Obama's Policies Toward Cuba and Venezuela: Ignorance is NOT Bliss

Statement

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) responds to an interview by Oscar Haza which aired last night on the program, "A Mano Limpia" on América TeVe, in which President Barack Obama commented on his failed policies toward Cuba and Venezuela.

"President Obama clearly wants to continue his failed policy of providing unilateral concessions to the Castro dictatorship, and expects that the murderous regime will in turn "recognize that their system is no longer working.' Yet during his three and a half years in office, the regime has responded by holding hostage American humanitarian aid worker Alan Gross, murdering four political prisoners of conscience, and increasing its brutal oppression against the Cuban people. That President Obama continues to reach out a hand to the Cuban dictatorship, and ignores the brave pro-democracy movement in Cuba, is an outrage. It is deeply disturbing that in the face of the regime's demonstrated depravity, President Obama continues to expect that his acts of appeasement will somehow convince the regime to "recognize that their system is no longer working.' Miraculously, the President fails to notice that it is precisely his policies which have increased the channeling of U.S. dollars to the Cuban dictatorship and have only emboldened it further. Clearly President Obama's policies are "working' just fine for the Castro brothers.

"As to Venezuela, President Obama said that Chavez "has not had a serious national security impact' on the United States. His willful ignorance on this matter is shocking from a U.S. president. The President must have forgotten that his own State Department expelled the Venezuelan consul general in Miami for plotting against U.S. security interests, and that Chavez fiercely supports the State Sponsors of Terrorism Iran, Syria, and Cuba, and the terrorist organizations, the FARC and Hezbollah, with his vast petroleum resources, safe harbor, and access to credit.

"It is dangerous that President Obama is utterly blind to the brutal nature of the Castro dictatorship, and to the grave threats posed by Hugo Chavez's committed support for terrorist states and organizations. The Castro dictatorship and Chavez actively work against U.S. interests and in coordination with other U.S. foes. In our dangerous world, it is appalling that the United States has a President who completely fails to appreciate serious threats within our own hemisphere."

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