Posted on 12/20/2014 7:33:29 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Beginning on Thursday night, a fight erupted on line between Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul over the new diplomatic opening to Cuba. Rubio slammed Paul for his ignorance, while Paul bizarrely accused Rubio of “isolationism” for opposing Barack Obama’s policies. Before that battle began in earnest, I spoke with incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a wide-ranging interview about his plans for the 114th Session of Congress. We discussed Cuba, and McConnell made it clear that he was relying on Rubio’s leadership on the issue — which might make for an awkward moment or two between McConnell and his fellow Kentuckian Rand Paul:
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
Jeffrey Poor at Breitbart transcribed it in his report:
“I don’t think we’ll get anything out of it other than it will strengthen the Castro brothers because it will give them the hard currency they’ve been dying to have to strengthen their regime,” McConnell said. “You know, every country we open up with doesn’t necessarily respond to that by engaging in democratic reforms. Someone the other day mentioned Vietnam as a good example. We’ve had a relationship with Vietnam now for 15 years. But the regime in how it treats its own people really hadn’t changed. So the opening up there did not necessarily produce the kind of internal reforms that are everybody had hoped for. I can’t imagine the Castro brothers will do anything but be strengthened and actually probably enriched by the normalization of relationships with this communist country.” …
“I think we have some real leverage here,” he added. “Marco Rubio, one of the Cuban-Americans in the Senate is an expert on Cuba. His parents came from there. We have two other Cuban-Americans in the Senate – Ted Cruz and Bob Menendez, a Democrat. They will need to come to us to confirm a new ambassador, to fund the operation. We will have some leverage. A number of the embargoes are statutory. So we do have some leverage and we intend to use it.”
Rubio wasn’t done, either. Later yesterday, he made an appearance on Mark Levin’s radio show to fire back again at Paul. If Paul wants to adopt Obama’s foreign policy, Rubio said, Paul should just say so:
Well I think it’s unfortunate that Rand has decided to adopt Barack Obama’s foreign policy on this matter….
So you have these people coming out saying ‘well we should try something different…’ and that’s what Rand did. He just basically repeated the talking points of the president. And that’s fine, he has every right to support the president’s foreign policy if that’s what he wants to line up with. But I’m telling you it isn’t going to work.
This notion that somehow by doing this there’s going to be change in Cuba is just not true. On the contrary it’s going to strengthen the regime who is openly bragging in Havana. They said it again today in Cuba, nothing is going to change. They’re not going to change their system of government. They’re not going to change their economic system. And what they are openly saying is that this is a victory against imperialism, that they have won, and they spent all day yesterday thanking their partners internationally for standing with them all these years.
The president gave away everything and we got nothing in return. No democratic oath, nothing, nothing in return.
Ted Cruz isn’t too happy about it, either. He expressed his opposition to the deal in a Time Magazine op-ed:
But simply criticizing the Obama administration approach is not enough. As Sanchez and Farinas pointed out, no one can deny that the Castros have successfully exploited their enmity with the United States to enhance their reputation as revolutionary freedom fighters. And as the critics of the embargo argue, we are 50 years into the project and the Castros are still in power. Of course we should look for new ways to relieve the misery of the Cuban people—but there are better options than what the Obama administration has proposed.
First, the United States should have demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Alan Gross before we negotiated economic relief for Cuba. We celebrate his return, but it should have been beholden on the Castros to demonstrate good faith in advance of any concessions on our part. And we should not be creating incentives for other oppressive regimes to seize and ransom American citizens.
In addition, the United States should have recognized the significant pressures the Castro regime currently faces, which recall those in the late 1990s when deprived of Soviet sponsorship, their regime was threatened with economic catastrophe. Then, Hugo Chavez stepped in to save them, but now, with the impending collapse of the Venezuelan economy, disaster looms again. If the United States is to provide an economic lifeline to Cuba at this critical juncture, we might have extracted some significant concessions…
We do have friends in Cuba, people like Elizardo Sanchez, Guillermo Farinas, and their many colleagues in the opposition. But this misguided policy of President Obama’s does nothing to help them. On the contrary it may well strengthen the Castros and entrench a new generation of their oppressors in power unless Congress steps in to stop it.
