By Steve Clemons

I haven’t had time yet to digest the Obama administration’s “relaxation” of restrictions in US-Cuba relations. I’m on a boat — and sailing in the vicinity of Cuba tomorrow, though in Curacao today.

Thanks to my fellow TWN posters for covering the blog while I am on a vacation out of the United States. I have stopped in Haiti, sailed by Cuba — where I really wanted to stop — and am in the Dominican Republic today.

I am in Miami for a couple of days and this beautiful pic was taken from my balcony yesterday evening. I have been discussing US-Cuba relations with quite a number of Cuban-Americans who live here.

This is a guest post for The Washington Note by CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies Charles Freeman. The entry first appeared on Freeman’s facebook page. Freeman previously served as assistant U.S. trade representative (USTR) for China affairs.

Today at 12:45 pm, I will be hosting an event in the US House of Representatives on the subject of “Congressioal Views on US Approaches to Gaza.

This morning I left Washington Dulles, and it was about 14 degrees outside. Now I’m in Corpus Christi, Texas planning to speak tonight and tomorrow to groups organized by the World Affairs Council of South Texas/Corpus Christi and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. It’s 73 degrees outside. Really.

One of the interesting things to observe after George Bush issued his dictate to the world — “You are with us or against us” — was how some of those nations “with us” began to assume that their importance to and relationship with the United States was “unconditional” and that they could do virtually anything…

Something big is up in Havana. So big that some are saying that Fidel Castro has finally moved on to the next world — though I don’t believe this to be the case.

Eric Schmidt has a somewhat optimistic short op-ed in today’s New York Times, “Back Online by 2010,” on the economy and when it might rebound. He thinks that bargain hunters need to have their acquisitions of deflated assets in hand before things begin to bounce back mid-2010. Fine.