From The White House: On Mujica and Castro

capitolhillcubans

Cuba’s continued incarceration of Alan Gross represents a significant impediment to a more constructive bilateral relationship and securing his immediate release remains a top priority of the United States. President Obama asked that President Mujica use any opportunity he might have to convey this same message to President Castro. With respect to Cuba, President Obama urged President Mujica to use his considerable credibility as a regional leader to encourage political and economic reforms in Cuba, noting that such measures would be well received by the United States and other members of the international community.

-- Patrick Ventrell, National Security Council spokesman, The White House, 6/20/14

Confirman que Obama sí envió mensaje a Raúl Castro

martinoticias

El presidente Barack Obama, envió un mensaje a Raúl Castro a través del presidente de Uruguay, José Mujica, en el que pide al gobernante cubano la liberación del contratista estadounidense, Alan Gross  y el fomento de reformas políticas, declaró el portavoz del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional, Patrick Ventrell.

El vocero explicó que con respecto a Cuba, el presidente Obama ha instado a su par uruguayo, durante su visita a los Estados Unidos en mayo pasado,  a que haga uso de su considerable credibilidad como líder regional para fomentar las reformas políticas y económicas en  la isla, señalando que esas medidas serían bien recibidas por los Estados Unidos y otros miembros de la comunidad internacional.

Ventrell añadió que el presidente Obama pidió al presidente Mujica utilizar cualquier oportunidad que pudiera para transmitir ese mismo mensaje a Raúl Castro.

El semanario uruguayo Búsqueda, primero en informar sobre la carta de Obama a Mujica, el jueves, dijo que Mujica transmitió el mensaje del presidente estadounidense a Castro el pasado fin de semana, cuando Mujica y Castro asistieron a la cumbre del G-77 en Bolivia.

Marco Rubio: 'The Obama Presidency Is Over'

breitbart 

In an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” on Wednesday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) hit President Barack Obama on the grounds of his low poll numbers, particularly as a newly released NBC-Wall Street Journal poll shows 54 percent of those polled saying they no longer feel the president “is able to lead the country and get the job done.”

Rubio agreed with NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd, who earlier in the day said the Obama presidency is effective over.

“I saw a commentator today say that these polls they reflected with the Obama presidency is over,” Rubio said. “And I agree with that. I think it is in general. Obviously he still has responsibilities that I hope he'll live up to. But whether it's foreign policy or the issue on the border, or the VA, or the IRS losing its e-mails or Benghazi before that, it seems like every day now, every other day, there's a new crisis -- almost like we're overwhelmed by the number of crisis and conflicts that are arising as a result of the incompetence and in some instances the design of this administration.”

Rubio also criticized the Obama’s handling of the unfolding crisis in Iraq. The Florida senator emphasized the need to cut off the ISIS supply lines from Syria into Iraq in his criticism and he took issue with Obama taking certain actions off of the table.

“First of all, I don't think the president should be ruling things out even if he never intends to send a single American back. And by the way I don't take that lightly, nor am I calling for that. But you don't start by telling terrorists, here's what we're not going to do. But second, I think we need to use American power, primarily air power and targeted missile strikes to wipe out the ISIS advance, particularly these supply routes that they now have in place. Again, this is not about saving Maliki. This is about preventing these guys from setting up a caliphate that they're going to use to attack us here in the United States.”

O'Reilly: Figuring out what to do

Is there a bigger story behind the Bergdahl exchange?

Marco Rubio cuestiona a Hillary Clinton por 'intentar ayudar al régimen de Castro'

Diario de Cuba

El senador cubanoamericano Marco Rubio (R-FL) cuestionó este viernes a la exsecretaria de Estado Hillary Clinton por haber sugerido al presidente Barack Obama que cancelara o flexibilizara al embargo a Cuba.

"Ahora vemos hasta dónde llegó la secretaria Clinton para minar a los defensores de la democracia en Cuba al intentar ayudar a que el régimen de Castro se hiciera con más dólares con los que continuar su represión", dijo Rubio, según el diario El País.

El senador aseguró que la administración de Obama "no tiene una agenda coherente para América Latina".

"Los desastres que vemos actualmente en la política exterior del presidente Obama son los frutos de las semillas que plantó Hillary Clinton cuando era secretaria de Estado", afirmó.

La exsecretaria de Estado Hillary Rodham Clinton asegura en un nuevo libro que exhortó al presidente Barack Obama a levantar o relajar el embargo contra Cuba porque ya no es conveniente para Estados Unidos ni fomentaba el cambio en la Isla.

