obama might really be a great President and won't need a smokescreen to hide behind. Let's see.