President Obama is very proud of himself for his “historic” visit to Cuba. At least, that’s the message he had last night for staff of the U.S. embassy at the Melia Habana Hotel in Havana, Cuba.
“Back in 1928, President Coolidge came on a battleship. It took him three days to get here. It only took me three hours,” Obama said, as the crowd of Americans laughed.
“For the first time ever, Air Force One has landed in Cuba, and this is our very first stop. So this is a historic visit, and it’s a historic opportunity to engage directly with the Cuban people and to forge new agreements and commercial deals, to build new ties between our two peoples, and for me to lay out my vision for a future that’s brighter than our past.
“Michelle and I wanted to start with all of you because nothing symbolizes better the new relationship between the United States and the Cuban people. For the first time in more than half a century, as Jeff just noted, the American flag flies over a reopened U.S. embassy. And having a U.S. embassy here means that we’re able to more effectively advance our interests and our values and understand the Cuban people and their concerns.”
Here’s video of Obama’s visit, via the Associaed Press:
