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.

Barack Obama addressed the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) in Miami, a group the RNC today described as more moderate than most Cuban Americans, who have traditionally voted Republican.

While many Cuban Americans are in favor of the strict policy towards Cuba that are in place, Jorge Mas Santos, the chairman of CANF said today that Raul Castro would never submit himself to the current U.S. policy towards Cuba, which says there will be no negotiating until the nation “release all political prisoners and make moves towards democracy.”

“Although this may sound tough, on its own it’s ineffective and plays into the hands of Raul Castro. I have news for you – that is not happening. Raul Castro will never engage in any democratic reform because to do so will seal his fate. Wishful thinking with our arms crossed as spectators with no time table hoping for the reformation of Raul Castro is not a policy. Ladies and gentlemen it is surrender,” said Mas Santos.

Obama was received with enthusiastic applause and chants of, “Yes we can!” a phrase often heard in Obama’s speeches. “I don’t presume to know everything that I need to know about Cuba and our policies there and I’m here not just to talk, but to listen,” Obama began. “And although I admit that my job today is to talk – this is just hello, it is not goodbye and so I’m gonna be spending a lot of time here in South Florida, making sure that I am listening not only to Jorge, but to all the people here, to find out how we can best advance the cause of freedom in Cuba.”

Obama noted that for his entire lifetime, U.S. - Cuba policy has been static and yet nothing has changed. John McCain, he contends, will offer more of the same. “He joined the parade of politicians who make the same empty promises year after year, decade after decade. Instead of offering a strategy for change, he
chose to distort my position, embrace George Bush’s, and continue a policy that’s done nothing to advance freedom for the Cuban people. That’s the political posture that John McCain has chosen, and all it
shows is that you can’t take his so-called straight talk seriously,” he said.

The candidate assured the crowd that while he has said he would meet with leaders like Castro, Chavez, and Iranian President Ahmadinejad, he would still be tough with the Cuban dictator. “John McCain’s been going 
around the country talking about how much I want to meet with Raul 
Castro, as if I’m looking for a social gathering, I’m gonna invite him
 over and have some tea. That’s not what I said, John McCain knows it.” He added, “I will never, ever, compromise the cause of liberty. And unlike John McCain, I would never, ever, rule out a course of action that could advance the cause of liberty.”

Obama favors easing travel restrictions for Cuban Americans and allowing remittance to the island, but said, “I will maintain the embargo. It provides us with the leverage to present the regime with a clear choice: If you take significant steps toward democracy, beginning with the freeing of all political prisoners, we will take steps to begin normalizing relations,” Obama said.

MIAMI, FL — As he endeavors to keep this year’s presidential election focused on national security issues, Sen. John McCain accused his likely Democratic rival of naivete, poor judgment and inexperience Tuesday for his calls to open up direct talks with Cuban leaders.

“(Senator Barack Obama) wants to sit down unconditionally for a presidential meeting with Raul Castro, an unconditional meeting,” McCain said during a speech today commemorating Cuban Independence Day to a group of Cuban-Americans. “These steps would send the worst possible signal to Cuba’s dictators — there is no need to undertake fundamental reforms, they can simply wait for a unilateral change in US policy. That’s what they think.”

McCain also slammed Obama for stating in a 2003 questionnaire that he supported a full normalization of relations with Cuba and recently revising his stance to only advocating a partial normalization. Any direct engagement will only empower the Cuban communist regime, McCain said.

“Senator Obama has shifted positions and says he only favors easing the embargo, not lifting it…I believe we should give hope to the Cuban people, not to the Castro regime. My administration will press the Cuban regime to release all political prisoners unconditionally, to legalize all political parties, labor unions, and free media, and to schedule internationally monitored elections. The embargo must stay in place until these basic elements of democratic society are met,” McCain told the crowd to cheers.

While McCain accused his Democratic opponent of shifting his position on Cuba, his counterparts at the Democratic National Committee pushed out a “fact check” of their own today called “John McCain Shifts & Staggers on Cuba.”

