Obama's overtures toward Cuba worth trying: #tellusatoday

We asked what our followers thought about President Obama’s historic trip to Cuba. Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

I am glad he is trying to restore our diplomatic relationship with Cuba! Huge congrats to Obama.

— @Donooovaan_

Obama’s dreadful foreign policy continues, making concessions to despots, receiving nothing in return.

— @BaylorRangers

I think that a visit by POTUS is long overdue. But the help of the Holy Father enabled and expedited this visit.

— @ronaldwgumbs

We deal with much worse countries than Cuba. Don’t see a problem.

— @TheThirdPartyUS

It’s about time. Let’s give Cuba the same chances we’ve given the Chinese.

— @juanito10025

A slap in the face to the people of Cuba. Unless this would help them be free, he has no business being there.

— @ksr10sfan

You keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Besides, we want to expose them to what America has to offer.

— @TennRobt

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Letter to the editor:

I have no problem with the U.S. opening up trade and travel with Cuba. In a not-so-perfect world, we also have to be realistic. As we opened up with communist China, so we should open up with communist Cuba. We can’t pretend the country doesn’t exist.

But let’s lay off the jolly smiles and the hugs. The Castro regime has killed and tortured innocent Cubans. I cringe when I see the pope or any foreign leader hug and smile with these communist thugs. When Obama visits Cuba, he should lay off the hugs, smiles and handshakes, and get down to the nitty-gritty and in plain language tell the Castro boys that either they respect human rights or the deal is off. Simple as that.

To embrace the Castros is a slap in the face of the memories of all the Cubans who have suffered and died under communist rule. Is that asking too much of the president?

Tom R. Kovach; Nevis, Minn.

Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

The embargo of Cuba did not achieve its aims. You can engage, and with time achieve gradual change. It will be too fast for some, and for others not fast enough, but there will be change.

Going backward is not an option that will be effective.

— Dan Porath

This “normalization” of the relationship has nothing to do with human rights. It’s about dollars. Cuba, being so close to the U.S. and having an economically oppressed population, is a perfect breeding ground to leverage a low-cost labor pool.

— Jake Lessnar

Maybe if we talk, we will have better luck than by forcing an embargo.

— Chuck Boyle

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.