McConnell and I discuss plenty of other issues in our 14-plus minute interview, so be sure to listen to the whole clip, which aired exclusively on last night’s Hugh Hewitt show while I guest hosted. McConnell sees an opening for agreement on tax reform and trade in the new Congress with Obama, and possibly on some infrastructure projects. Otherwise, the next two years will look bleak — although McConnell intends to clean up the damage done to the Senate by Harry Reid over the last eight years and put budgeting and legislation back to regular order.
Well at least he is on the correct side of this one.
or at least he says he is
McTurd-le is not to be trusted.
Me: I don’t believe a word he says.
Which man (Rand or Rubio) will McConnell side with (on Cuba)?
Rubio.
First, the United States should have demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Alan Gross before we negotiated economic relief for Cuba
And the return of Joanne Chesimard.
How can you be sure unless you check with the Chamber of Commerce first?
Their bagman would know.
McConnell is on TEAM ‘RAT.
In Idaho.
Cuba, in my opinion, is a non-issue timed simply to distract from other issues. And, of course pro-amnesty McConnell is siding with pro-amnesty Rubio. Nothing like a sure-fire topic to get some knee-jerk conservatives reaction. Suddenly no talk about sell-out Republicans, about Obama’s amnesty, about Obamacare. Heck, some people are saying nice things about traitor McConnell.
Paul, Rubio, McConnell... I don’t know which is most insignificant.
“Most insignificant” would be the highest ‘honor’ any of them could hope to attain...
I’m with you on amnesty but to me Cuba is also a big issue.
Rand Paul is an idiot IMO. I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably be compelled to say it again when he does another stupid. Him, and his ol’ man are birds of a feather.
I believe McC is a dedicated democrat liberal wearing an imposter "R" label.
How has the 50 year Cuba embargo succeeded?
Castro crowd gone?
Cubans more free than 50 years ago?
Are there less human rights violations now compared to 50 years ago?
Cubans richer than 50 years ago?
Is the Cuba embargo beneficial to US economy?
How long does an embargo has to be in effect to be called a success? How is not this a failed policy after 50 years of trying? Does this policy fit definition of insanity?
Can some Cuba experts explain please?
did someone wake him up?
I’m sure Castro and Obama stay awake nights worrying about what McConnell is saying about them.
OBAMA GAVE AN UNCONDITIONALLY SUPPORT TO TORTURE IN CUBA
The embargo was not a failure. U.S. is Cuba’s bigger trader of food and medicine. Thanks to the embargo everything Cuba buys from US is being paid on advance, those over l40 countries worldwide who sold Cuba merchandise on credit were never paid for their goods.
It seems that Obama, and those who oppose the embargo, want to add 11 million Cubans in the Island to U.S. welfare rolls. Castro will bankrupt U.S. as he bankrupted the Soviet Union.
For those who try to equate the Cuban Stalinist regime with other communist or ex-communists regimes, neither Soviet Union, China or Vietnam tried to obliterate New York and Washington by a nuclear attack, and the hatred of the Castros for U.S. have not diminished a bit over half a century .
The Cuban regime tried to obliterate New York and Washington with a nuclear attack during the October Missile Crisis of 1962. “In November 1962, the Castro brothers’ and Che Guevara’s agents had targeted Macy’s, Gimbels, Bloomingdales, and Manhattan’s Grand Central Station with a dozen incendiary devices and 500 kilos of TNT. The Holocaust was set for detonation the following week, on the day after Thanksgiving.” (Humberto Fontova)
Since taking power, Castro has been a strong ally of Islamic terrorism. Cuba continues to serve as a base for coordination and mutual support among transnational terrorist organizations. At Tehran University he stated to the thunderous applause of students and faculty, "The imperialist king will finally fall,” (AFP, May 10, 2001). Immediately afterward the Iranian Press Service proudly proclaimed that "Iran and Cuba reached the conclusion that together they can tear down the United States.” (IPS, May 10, 2001)…. AND 4 MONTHS LATER…
REMEMBER 9/11/2001
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