Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber
Posted on 02/23/2008 10:45:56 AM PST by OnRiver
Barack Obama's offer to meet face to face with Fidel Castro's successor is ''dangerously naive,'' Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Friday, testing out a potential fall campaign strategy to cast the Democratic presidential candidate as too inexperienced for the world stage.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
Though neither man has wrapped up his party's nomination, the volleys over Cuba policy provide a glimpse into what is shaping up to be their lines of attack: McCain will present himself as an experienced, steady hand and criticize Obama's lack of foreign policy experience; Obama, if the Democratic nominee, will present himself as a fresh start and McCain as a return to the Bush years.
''This is the thrust and parry we'll hear throughout the campaign,'' said David Johnson, former executive director of the Republican Party of Florida. "Obama's going to try to tie McCain to the less popular parts of the Bush administration . . . and McCain is going to say, 'This is most important job in the world and he doesn't have the relevant experience to do it.' ''
Asked at Thursday's debate in Texas whether he'd meet with Raúl Castro, his brother's likely successor, Obama said he would. ''I do think that it's important for the United States not just to talk to its friends, but also to talk to its enemies,'' he said. "That's where diplomacy makes the biggest difference.''
Though Obama said he would be willing to meet with the Cuban leader ''without preconditions,'' he added that the encounter would happen only after both sides came up with an agenda that included human rights, the release of political prisoners and freedom of the press.
Clinton took a more cautious approach, saying she wouldn't meet with Fidel Castro's successor without "evidence that change was happening.''
McCain noted Friday that Obama, as a U.S. Senate candidate in 2003, supported the "normalization of relations with Fidel Castro.'' Obama said Thursday night he supports "the eventual normalization.''
"Obama said that as president he'd meet with the imprisoned island's new leader 'without preconditions,' '' McCain said. "So Raúl Castro gets an audience with an American president, and all the prestige such a meeting confers, without having to release political prisoners, allow free media, political parties, and labor unions, or schedule internationally monitored free elections.
''Meet, talk and hope may be a sound approach in a state Legislature,'' McCain said in a dig at Obama's experience as a state senator before his 2004 Senate election. "But it is dangerously naive in international diplomacy, where the oppressed look to America for hope and adversaries wish us ill.''
A McCain advisor said his campaign didn't criticize Clinton's remarks because she didn't say she'd meet with Castro with no restrictions.
Obama didn't retreat Friday, saying in an e-mail that he'd call for an ''immediate change in policy to allow for unlimited family travel and remittances to the island.'' President Bush tightened restrictions on family travel and remittances in 2004, limiting Cuban-Americans to visiting their relatives on the island once every three years and capping remittances at $100 per a month.
''In November, the American people will have a clear choice: a new direction versus more war in Iraq, more not talking to leaders we don't like and more of a Cuba policy that has failed to achieve freedom for the Cuban people,'' Obama said. "I am confident that the American people will choose the promise of the future over the failed policies and predictable political attacks of the past.''
The remarks on meeting with Castro's successor could be troublesome for Cuban Democrats, many of whom support lifting restrictions on travel and remittances but stop short of advocating talks with Cuban leaders unless democratic changes occur on the island.
The state Republican Party used the remarks to fire a broadside at the three Democrats challenging South Florida's three Republican Cuban-American members of Congress.
Former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, who wants to unseat Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, said he disagrees with Obama.
''Unless the Castros show a willingness to change the way they conduct business, release political prisoners, allow more participation of the Cuban people, we should not sit down with them,'' said Martinez, who has endorsed Clinton.
"If [Obama] becomes the official nominee I'm pretty sure he will have modifications to some of his positions,'' Martinez said.
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© 2008 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved. http://www.miamiherald.com
Obama is a flaming moron.
