Paltalk News - President Obama's Summit Of The Americas Trip

President Obama is in Trinidad for the Summit of the Americas - meeting with 33 of the hemisphere's 34 other leaders. Cuba, which is not a democracy, is not invited. Though Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who supports Cuba, is expected to make waves and attempt to seize the spotlight from Obama.

In spite of the fact that Cuban President Raul Castro will not be there, Cuba is expected to be a major focus of the summit. Which comes on the heels of the Obama administration announcing that it is easing travel restrictions to the island nation for Cuban-Americans who wish to visit relatives there. But other Americans, with certain exceptions, are still not free to visit Cuba. And the trade restrictions, which date back to the Cuban missile crisis when John F. Kennedy was president, remain in place.

Obama has signaled that he might be willing to ease some of those restrictions as well, and Castro, speaking in Venezuela, has indicated that he is willing to discuss all issues, including human rights violations, with the United States. This is a striking departure from long-held policy when his brother, Fidel, was president, of not discussing internal issues with the outside world.

Joining us to put the all-important summit into perspective on today's News Talk Online on Paltalk.com will be former congressman and author of the book Trade and Freedom Jim Bacchus. Bacchus, who served in Congress as a Democrat from Florida, is the former chair of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization and is now a partner in the Washington, DC law firm Greenberg Traurig.

Bacchus believes Obama needs to reassure the other leaders that the United States recognizes its role in the Americas. He believes that the U.S. has a history of insulating itself from the rest of the hemisphere and the rest of the world.

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