Citing articles from the 2000 election that described McCain’s stance as generally softer than his then-rival George W. Bush including a 1999 Miami Herald story which stated that “McCain would be willing to wait on a greater goal of supervised free elections while lifting some of the embargo,” the DNC accused the GOPer of being “for engaging Cuba before he was against it.”

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Little Rock, AK — Despite criticism from his Democratic rival, Sen. McCain defended his campaign’s use of Obama’s endorsement by the Hamas terrorist group for political purposes and attacked him for being “very lacking in experience on national security issues.”

“It is just a fact that apparently the North American spokesperson is endorsing Senator Obama. People can make their own judgment from that,” McCain said at a media availability today, referring to comments made by Ahmed Yousef, a top Hamas adviser

Yousef told WABC Radio on April 13 that, “we like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the election. I do believe he is like John Kennedy, a great man with a great principle.”

McCain was first asked about the endorsement during a conference call with bloggers today where he said,
“I think it is very clear who Hamas wants to be the next President of the United States…if Senator Obama is favored by Hamas, I think people can make judgments accordingly.”

The McCain campaign has previously used the endorsement as part of a fundraising appeal.

Obama has condemned Hamas and never solicited the “endorsement,” and an Obama spokesman today accused McCain for use of “the politics of association and…claims he knows not to be true to advance his campaign.”

“This type of politics of division and distraction, not only lead to a campaign not worthy of the American people, but also has failed to help our families for too long,” added Obama spokesman, Hari Sevugan.

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West Palm Beach, FL — Campaigning in Florida Tuesday, Sen. John McCain attacked Sen. Barack Obama for his intention to hold talks with Cuban dictator Raul Castro–as the GOP nominee looks to appeal to the large Cuban population in the state.

“I would not in any way, as Senator Obama wants to do, legitimize an individual who has been responsible for …repression, political prisons and a gulag,” McCain said during a media availability with Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

Asked if Obama’s foreign policy meant he was “naive” McCain deferred, choosing instead to call the Illinois Democrat “inexperienced.”

“I don’t know if he is naïve or not. I know he is inexperienced…hat approach is something that I think would only serve to legitimize the person who has a many many year record, decades of record of cruelty and oppression to the people of Cuba,” McCain said.

Obama spokesperson Bill Burton responded to the comments by comparing McCain and Sen. Hillary Clinton for both pushing a policy that “has failed America and the Cuban people for fifty years.”

“John McCain and Hillary Clinton both have the experience of supporting a Bush Cuba policy that has failed America and the Cuban people for fifty years. Instead of empty rhetoric, Barack Obama actually has a strategy to help advance liberty for the Cuban people, starting with lifting all restrictions on family travel and cash remittances and pursuing direct diplomacy. Cuban Americans will be our best ambassadors for change, and will give the Cuban people more space from their regime,” Burton said in a written statement.

With Fidel Castro deciding to step down as president of Cuba, the candidates are weighing in. Here’s Hillary Clinton at an event in Parma, OH:

“Fidel Castro has decided to step down as the leader of Cuba. And I think this provides a great opportunity for the people of Cuba.  I’m hoping that the new leadership will take steps to move Cuba toward democracy, release political prisoners, lift a lot of the oppressive burdens that have prevented the Cuban people from really having the kind of future they deserve to have.

Certainly, the people of the United States would meet a new government to talk about what needs to happen if that new government takes some action that demonstrates they’re willing to change. So we’re hoping we’ll see some evidence of that. But it is a very stark reminder that even if you’ve been in power for 50 years, you cannot hold on to power forever. And people of Cuba deserve to have leadership that respects their human rights, and gives them the opportunity to fulfill their own destiny

We need a president who will work with countries around the world, in Europe and the western hemisphere to push Cuba now to join the community of nations, and to become a democracy. And I will certainly do that as president.”

Read her paper statement after the jump.

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