RNC - Obama: Weak on Cuba

Sen. McCain's Speech On Cuba Today Will Offer Stark Contrast To Obama's Weak Cuba Policy

WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Sen. McCain Will Deliver A Speech On Cuba And Latin America In Commemoration Of Cuba's Independence Day:

"Tuesday: U.S. Sen. John McCain, Republican Presidential Candidate, Delivers Speech On Cuba And Latin America..." ("Cuban Independence Events In South Florida," The Miami Herald, 5/17/08)

Obama's Willingness To Meet With Rogue Leaders, Including Current Cuban President Raul Castro, Has Been Criticized By Members Of The Cuban Community In Florida:

At A February 2008 Debate, Obama Said He Would Meet With Raul Castro Without Preconditions. CNN's Campbell Brown: "Senator Obama, just to follow up, you had said in a previous CNN debate that you would meet with the leaders of Cuban,Iran,North Korea, among others, so presumably you would be willing to meet with the new leader ofCuba." Obama: "That's correct. Now, keep in mind that the starting point for our policy inCuba should be the liberty of the Cuban people. And I think we recognize that that liberty has not existed throughout the Castro regime. And we now have an opportunity to potentially change the relationship betweenthe United States andCuba after over half a century. I would meet without preconditions, although Senator Clinton is right that there has to be preparation." (Sen. Barack Obama, CNN/Univision Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate,Austin, TX, 2/21/08)

InFlorida, Obama "Will Have To Defend His Support For Easier Negotiations With America's Enemies" Which Has "Evoked The Ire Of Some Cuban Groups In Florida." "Sen. Barack Obama will have to defend his support for easier negotiations with America's enemies when he addresses a leading Cuban-American exile group this week during his first campaign stop inFlorida in nine months. The professed desire by the likely Democratic presidential nominee to hold direct talks withCuba's communist leaders if elected has evoked the ire of some Cuban groups inFlorida, who maintain that no such talk should be held until real democratic reform takes place on the island." (Carmen Gentile, "Obama Faces Heat From Cuban Exiles," The Washington Times, 5/18/08)

"'We Think There Should Be No Negotiations Or Conversation With Raul Castro Until He Has Released All Political Prisoners And Made Moves Toward Democracy,' Said Orlando Gutierrez, Directorio Cubano's National Secretary." (Carmen Gentile, "Obama Faces Heat From Cuban Exiles," The Washington Times, 5/18/08)

TheNew York Sun's Benny Avni: "I am no fan of the Cuban embargo, but removing it now - or announcing a presidential trip to meet with Raul Castro - would indicate that America views this familial transfer of power as real change, rather than what it is: a maneuver meant to leave the brutal Castro legacy intact." (Benny Avni, Op-Ed, "Obama Vs. Bad Guys: To Talk Or Not To Talk?" TheNew York Sun, 2/25/08)

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro Said Obama And Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) Would Be A Winning Presidential Ticket:

"Ailing Cuban Leader Fidel Castro Is Tipping Democratic Candidates Hillary Clinton And Barack Obama To Team Up And Win The U.S. Presidential Election." (Anthony Boadle, "Castro's Tip: Clinton-Obama The Winning Ticket," Reuters, 8/27/07)

"Clinton Leads Obama In The Race To Be The Democratic Nominee For The November 2008 Election, And Castro Said They Would Make A Winning Combination." (Anthony Boadle, "Castro's Tip: Clinton-Obama The Winning Ticket," Reuters, 8/27/07)

Obama Has Been Inconsistent In His Support For Normalized Relations With Cuba:

In 2003, Obama Said He Supported The Normalization Of Relations With Cuba. Obama: "I believe that normalization of relations withCuba would help the oppressed and poverty-stricken Cuban people while setting the stage for a more democratic government once Castro inevitably leaves the scene." (Lynn Sweet, "Obama's 2003 IVI-IPO Questionnaire May Be Getting Closer Scrutiny," Chicago Sun-Times' "Lynn Sweet's Blog," www.suntimes.com, 12/11/07)

But As A Presidential Candidate, Obama Has Backed Away From His Earlier Support For Normalized Relations With Cuba. "Democrat Barack Obama supported the 'normalization of relations withCuba' when he was a U.S. Senate candidate in 2003, taking a more liberal position than he has espoused as a presidential candidate." (Beth Reinhard, "Candidates Toughen Talk On Cuba In S. Fla," The Miami Herald, 12/13/07)

Obama Did Not Explain The Shift In His Views On U.S. Policy Toward Cuba. "That position contrasts with the stiffer stance Obama took in a column aboutCuba in The Miami Herald in August, followed three days later by a speech inMiami. He called for allowing Cuban-Americans to freely visit and send money to relatives on the island, but said the embargo should remain until there are signs of democratic reform. ... Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki reiterated the candidate's current position but did not explain his shift from 2003." (Beth Reinhard, "Candidates Toughen Talk On Cuba In S. Fla," The Miami Herald, 12/13/07)

Obama Has Been Inconsistent In His Views On The Cuban Embargo:

In A 2003 Questionnaire, Obama Said He Opposed The Helms-Burton Act Codifying The Cuban Embargo. Question: "Do you support ... the Helms-Burton Act?" Obama: "No, this legislation only makes adversaries of our allies and perpetuates our go-it-alone foreign policy." (Lynn Sweet, "Obama's 2003 IVI-IPO Questionnaire May Be Getting Closer Scrutiny," Chicago Sun-Times' "Lynn Sweet's Blog," www.suntimes.com, 12/11/07)

"In January 2004, Obama Said It Was Time 'To End The Embargo With Cuba' Because It Had 'Utterly Failed In The Effort To Overthrow Castro.'" ("Top Obama Flip-Flops," The Washington Post, 2/25/08)

Obama: "I think it's time for us to end the embargo withCuba." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 1/20/04)

Obama: "The Cuban embargo has failed to provide the sorts of rising standards of living and has squeezed the innocents inCuba, and utterly failed in the effort to overthrow Castro...so it's time for us to acknowledge that that particular policy has failed." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 1/20/04)

But In 2007, Obama Said He Supported The Cuban Embargo. "[Obama] said he would continue the trade embargo." (Beth Reinhard, "Obama Stresses 'Libertad,'" The Miami Herald, 8/26/07)

Obama: "As president, I'll maintain the embargo - it's an important inducement for change because we know that Castro's death will not guarantee freedom." (Beth Reinhard, "It's Got A Good Beat And You Can Dance To It," The Miami Herald's "Naked Politics" Blog, www.miamiherald.com, 8/25/07)

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