The last “feel good” democrat was the Worst President in American History: Jimmy Carter.
but don’t you HOOOOOPPPPPPEEEEEEE for CCCHHHAAAANNNNNNGGGGEEE?? /S
b. hussein willing to meet and surrender anytime anywhere with any enemy of the US!!!!
sarc on/
In an interview yesterday with the editorial board of the New York Times, Senator Barack Obama pledged that he would use the good offices of the Presidency to mediate a peace agreement between Heaven and Hell. “For too long, the Almighty and Lucifer have been at odds, and the Bush Administration has done nothing to bring the warring parties together,” Obama said. He indicated that he would be willing to “go to hell” to get The Devil on board.
sarc/off
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber
Barring an invasion, I didn't know it was possible for the U.S. to achieve freedom for the Cuban people. What does he know that I don't?
McCain might garner some of the Cuban vote with this, but for the most part, a hardline on Cuba isn’t going to appeal to the independents who are beginning to swoon for Obama, and McCain desperately needs their votes. If McCain turns off the squishy center while trying to coax back the “beaten wife” conservatives, he is going to get trounced. Obama isn’t going to play the issues game with him, and the voters that really matter now don’t want issues.
Oh my Gawd, I have to choose between McCain and Usama, ah, Obama?!
Tagline says it.
“McCain might garner some of the Cuban vote with this, but for the most part, a hardline on Cuba isn’t going to appeal to the independents who are beginning to swoon for Obama, and McCain desperately needs their votes.”
If McCain can win the Cuban vote strongly he will win Florida, and if a Republican wins FL the GOP is already half way towards holding the WH.
I guess Obama will even meat with Drug Dealers to end the War on Drugs then right?
Oh thats right we’re still waiting on the Sinclair Polygraph to show whether the CCUA lobbying efforts on Mr. Obama were true or not.
this is in a Miami newspaper and not even Gore would be so dumm....politics are local even in a Presidential election...Florida is better than it as ever been for a republican nominee and is where we has to win in the last 2 elections ...well we don’t have to win as its not going to be close there as the democratic Senator has been telling everyone that will listen.
If obamarama gets elected that's the way it will be, no white person will be able to disagree or criticize obamarama without being called a racist.....take it from one who knows.......our gov is deval patrick,,,the same deval who obamarama was accused of plagiarizing, there are talk show hosts who criticize deval and all of a sudden the lines light up with blacks folks who want to call the host a racist....
I’m afraid you’re absolutely correct. no criticism will be allowed or tolerated. to participate in it is to open yourself up to charges of being a racist..
example, at the gas station the other day, a couple of people were talking about the election, and I opened my big mouth and said I’d never vote for obama..I was asked if I was a “racist”..I told them absolutely not, I didn’t agree with his policy or positions..their answer was, quote closet racists always say that unquote..
so now I keep my mouth shut..
Was he complaining about the menu or the wine at the reception? Just curious...
OK, I known McCain wouldn't buy him dinner. He'd do the same to fidel he does to conservatives.
Obamalama wants to meet with Cuba, Iran and everyother dictatorship without conditions, but still refuses to go on Fox News.
happens all the time here in MA, co-workers, friends, in line at the grocery store,,,it’s every where,,,,deval ran on the “together we can” crap, it’s dividing the races....obamarama is doing the same thing with the “yes we can” crap, yes we can deceive the masses, yes we can split the races, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can. I’m listening to local talk radio now and the host keeps asking for someone to call in and explain why they would vote for obamarama,,,idiots keep calling and saying they will vote for obamarama, because, drum roll please......he is the candidate of change,,,,,,ta da.....when asked exactly WHAT the changes would be they just rattle on, no specifics, just lib rhetoric,,,,,,,,,,,but, I digress!
From what I've read of Obama's campaign promises and experience and Squidly's postings on Free Republic, I would say President Squidly would be far superior to President Obama. But of course the average Freeper would make a better prez than any of the current Dem candidates. They are all uniformly awful.
why not?? birds of a feather and all that. FOX might ask him some difficult questions..can’t have that now, can we..
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