The Rand Paul vs. Marco Rubio debate on Cuba continues.
After being called an isolationist by Paul, R-Ky., because of his response to President Obama’s new policy toward Cuba, Rubio took the radio airwaves to jab back.
“I think it’s unfortunate that Rand has decided to adopt Barack Obama’s foreign policy on this matter,” the Florida senator said on Mark Levin’s radio show Friday night.
“Look, for me, the interest in Cuba, obviously, I know people in this community who have family members who were executed by this regime … he just basically repeated the talking points of the president … but I’m telling you, it isn’t going to work,” said the Rubio, who is a son of Cuban immigrants.
Rubio also listed reasons why the new Obama policy won’t help the Cuban people, including the setup of the country’s economy and lack of privately owned companies.
The battle between the two began when Paul said he supported the Obama administration’s new policy, saying “opening up Cuba is a good idea,” during a radio interview earlier this week. Paul also expressed displeasure over the trade embargo on the country, which he said “doesn’t seem to be working.”
Rubio then went on Fox News Thursday night to charge back at Paul that the “lack of freedom and the lack of competent” leaders is the problem in Cuba, not the embargo.
Then, Paul took to the Internet on Friday to call out Rubio in both a Facebook post on his personal page and an op-ed in Time.
“Seems to me,” Paul wrote, “Senator Rubio is acting like an isolationist who wants to retreat to our borders and perhaps build a moat. I reject this isolationism.”
Neither have said anything Saturday about the latest development on the evolving U.S.-Cuba relations — one in which President Raul Castro demanded the U.S. respect his country’s communist system.
“In the same way that we have never demanded that the United States change its political system, we will demand respect for ours,” Castro told the National Assembly, according to Reuters.
Castro said that as the two countries work to mend diplomatic ties, beginning in January when U.S. officials are set to travel to Havana, there are some policies his government will not budge on.
Raul ended his speech with a powerful, “Viva Fidel!”, a tribute to his older brother and retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who has not been seen or heard from since the announcement by Obama.
