While the families said they were fighting only over what was best for Elian, everyone else was really sparring about U.S. relations with its longtime nemesis in Havana. In the past year Washington has edged steadily toward warmer ties to Castro's Cuba--which not all are happy about.
On paper the changes are minor, such as allowing more people-to-people contacts. But at the State Department, in the business community and even in Congress, sentiment is growing to abandon the 40-year-old embargo that has failed to dislodge Castro. Farmers, businessmen and tourists are clamoring for greater access to the island, as other countries...