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| Fifth Column | |
| Congressional Black Caucus members praise Castro | |
| 2009-04-08 | |
| Key members of the Congressional Black Caucus are calling for an end to U.S. prohibition on travel to Cuba, just hours after a meeting with former Cuban president Fidel Castro in Havana. "The fifty-year embargo just hasn't worked," CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Ca.) told reporters this evening at a Capitol press conference after returning from a congressional delegation visit to Cuba. "The bottom line is that we believe its time to open dialogue with Cuba." Lee and others heaped praise on Castro, calling him warm and receptive during their discussion. But the lawmakers disputed Castro's later statement that members of the congressional delegation said American society is still racist. We have never, ever said anything like that. "It was quite a moment to behold," Lee said, recalling her moments with Castro. "It was almost like listening to an old friend," said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il.), adding that he found Castro's home to be modest and Castro's wife to be particularly hospitable. "In my household I told Castro he is known as the ultimate survivor," Rush said. My hero, swoooon.
Richardson said Castro knew her name and district. "He looked right into my eyes and he said, 'How can we help? How can we help President Obama?'" President Obama vowed during the 2008 presidential campaign to loosen the longstanding travel embargo on Cuba, and Lee -- who has been pushing for an end to travel and trade restrictions for some time - said now was as good a time as any to change the way the two countries did business. There is now serious momentum in long-standing efforts to overturn the nearly five decade ban on travel and trade with Cuba. Previous efforts have been blocked by a vocal and influential Cuban American community, and former President Bush's veto threats on legislation to overturn the prohibitions have kept such proposals at bay. In a statement following the meeting today, Castro said that the delegation had expressed to him that a segment of American society "continues to be racist," and is at least partly to blame for the travel restrictions. But the delegation this evening said those remarks were not expressed in the meeting. Before and after but not in the meeting. "That did not happen," Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), told reporters. | |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #9 ION ISRAELI MIL FORUM > CHARLOTTE, NC MUSLIM MAN [Samir Khan]OPENS US FIRST PRO-AL QAEDA MAGAZINE ["Jihad Recollections"]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-04-08 23:17 |
| #8 Immigration to Cuba's workers paradise from the poor and oppressed in these congresscritters districts to begin in 10...9...8, oh wait, never mind. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-04-08 19:50 |
| #7 Do these dip-sh_ts know that just about every other country trades with Cuba? Cuba is not the way it is because of the US embargo; Cuba is the way it is because that's how Castro wants it to be. I also wonder if they enjoyed Castro's rubber anus as much as Hugo does. |
| Posted by: Bob 2009-04-08 15:48 |
| #6 Inquiring minds must wonder if their redeployment back to the "bigoted, racist United States of America" included a few days shopping swarrey in the Caribbean? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-08 14:27 |
| #5 "It was almost like listening to an old friend," said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il.), Yeah, too bad the Panthers turned out to be some kinda cartoonish sixties joke, eh, Bobby? That could've been Fidel talking about you instead of the other way around... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-08 13:54 |
| #4 Congressional Black Caucus = The new House Negros. How was the Masser's House, Ms Lee? |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2009-04-08 13:52 |
| #3 So how was the rum? And the cigars? Did you get the t-shirts? And by the way how was Fidel's plantation? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-04-08 13:47 |
| #2 This has got to be a BO administration overture to Cuba. It didn't happen without Obama's approval. The Black Caucus is a tool for BO. Does the majority of the black population who this caucus represents really want this to happen? How about asking the Cuban-Americans what they think. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-04-08 12:18 |
| #1 Nice. No acknowledgement of how the Castro regime has denigrated the swarthy amongst the Cubano population. Racism lives in Cuba. Intelligence and irony doesn't, apparently, among the leftist black caucus |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-04-08 11:58 |