New Cuba policy is old

Orlando Sentinel: President Bush's new policy on Cuba is supposed to hasten the end of its communist dictatorship and assist its people in a transition to democracy. Those are commendable goals, but a U.S.-orchestrated campaign of regime change for Cuba marginalizes its political opposition and bolsters Fidel Castro's rule.
It's not surprising that prominent dissidents in Cuba have panned the policy. Oswaldo Paya, who has spearheaded a citizens' petition demanding political and economic freedom, said it's up to Cubans to determine the island's future.
But the policy is a gift for Castro. It's his latest opportunity to keep the focus on U.S. opposition and divert attention from the widespread poverty and misery that his misrule has brought Cuba.
Presidential politics
The timing and tone of the policy suggest it is more a bid to strengthen support for the president from Florida's politically crucial Cuban exile community than a practical plan to support democratic change on the island.
The policy maintains the U.S. bans on travel and trade with Cuba, and tightens them by cutting down on visits and cash payments from U.S. exiles to family members on the island. This is more of the same old hard-line approach that has failed for decades to undermine Castro.
The Bush administration needs a truly new policy for Cuba.