Jeb: Kerry’s Cuba Embassy Visit a ‘Birthday Present’ to Castro

Before John Kerry appeared in Havana to reopen the American Embassy in Cuba, Jeb Bush joined the chorus of GOP candidates who have blasted the Barack Obama administration’s decision to normalize relations with the country. Bush characterized Kerry’s visit as a “birthday present” for Fidel Castro, saying that the move is America’s latest “acquiescence to his ruthless legacy.”

“[Cuba] remains an unyielding dictatorship, a tragic example of the folly of communism, and an affront to the conscience of the free nations of the Western Hemisphere,” Bush said. “Standing up for fundamental human rights and democratic values should not be an afterthought to America’s Cuba policy, it should be its guiding principle.”

Bush also reportedly pledged that, as president, he would reverse Obama’s “appeasement” strategy, and would work to support freedom from tyranny. Bush’s statement also took shots at Kerry for not allowing inviting Cuban political dissidents to the flag raising.

[h/t The Hill]
[image via screengrab]

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