This is John Batchel, a conversation with my colleague Mary Anastasia Grady of the Wall Street Journal editorial page

about the possibility of Cuba emerging from the brutality of the Castro regime.

Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, is well informed of what needs to be done.

Mary lays down a requirement that

is beyond what happens in Venezuela right now, very much beyond anything that we're now hearing

in the news. And Mary explains it, must happen. Mary, Anastasio Grady, tonight, more of this later. Well, one thing we

should clarify is Rubio's parents were immigrants to the U.S. before Castro took over in 1959.

I believe they came during the dictatorship of Batista, just to clarify for the audience. But he is, as you say, very much committed

to the idea of a free Cuba. And I don't think he's going to, I mean, I don't think the administration

is going to agree to lift the embargo and allow Americans to go invest in Cuba, unless the regime breaks up and leaves power.

I mean, these guys have to leave. It's got to be a requirement.

You mean Diaz Canal, the nominal head and the Castro as well?

Yes, I mean more than just the nominal head.

We can't replicate what we did in Venezuela, which was take out Maduro but leave the regime in place. That's going to be devastating for Venezuela, and it would not be a solution for Cuba. If we take out Diaz-Canel, we also have to take out the top generals and the apparatchiks and nomencultura that run the regime.

That means a lot of Castro family members, like the one you mentioned earlier,

the deputy prime minister, who's the great nephew of Raul Castro.

All those people have to leave.