Miami, FL-

After speaking to the Latin Builders Association, Mike Huckabee was asked about Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and his heir apparent, brother Raul Castro. Specifically, a reporter asked, what would be Huckabee’s approach to Raul, if he became president?  Huckabee responded that Raul Castro would not be much different than Fidel, and further, Raul, Huckabee said, should be indicted for murder for his involvement in the Cuban Air Force downing of 2 aircrafts operated by a Cuban-American,  pro-Democracy  organization in 1996, over international waters.  

Brothers to the Rescue, or “Hermanos al Rescate” the Miami-based activist organization that manned the civilian aircraft was formed by Cuban exiles. The group describes itself as a humanitarian foundation aiming to assist and rescue raft refugees who leave Cuba looking for a better life in the United States.

“The sad thing is that Raul is not going to be much better than his brother Fidel. And especially, if you look at Raul’s personal involvement in the shooting down of the aircraft operated by ‘Brothers to the Rescue’, ” Huckabee said.” That was sheer murder, I personally would like to see Raul Castro indicted for that murder.I think that to shoot down  a civilian aircraft,  that was unarmed, over international waters is an act of not just aggression, its an act of murder. And we shouldn’t be all that happy if Raul becomes the new dictator.” 

Fidel Castro is a hated figure among the majority of the Cuban-American community here in Southern Florida, many of whom are a generation or two removed from the group of Cubans exiled from their country by Castro when he came to power after his Communist revolution in 1959.

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Earlier in the day, Huckabee went to the little Havana landmark restaurant,Versailles, where he tried their famous “Cafe Cubano”, a strong, and delectable shot of Cuban Coffee. Huckabee was accompanied by rising Florida Republican star and FL Speaker of the House, Marco Rubio, who endorsed his candidacy recently. Rubio also warned Huckabee that one shot was enough, of the potent turbo-like coffee(this reporter unwittingly drank three).

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BTW, they also have the best Cuban sandwich ever.