Clinton on Castro, Cuba: No Meetings Without Progress
Campaigning in the Clinton-friendly commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Hillary Clinton waded into choppier political waters today — chastising Cuba for failing to institute Democratic reforms and pledging that, as president, she would not meet with its leaders until it did so.
While it was not a new policy approach for the Senator, her comments come just days after Barack Obama and John McCain sparred over whether the President of the United States should meet with new Cuban leader Raul Castro without preconditions. Obama argues for such top-level meetings; Clinton sided firmly with McCain.
“I think we must see evidence of reform before we allow the current governor of Cuba to benefit from the prestige and power of a presidential meeting,” she told a group of Cuban expatriates at Casa Cuba in Carolina. “They must show their good faith and we will work with them if they do.”
Clinton called for large scale progress to justify large scale talks. “We have seen, since Raul Castro formally took power, some small measures that may improve the lives of people in Cuba,” she said. “These first steps, however, are minor compared with the giant leaps that must be taken in order to achieve genuine political reform in Cuba.”
“I would call on the new leadership in Cuba to take immediate action to demonstrate its good faith and understanding. Release political prisoners, permit free assembly, and host open and competitive elections like you have right here in Puerto Rico,” she said — vowing to work for “a free, open, democratic Cuba.”
Clinton never mentioned Barack Obama during her remarks, a pattern that’s developed since her chances at winning the nomination dropped to next to nil. But her direct opposition to Obama’s diplomatic policy is the closest she’s gotten to attacking her Democratic rival in weeks — hinting, at the very least, that she’s not quite ready to forego her strong opinions for the sake of party unity against John McCain.
Tags: cuba, hillary clinton, puerto rico, Raul Castro
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One more time, Hillary Clinton shows her ignorance and lack of experience regarding Cuban society. Cuba does not have a governor, since the Caribbean island is not part of the United States. The top leader in Cuba is called the President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers, which is elected by the membership of the National Assembly of People Power, which is the top legislative body in the country.
The current President is Raul Castro, brother of the Supreme Leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.
I am sure that the Cuban people will totally reject her attempt to stick her nose into the internal afffairs of their Socialist country, as they are not interested in the type of corrupt American capitalist democracy which was overthrown on January 1, 1959.
“PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Poll Daily tracking from May 20-24 finds Hillary Clinton maintaining a significant 49% to 44% lead over John McCain when registered voters are asked about their preferences for the fall general election, while McCain has a slight 47% to 45% advantage over Barack Obama.”
“Despite the fact that Obama is considered to be the highly probable Democratic nominee, Gallup Poll Daily tracking continues to show that, at the moment, Clinton is performing better against presumptive Republican nominee John McCain than is Obama. Clinton’s five percentage point lead over McCain is statistically significant, and considerably stronger than Obama’s 2-point loss to McCain among registered voters nationwide.”
http://www.gallup.com/poll/107488/Gallup-Daily-Cli...
I totally agree with Hillary Clinton regarding her statement no meetings without progress. Obama wants to rush things and go into Cuba without knowing what to do. How could he ever run this country if he is making wrong decisions. Progress is by neogiating with them after progress has been made. McCain even knows better than that. Obama wanted to sit down and talk to Hamas without thinking what the outcome would be. Hamas is a terrorist and you don’t make deals with them. If that was the case Bush would have done it. God will have to help this country if Obama gets elected president.
How c razy is it that the people in Puerto rico and help choose the nominee but not vote in the general election. That is just wrong. Puerto needs to be given their statehood. Obama would jump in b ed with any rogue nation. He would make a fool out of himself and the whole country.
Hillary now has the majority of the popular vote. Obama should quit now. Remember when Gore lost the election with the majority of the popular vote? Remember when the dnc stated that the presidency was stolen from them because of it? Double standards. This is democratic hypocrisy at its best. Shame on them. The dnc needs to be disbanded. They have done a great injustice to the democratic voters. We will stand against them and they will surely fail. We will show the dnc that they are no longer relevant and should just fade away in history. They seem to forget that the majority of the democrats are the blue collar, grass roots, bible thumping, gun carrying voters. We are though with you. Hillary needs to go independent and make the independent party one of the top two parties in the country.
Democrats for McCain08
How c razy is it that the people in Puerto rico and help choose the nominee but not vote in the general election. That is just wrong. Puerto needs to be given their statehood. Obama would jump in b ed with any rogue nation. He would make a fool out of himself and the whole country.
Hillary now has the majority of the popular vote. Obama should quit now. Remember when Gore lost the election with the majority of the popular vote? Remember when the dnc stated that the presidency was stolen from them because of it? Double standards. This is democratic hypocrisy at its best. Shame on them. The dnc needs to be disbanded. They have done a great injustice to the democratic voters. We will stand against them and they will surely fail. We will show the dnc that they are no longer relevant and should just fade away in history. They seem to forget that the majority of the democrats are the blue collar, grass roots, bible thumping, g un carrying voters. We are though with you. Hillary needs to go independent and make the independent party one of the top two parties in the country.
