President Bush tightened U.S. travel restrictions against Cuba on Thursday, a move likely to strengthen his election-year standing in politically important Florida and heighten tensions with Fidel Castro's communist regime.
The State Department's recently canceled talks on migration issues, which normally are held every six months. U.S. officials said Cuba has not been cooperating in achieving the goal of safe, orderly and legal immigration.
The Bush administration has accused Cuba of meddling in Latin America, sometimes in collaboration with the country's main South American ally, Venezuela.
Such an incident ``could threaten a disturbance of international relations,'' Bush said.
Bush directed Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to develop new rules to keep ``unauthorized U.S. vessels'' out of Cuban territorial waters.
The president said the passage of American boats into Cuban waters could bring injury or death to anyone on the vessels, ``due to the potential use of excessive force, including deadly force, against them by the Cuban military.''

mr ed:
the US stance on cuba has never made any sense from outside the US, im not sure if it makes more sense from within the us, or praps from within florida...

it looks like bush is laying the groundwork for an october northwood surprise:
"The president said the passage of American boats into Cuban waters could bring injury or death to anyone on the vessels, ``due to the potential use of excessive force, including deadly force, against them by the Cuban military.'' "

perhaps itll be tied into the odd haitin and/or guantanomo situations and we'll be able to kill 3 birds with one stone - perhaps cuba will nuke gitmo once the 50,000 beds are full of haitians. or something.