Posted on 09/08/2007 1:10:50 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(CBS4) CORAL GABLES -- Presidential hopeful Christopher Dodd would end a decades-old trade embargo with Cuba and lift travel restrictions to the island if elected, he said Saturday in Coral Gables.
The Democratic senator from Connecticut also said he would open an embassy in Havana and shut down TV Marti, a U.S. government-run television station that broadcasts to Cuba.
"Other than the war in Iraq, no other American policy is more broadly unpopular internationally," Dodd said of the United States' policy toward Cuba.
Dodd said as president he would seek a repeal of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which strengthened the U.S. embargo against Cuba. He also announced he would shut down the 17-year-old TV Marti, and reform its companion, Radio Marti, saying taxpayers should not spend money on a station virtually no one in Cuba sees.
The senator, who badly trails better known rivals in the presidential race, also said he would work to establish U.S. mail service to Cuba. He added he would make staying in touch with family on the island easier for Cuban-Americans by allowing U.S. companies to lower prices for phone calls there.
Dodd answered several questions in Spanish, which he learned while serving in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. He said he has faith in the Cuban community and their willingness to take a look at his policy, though Cuban-Americans generally oppose any lifting of the trade embargo.
Dodd sidestepped a question on whether he would meet leaders like Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez if elected.
"Presidents don't run around and meet with people automatically," Dodd said, without directly answering the question.
Dodd is in Coral Gables to participate in a debate for Democratic candidates to be hosted in Spanish on Sunday at The University of Miami.
Of the presidential candidates, only Dodd and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson are fluent in Spanish.
First things first.
Make sure the evil dictator is dead and his communists relatives and henchmen are in prison.
Oh, well then it must be wrong.
If we are going to stoop so low as to buy goods and borrow billion from Communist China we may as well trade with Communist Cuba.
“Other than the war in Iraq, no other American policy is more broadly unpopular internationally,” Dodd said of the United States’ policy toward Cuba.
I didn’t know the world had such control over American foreign policy.
Once again.....Dodd working to prove he is an incompetent, unaccomplished yet arrogant asshole...
Someone needs to clean the fat leftist’s clock....
This clown is a poster child for TERM LIMITS...
He is one of the reasons John Bolton is not at the UN. Dodd supported the Sandanistas in Nicuragua in the 80s. He shouldn’t be elected to dog catcher! If I spelt Sandanistas or Nicuragua wrong, I apologize.
Shouldn't that read: The traitorous Pr***k from Connecticut who helped sell America's secrets to the Chinese Communists?
He’s a butt wart!
We should end the embargo. The average Cuban government employee gets paid $10 per month. We should let Wal Mart and Nike open up factories and offer Cuban workers $50 per month.
Bubba wants his cigars!!
If trade or investment is deemed to be all that profitable, surely it would be worth the while of American businesses to buy out those rights. If not, then the embargo doesn't really matter.
Iwould support the end of the embargo if we made substantial increase in the size of the Gitmo facility.
We should extend Gitmo to cover all the land on the island with a new 99 year lease.
I agree 100 percent! I want my #4 Monticristo’s.
What would happen if that were to occur? Well other than new ideas being introduced into Cuba, Cubans having access to new products, and the Cuban government unable to prevent free access to said ideas and products. On our side access to products Cubans have that we would want would cause cash to flow into Cuban hands furthering their access to products and ideas, no matter what Castro wanted. Well we can't have that!! They may end up like Vietnam, one of the strongest economic nations in Southeast Asia
Much better to keep punishing the people of Cuba for having a crazed leader. After all it's worked so well for the past 40 years....hmmmm I seem to remember reading about a candidate for President that advocates trade with all to effect internal affairs of other nations instead of embargoes and bombs....
That will never happen because unlike the Chinese government, Castro will never allow private business to open in Cuba that caters to the average Cuban. Everything there is government controlled.
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