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COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: Obama's hypocrisy in Cuba Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 25, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 25, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Of all the moments of greatness that may one day define the legacy of Barack Hussein Obama, there are a few that stand out, reliably, for most of his supporters: The passing of Obamacare as a definitive victory, for the administration as well as for the millions of Americans who, until that point, had little or no medical safety net. The capture and killing of Osama bin Laden which, while controversial, ended a decade-long manhunt and helped to relieve a psychic wound that had long plagued Americans, has been another milestone. And a third event — termed "The Cuban Thaw" by pundits and policy wonks — the beginning of a process between the Obama administration and the Castro regime to normalize relations between Cuba and the United States. As one of the two jewels in the Obama foreign policy crown (his State Department negotiations with Iran on their nuclear program has been just as remarkable, if less heralded) the Cuban Thaw has demonstrated Obama at his best; as a shrewd, transactional politician with a firm grasp of carrot-and-stick logistical nuance. This trip to Cuba, while heavy on ceremony, was designed to set the Castro brothers on a slow cook when it comes to human rights violations and dictatorial leadership tactics long dismissed by Fidel and Raúl as a necessity of realpolitik; a sort of perennial nationalistic bulwark against the oppressive forces of the West. Until fairly recently, that was a viable argument. But with the U.S. president kicking back at a baseball game in Havana (complete with designer shades and pristine linen dress shirt), the message was clear — we are your Western friends, here to engage you over a game that is as American as it is Cuban. What else can we do to Americanize you? But while the usual right-wing froth is underway stateside over the Obama visit to Cuba (multiple Republicans, among them Rudy Giuliani, have chastised Obama for not ditching the trip partway through in deference to the recent terrorist attacks in Belgium), there has been virtually no mention of the irony that is most pervasive when it comes to "human rights violations" in Cuba. The U.S. base that has long been a byword for such abuses, Guantanamo Bay, lies a short 500-mile drive east of where the president took his repose alongside Raúl Castro this past week. And while his detractors sound off about everything from his expensive shades to his apparent inattention over Brussels, the silence around the Gitmo problem has been deafening, on both sides of the congressional aisle. Neither friend nor foe is willing to call Obama onto the carpet for his hypocrisy over that particular complication — especially in an election year. While the opening of Cuba will remain a major accomplishment for the president (provided all goes well in the few short months he has left in the Oval Office), there is breathtaking political cynicism in his decision to visit Cuba in order to push a human rights mandate onto that country's government, while refusing to even broach the subject of America's own dirty little secret just down the road. That dichotomy may be good for business today, but it will tarnish his foreign policy crown tomorrow, not to mention his legacy overall. For someone who has been lauded for playing the long game, Obama has been inconsistent when it comes to aligning his rhetoric with his actions on this particular issue. We can only hope that there will be a resolution to the Guantanamo Bay question before he heads back to Chicago in early 2017. Ashland resident Jeffrey Gillespie is a Daily Tidings columnist, arts reviewer and freelance writer. Email him at gillespie.jeffrey @gmail.com. 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