Why is Drudge Having a Cow

… about Obama shaking hands with Raul Castro? We’ve shaken hands with lots of bloody-handed Commie butchers from China to Russia to the Soviet satellite states. Hell, the butchers in China have enjoyed most favored nation status since forever. Why is Cuba uniquely evil and the mere touch of Castro’s hand a sign of ritual impurity?

People tell me that our friendly relations with China is all part of our clever plan to lull China into the community of free enterprise and bring about the blessings of liberty by forcing their economy–and eventually their state–to live according to free enterprise rules. Such an economy, I’m told, cannot function in a police surveillance state and must inevitably transform itself into our glorious free society.

Um, okay. Prescinding from NSA surveillance and the militarization of our police state and the obvious fact that we seem to be becoming more like China as our ruling class treats the rest of us as less equal than they are, let’s take the argument at face value. Trade with Commies turns Commies into Murkan fans of Rush Limbaugh. If so: then why not do that with Cuba too? Why is Cuba radioactive? Why are American relations with Cuba stuck in 1962? The Pope’s been there. Why shouldn’t we go there? Why not try the old capitalist razzle dazzle of Murkan freedom on those Cuban Commies if its supposed to work so well with Chinese Commies? Is it really the case that we are simply too proud to admit that we failed to bring down Castro so we’re just not on speaking terms due to our pride? That seems like a dumb reason to maintain a policy that hasn’t worked for 50 years.