Elian as a Political Agenda

If presidential candidates must pander, and evidently they believe they must, then at least the pandering should make political sense. Vice President Al Gore’s caving in to the pressure of Miami’s Cuban American community in the Elian Gonzalez custody case is neither politically sensible nor right.

Gore announced Thursday that he supports legislation that would allow the 6-year-old Cuban boy to remain in the country and leave his case to the courts rather than the Immigration and Naturalization Service. He suddenly wants Congress to pass a law that would grant permanent resident status to the boy, his father, stepmother, half-brother, grandmothers and grandfather in Cuba. What will Gore suggest next, asylum for the entire island?

As this tug-of-war for Elian escalates, it’s again painfully clear that the well-being of a young child takes second place to adult political agendas. The Miami family is apparently willing to stop at nothing to hold the boy here. They argue that Elian has bonded with a female cousin after the loss of his mother, who died trying to bring Elian to the United States. They seem to forget that had they not held the child virtual hostage he would have long ago been back in Cuba to bond with his father and other relatives. Fidel Castro, furiously playing his own agenda, threatens to send dozens of Cubans to Miami to take the child back. Into this steps Gore, seeking to make his GOP presidential rival, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, work a bit harder to gain the votes of the state his brother governs, a state that still is likely to support Bush.

Poor Elian. Shame on Gore.