Gov. Bush accused by Cuban official of working against Castro

Sun-Sentinel- May 18, 2003 ^ | May 18, 2003, 4:28 PM EDT | Brent Kallestad - The Associated Press

[EvergladesJoe]

Spokeswoman for Gov.Jeb Bush discounted charges aired Sunday by the president of the Cuban National Assembly that the Florida governor is conspiring to overthrow Fidel Castro.

[EvergladesJoe]

Gov. Bush accused by Cuban official of working against Castro

By Brent Kallestad The Associated Press

May 18, 2003, 4:28 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE -- A spokeswoman for Gov. Jeb Bush discounted charges aired Sunday by the president of the Cuban National Assembly that the Florida governor is conspiring to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Ricardo Alarcon, appearing on ABC's This Week on Sunday, said Bush is urging his older brother, President Bush, to work toward Castro's ouster. Cuba-U.S. relations have becoming increasingly strained in recent weeks since the arrests and trials of Cuban dissidents and the expulsion of 14 Cuban diplomats from Washington and New York.

"Well, you have, first of all, those in Miami that are calling for even a military action against Cuba, including the governor,'' Alarcon said.

Later, he said: "I am convinced that not very far from President Bush and his entourage are people that are not just willing, but actively working toward that ... The brother (Jeb Bush) was very open, calling publicly in Florida to do in the neighborhood, in the nation of Cuba, what you just did to Iraq.''

Alarcon said a March 28 demonstration in Miami which featured some members of Congress included a banner that said "Iraq now, Cuba next.''

Bush's press secretary, Alia Faraj, said Sunday that the governor has been consistent on his views toward Cuba. "Gov. Bush has been very clear in his position that he does not condone Castro's repressive regime,'' she said.

"Americans should continue to show their support for the brave men and women who continue to seek change through continued support of an economic embargo and travel restrictions.''

Bush was in Austin, Texas, for the law school graduation of his son, George P. Bush.

The U.S. government's expulsion Tuesday of the 14 diplomats was described by Cuba's Foreign Ministry as a step toward provoking confrontation between the two countries. A senior Bush administration official said seven diplomats ordered home from the Cuban mission in Washington engaged in three kinds of improper activities: monitoring and surveillance, association with known criminals and the attempted recruitment of spies.

The removals came as Cuba endures heavy world criticism for the recent sentencing of 75 dissidents to prison terms ranging from six to 28 years on charges of collaborating with American diplomats to subvert the socialist system. The dissidents and diplomats deny the charges.

The communist island also was criticized for the April 11 firing-squad executions of three men convicted of terrorism in the attempting hijacking of a ferry filled with passengers. No one was injured in the hijack attempt.

Castro said last week that the firing squad deaths were the result of a conspiracy started by the U.S. government and the "terrorist Mafia in Miami,'' a term often used by him to describe Cuban exile groups.

[MEG33]

Incredible.

[Bogey78O]

Peter Falk did an impressive portrayal of a Castro clone in the Twilight Zone.

[Joe Boucher]

Gov. Bush is my Gov. and has done a very good job. Kept taxes low and from going up. Kept much pork down and not screwed up anything with a lot of big govt. ideas.
I do hope he works against castro. Hopefully the current socialist govt. in cuba falls any minute. And castro dies and goes to hell where he belongs.

[Dog Gone]

The Cubans are getting a little paranoid, it seems.

[KevinDavis]

Too bad Jeb is not the Pres.

[night reader]

Gov. Bush accused by Cuban official of working against Castro
====================================
Well, I certainly hope he is!

[nwrep]

If he is Bush will be invincible in 2004.

[steplock]

And this is bad because........ ?????????

[strela]

Gov. Bush accused by Cuban official of working against Castro

Nooooo ... really, you think?

[Guillermo]

The removals came as Cuba endures heavy world criticism

HA! Criticism from who, except righties in the USA?

The criticism I have seen is along the lines of "The US has provoked Cuba into taking these actions." Even Max Baucus (Scum-Montana) said this.

[Hugin]

He will be in '08.

[Guillermo]

All despotic regimes are.

I have a cousin who is a CP member in Cuba. He works for the Dept. of Interior (aka secret police). He emails my dad every week or so and ever since the Iraq war ended they have become incredibly angry, paranoid, disjointed. It's like he's frothing at the mouth.

I wrote him back (after my dad forwarded one of them to me) and told him he better get on the Freedom Bus, because once Castro is out, the people on the street are going to hang him from a lampost if he doesn't change his ways.

[snooker]

Castro been spending phone time with 'iL

[Recovering_Democrat]

Like overthrowing Castro would be a bad thing?

[backhoe]

-The Fire Down South...( Latin America--)--

Castro, the Carribean, and Terrorism

[Chi-townChief]

"Gov. Bush accused by Cuban official of working against Castro"

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this "accusation" really a compliment?

[RedBloodedAmerican]

And castro dies and goes to hell where he belongs

L.A?

[EvergladesJoe]

Regarding the Cuban exile march in Miami March 29th,2003
I saw signs that said,"Iraq now, Cuba next." Also,Cuba was
correct in executing the 3 Ferry Boat hijacker terrorists because they used a gun to hijack the boat while putting its
passengers in danger of their lives. Two violent illegal acts took place. The hijacking plus death threats calls
for swift action so other hijacking terrorists will get the
message, unlike the courts in the U.S. who throw out cases
of hijackers when they land boats or planes at Key West,
Florida who view them as patriots instead of criminals, as
well as keeping the planes which are stolen property and should be returned according to international agreements.

[Defender2]

It's time to eliminate ALL the enemies that plotted against U.S. over the years including the domestic enemies.