Democrats for McCain08
It’s about time that a dem makes sense in relationships with those who believe in oppression. Obama would do nothing but give away the bank in his relationships with these thugs and tyrants and then only get lip service in return. When Obama talks these thugs listen….how much money they will get for nothing in return but speaks…nothing new for Obama that is all he has said…words without substance.
Her comment really irks me. “I think we must see evidence of reform before we allow the current governor of Cuba to benefit from the prestige and power of a presidential meeting,” Wow. George Bush and his predecessor Slick Willy so completely dragged the much-vaunted presidency through the mud that there is no prestige left. Now Hillary the Assassin wants to use it as a carrot. Cuba can only be laughing at us - along with the rest of the world. This embargo is ridiculous and has been for decades. Cuba is a proud sovereign nation that has chosen its own course and should be allowed to navigate it on its own terms. Cuba is not a US state and wannabes like Hillary should recognize that and dump their bellicose testosterone laden Miami pandering acts. Maybe if she didn’t act like another one of our dimwitted guys she would have gotten somewhere. We (and she) can’t manage things here in the US. What makes us think that we should try to handle other’s elsewhere? Bravo for an independent Cuba!
Her comment really irks me. “I think we must see evidence of reform before we allow the current governor of Cuba to benefit from the prestige and power of a presidential meeting,” Wow. George Bush and his predecessor Slick Willy so completely dragged the much-vaunted presidency through the mud that there is no prestige left. Now Hillary the Assassin wants to use it as a carrot. Cuba can only be laughing at us - along with the rest of the world. This embargo is ridiculous and has been for decades. Cuba is a proud sovereign nation that has chosen its own course and should be allowed to navigate it on its own terms. Cuba is not a US state and wannabes like Hillary should recognize that and dump their bellicose testosterone laden Miami pandering acts. Maybe if she didn’t act like another one of our dimwitted guys she would have gotten somewhere. We (and she) can’t manage affairs here in the US. What makes us think that we should try to handle other’s elsewhere? Bravo for an independent Cuba!
CNN) — Former President Bill Clinton said that Democrats were more likely to lose in November if his wife Hillary Clinton is not the party’s presidential nominee, and suggested some people were trying to “cover this up” and “push and pressure and bully” superdelegates to make up their minds prematurely.
“I can’t believe it. It is just frantic the way they are trying to push and pressure and bully all these superdelegates to come out,” he said at a South Dakota campaign stop Sunday, in remarks first reported by ABC News. “’Oh, this is so terrible: The people they want her. Oh, this is so terrible: She is winning the general election, and he is not. Oh my goodness, we have to cover this up.’”
The former president added that his wife had not been given the respect she deserved as a legitimate presidential candidate. “She is winning the general election today and he is not, according to all the evidence,” he said. “And I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running.”
“Her only position was, ‘Look, if I lose I’ll be a good team player. We will all try to win — but let’s let everybody vote, and count every vote,’” he said.
The former president suggested that if the New York senator ended the primary season with an edge in the popular vote, it would be a significant development. “If you vote for her and she does well in Montana and she does well in Puerto Rico, when this is over she will be ahead in the popular vote,” said Clinton.
“And they’re trying to get her to cry uncle before the Democratic Party has to decide what to do in Florida and Michigan” – which the party would need to do “unless we want to lose the election. ”
The current requirement to claim the Democratic presidential nomination is 2,026 delegates, a formula that does not take into account delegates from Florida and Michigan, whose contests were not sanctioned by the party – although if those votes were to be counted as cast, Hillary Clinton would still currently trail rival Barack Obama in the overall delegate count.
The former president said Sunday that the media had unfairly attacked his wife since the Iowa caucuses, repeating an often-used charge that press coverage had made him feel as though he were living in a “fun house.”
“If you notice, there hasn’t been a lot of publicity on these polls I just told you about,” he said. “It is the first time you’ve heard it? Why do you think that is? Why do you think? Don’t you think if the polls were the reverse and he was winning the Electoral College against Senator McCain and Hillary was losing it, it would be blasted on every television station?”
He added, “You would know it wouldn’t you? It wouldn’t be a little secret. And there is another Electoral College poll that I saw yesterday had her over 300 electoral votes…. She will win the general election if you nominate her. They’re just trying to make sure you don’t.”
I believe Obama will not win Puerto Rico and he has made Castro extremely mad by his comments. He is talking foreign policy that he has no experience in and he hasn’t won the presidency as yet. I don’t think that Raul Castro will deal with Obama but will deal with Hillary if she wins the presidency. I think she has a good chance of taking that nomination away from Obama if the superdelegates shape up and discuss the problems of Obama winning the big states. And he will have a problem. They better think about it before they make a decision because it could cost them the white house. The blue collar workers and the Latino’s could vote McCain if Hillary is not the nominee.
No I don’t
Apparently, the multidecade embargo has not done much to stem the tide of communism in Cuba. According to some reports, American goods are plentiful and on the shelves in Cuban stores, Nonetheless, this does not mean that we throw away every element of common sense. Cuba needs us alot more than we need them.
