Elian Spotlight Shows Obama Weak Spot

Eight years after the Elian Gonzalez standoff contributed to Al Gore’s defeat, the row is back in the headlines and causing trouble for Barack Obama. Obama’s stance on Cuban issues, not to mention the prominent roles Elian’s father’s lawyer and a Clinton deputy AG play in his campaign, have angered many members of Florida’s Cuban exile community, Politico reports.

But the renewed controversy has also exposed a growing generational gap between older, hard-line Cubans and younger members of the community more concerned with issues beyond Cuba policy. “What you are seeing is that the problems that are affecting average Americans like the economy or the war in Iraq are also affecting Cuban Americans,” said an Obama rep. (More Cuba stories.)