On Cuba, it's only bidness for oil companies (UPDATED)

Oil rig off Cuban coast

Many Cuban Americans, especially among those of us who blog, were miffed — OK, I was a little more than miffed — that President Bush did not list Cuba as one of the world's tyrannies in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. However, there is plenty of other evidence that President Bush is on the right side of the struggle against Fidel Castro, even if his speechwriters don't know it. For example, as noted by Sirimba, it is the Bush administration that conceived and then constructed the electronic ticker-tape message machine on the facade of the U.S. Interests Section, one of the strongest American blows ever in the ongoing propaganda war with Castro.

While I do wish Bush had taken 1.2 seconds, or however long it might take, to mention Cuba in his speech, it is more important that Bush ensure that American policy on Cuba, and our goal of forcing democratic change, does not become watered down by other interests, like those of the U.S. oil industry.

The 45-year-old American economic embargo on Cuba has been weakened several times, most recently when changes designed to help American farmers were made to allow Cuba to buy U.S. agricultural products, as long as it pays cash.

Now, as Cuba explores petroleum deposits in its waters, American oil companies apparently want to get into the game, too.

The Associated Press reports that representatives of several American oil companies are expected to attend a conference in Mexico sponsored by the U.S.-Cuba Trade Association and other companies and groups interested in doing business with Cuba. The embargo currently prohibits U.S. oil companies from working in Cuban waters, and that has oil companies miffed — OK, maybe they are more than miffed — as they watch non-American companies grab a piece of the action.

"Right on our own border, there is going to be substantial activity in what is probably the last unexplored deposits in the world," said Kirby Jones, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade Association, in the AP story.

After 45 years of embargo, critics of American policy note, Castro is still in power. Perhaps, they say, we should try closer economic engagement to force changes in Cuba.

Well, the rest of the world does business with Castro. What changes has that brought to Cuba and for the Cuban people? How will allowing American oil companies, presuming Castro wants to do business with them, improve the lives of Cubans?

In the State of the Union, Bush made headlines by lamenting America's addiction to oil and calling for development of alternative energy sources. Feeding that addiction — and oil companies' addictions to profits — cannot be allowed to take precedence over keeping the pressure, economic and otherwise, on the Castro regime.

American oil companies must not be allowed to cut deals with Castro.

UPDATE, 11:15 a.m.

Paxety has more information about the "U.S.-Cuba Energy Summit," which starts later today at a Mexico City hotel, including the text of a letter from the president of the Cuban state-owned oil company to conference participants.