One commentator suggested than we airdrop thousands of Gameboys on Havana to let the next generation of Cubans see what democracy can do. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea if the things were produced in the USA. Unfortunately, they’re stamped, “Made in China!”
Now here is a class act and a person that knows how to handle our enemies before we set down at the table with them. You don’t ake a man out to dinner that has intentions of sticking a knife in your back like some crazy people suggest. That is why we need someone in the White House that has a clue.
Baracks desire to meet face to face without preconditions is just a lack of understanding and shows experience does matter.
Thank you for the English entry. It was interesting. What is your opinion regarding each of the candidates views regarding Cuba?
obama, will say anything to get votes thats all he’s about….but then again he knows how dishonest people thing.
obama has said basically the same,but ,hillarys twist,things around and start trashing obama.trash all you want hillarys.you still lost!obama will make our country great,again.hillary and mccain will just keep tearing our country down.they are losers!
Her comment really irks me. “I think we must see evidence of reform before we allow the current governor of Cuba to benefit from the prestige and power of a presidential meeting,” Wow. George Bush and his predecessor Bill Clinton so completely dragged the much-vaunted presidency through the mud that there is no prestige left. Now Hillary wants to use it as a carrot. Cuba can only be laughing at us - along with the rest of the world. This embargo is ridiculous and has been for decades. Cuba is a proud sovereign nation that has chosen its own course and should be allowed to navigate it on its own terms. Cuba is not a US state and wannabes like Hillary should recognize that and dump their bellicose testosterone laden Miami pandering acts. Maybe if she didn’t act like another one of our dimwitted guys she would have gotten somewhere. We (and she) can’t manage affairs here in the US. What makes us think that we should try to handle other’s elsewhere? Bravo for an independent Cuba!
We love you Hillary!
By sexism, unjustice and antifemenists you may lose the nomination but Obama WILL NEVER BECOME PRESIDENT! period!
if not Hillary we prefer Macain 08! period!
Voters who support Obama hate America also and are against the american government. ITS OBIOUS!
Comment by lovAmerica
May 26th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Voters who support Obama hate America also and are against the american government. ITS OBIOUS!
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It is OBVIOUS, that Voters who support McCain are against the well being of OUR troops.
It is OBVIOUS, that McCain is a 3rd term Bush candidate as he again sides with Bush on the GI BILL issue.
Iis OBVIOUS that McCain now cares more about his party than he does his country as he sounds more and more like a conservative.
McCain, the liberal, won the nomination.
Mccain, the want to be conservative, will lose the GE.
BO passed a bill which was incomplete. Did he even read it or was he so busy trying to pander to vets he forgot to read bill? He shows he is willing to do anything to get votes and does not even check to make sure everything is right before he puts his name/vote on it.
Who is Hillary?
“I would call on the new leadership in Cuba to take immediate action to…Release political prisoners, permit free assembly, and host open and competitive elections …”
NEWS FLASH: The political prisoners are mostly dead after following this nearly 50 year policy of placing huge conditions on just negotiating.
Exactly what benefit would Raul get from the “prestige and power of a presidential meeting” All US enemies can see the US drowning in debt from a pre-emptive war based on cowboy diplomacy. Tax payer cost = $1,000,000,000,000 and counting! That is why Kim Jung Il, Ahmadinad and Putin are emboldened.
Hey, Castro is throwing his support to Obama… he said he was a very intelligent man.
Well, I guess Castro is going to make a great president… err… I mean Obama.
I’m also a Democrat for McCain… Never Obummy!!
You can run but you can’t hide from the truth fox!
Hello
Hillary, I hope you go all the way and fight for the nomination. This whole process has been biased against you and the voters who support you. The election is rigged in favor of Obama and if that’s the way Dean and the Obama camp want to play, then so be it.
Run as an Independent, otherwise, it’s McCain.
I cannot believe there is no blog topic specifically about ‘Trottagate’:
In an appalling gaffe Sunday, journalist Liz Trotta made a distasteful joke and lumped presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama in with United States enemy Osama Bin Laden, saying she wished them both dead.
Trotta was discussing Obama opponent Hillary Clinton’s citing of the RFK assassination during the 1968 Democratic primary contest as a reason for her staying in the race.
“And now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama, um uh, Obama - well, both if we could.” she said laughing. The hosted merely joined in the joke with her, saying “talk about how you really feel,” and quickly moved on.
It blows my mind the disgrace full way the Clintons throw out their little talking points. Hillary mentioning the assassination of Bobby Kennedy was the ultimate say anything do anything to win disgusting talk the Clintons are so famous for. Unfortunately the worst part is that they are dragging all of us along with them. And now Bill is crying victim AGAIN.
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So what if Obama meets Raul? It’s called diplomacy, if American Presidents are going to only meet with leaders with perfect democratic records then they would have a very small list.
I say America needs an end to ideologically Cold-War foreign policy and back to the pragmatic diplomacy of WHAT IS IN AMERICA’S INTEREST.