We understand – indeed, expect – the U.S. to have contingency plans for all kinds of foreign scenarios. Think Persian Gulf, Hamas, Ahmadinejad, Musharaff, Karzai, Kim, Putin, Koizumi, Blair, Chirac, Chavez, Calderon, Castro. And lots more.
Then there’s the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba.
No, it’s not part of a contingency scenario but an actual in-place plan calling for an immediate $80 million in funding for Cuba’s opposition with the intent of greasing the skids for a Cuban turn to democracy. President Bush didn’t even hint at nuance on this one. “We are actively working for change in Cuba,” declared the president, “not simply waiting for change.”
Doubtless change will follow the eventual demise of the dictatorial, yanqui-scapegoating Castro. And, of course, it would be encouraging and reassuring to see a regime that is both friendly to the U.S. and to its own people.
But isn’t that, well, Cuba’s call?