Opinion: Carter's trip to Cuba is symbolic

President Bush, in waging a war on terror, drew an important distinction. The Taliban and al-Qaida are the enemy, he stressed, not Islam or the Afghan people. It's time we became more consistent in applying the same sound principle to our southern neighbor, Cuba. The people of Cuba aren't our enemy, and we can build constructive relations with them even as we oppose Fidel Castro's regime. A planned visit there by former President Jimmy Carter could advance that effort.

Carter has applied for permission from the Bush administration to travel to the island, in response to an invitation Castro extended several months ago. In deference to Carter, and in hopes that the visit could have some practical benefits, the White House seems inclined to allow the trip to proceed without criticism. The former president has ably expressed the reasonable view that America's 40-year-old trade embargo has hurt the Cuban people more than their government, and it marginalizes the good that can come from Cuban exposure to American trade and democracy.

No one should suffer any illusions. Castro is not voluntarily leaving the stage. He will not liberalize the country, and his chosen successor, his brother Raul, is generally considered even more of a hard-liner. But both sides of Cuba's Marxist revolution are undergoing generational change. The Castro brothers are in their 70s. Younger leadership has taken power from hard-liners at the Cuban American National Foundation, the main anti-Castro exile group. It is inconceivable a broad rapprochement could come about as long as the Castros remain in power, but Carter's trip offers the symbolism of reaching out to Cuba's post-Castro leadership.

The Bush administration and exile groups should not apply a litmus test to Carter's trip. He carries the cachet of a former president, which means his impressions of Cuba will be widely circulated upon his return. To tie him to an anti-Castro agenda could defeat the purpose for going. President Bush should be thankful he can have it both ways -- talk tough to Castro while Carter explores back-channel relations.

The question is when, not whether, Castro and the embargo will go away. The sooner Washington seizes the opportunity to build closer ties with the Cuban people, the sooner it can begin breaking down walls that once similarly divided Europe. Carter's long history promoting human rights makes him uniquely suited to deliver that message, to the leadership in Cuba and here at home.

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