En extractos del libro Hard Choices, obtenidos por la agencia AP antes de su publicación la próxima semana, Clinton considera que el embargo le ha dado a Fidel y Raúl Castro una excusa para no poner en marcha reformas democráticas.

Añade que la oposición de algunos elementos del Congreso a la normalización de relaciones ha dañado tanto al pueblo estadounidense como al cubano.

"Desde 1960, Estados Unidos había mantenido un embargo contra la Isla con la esperanza de sacar a Castro del poder, pero solo logró darle alguien a quien culpar por los problemas económicos de Cuba", dice.

Obama Should Stick to Principled Cuba Policy

capitolhillcubans

By former Assistant Secretary of State, Amb. Roger Noriega, in The Washington Times:

Selling out Cubans

U.S. trade concessions without regard for human rights would betray principle

For the past 15 years, the Castro regime has sought to entice foreign companies to Cuba by offering slave wages and stolen property. The cost of doing business there is that you pay workers’ salaries to the regime, take the government as your business partner and agree to lobby against the U.S. embargo.

As astonishing as it sounds, there are American businessmen who look upon these woeful conditions and ask, “How do I get in on this?” U.S. policy bars “trading with the enemy.” People who have no particular interest in changing “the enemy” set out to change U.S policy.

For example, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue, just wrapped up a visit to Cuba, citing “evidence that we’re seeing an extraordinary expansion of free enterprise .” Of course, that is utter nonsense, demonstrating that Mr. Donohue has learned nothing since he first hyped Fidel Castro’s “reforms” 15 years ago.

According to the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom 2014, Cuba actually recorded “double-digit declines in business freedom and investment freedom” in the past year. That is quite a feat, because only North Korea ranks worse than Cuba among the 178 countries rated in the annual Heritage study. If Mr. Donohue is interested in touting economic freedom, almost literally the last people on the planet he should be courting are cronies of the Castro dictatorship.

In recent weeks, several other groups have appealed for reform on Cuba — not for reform in Cuba, but reform of U.S. policy. The New York-based Council of the Americas issued a May 19 “Open Letter to President Obama” recommending initiatives to support “independent economic activity.” The signers of this message include retired U.S. officials, most of whom, in my personal experience, never showed the slightest interest in the cause of freedom in Cuba when they were in a position to do something about it. Many of the ideas they endorse for encouraging economic freedom have some merit. However, the fatal flaw is their call for a dialogue that would legitimize the regime that is an intractable obstacle to political and economic liberty in Cuba.

“Giving oxygen to the Cuban government would mean that the United States is turning its back on the Cuban people.” That’s how dissident leader Berta Soler sized up the council’s proposal. Dissident Manuel Cuesta Morua assessed that the signers “don’t know how things work here,” and questioned their failure to refer to human rights. “Given the reality and the rules imposed by Castro, it would be impossible” for Cubans to benefit from the initiatives recommended in the letter, according to Jose Daniel Ferrer of Cuba’s Patriotic Union.

The Chamber of Commerce trip and Council of the Americas letter come on the heels of a February poll on Cuba policy released by a Washington website committed to ending the U.S. embargo. For decades, these same pundits sneered at U.S. policy, saying it was driven merely by crass politics. Their monumental contribution to this debate is an appeal for unilateral concessions to the Castro regime because of a poll. You can’t make this stuff up.

Three things these initiatives have in common is that they would benefit the regime, they could end up hurting average Cubans, and they are being offered by people who have no real stake in what happens on the island. These pundits have a hunch that they know better than people with knowledge, experience and family ties. With very few exceptions, they don’t know anyone on the island who will pay the price if the United States clumsily helps the gasping regime catch its breath.

Of course, not everyone who cares about the Cuban people thinks the same about how best to bring about change there. However, most draw the line at concessions that would clearly benefit the regime without helping 11 million Cubans.

Then there’s Charlie Crist — who, as governor of Florida, looked into the eyes of Cuban exiles, heard their heartbreaking stories and maybe wiped away a tear or two. In his bid to win his old job back, Mr. Crist has flip-flopped on Cuba policy, pledging to confer and trade with the Castro regime — playing the angles on an issue in which he knows lives are at stake.

President Obama has relaxed some restrictions on family travel and cash remittances. He has refused to make more concessions, though, unless the regime makes meaningful changes in how it treats the Cuban people. Let’s hope he sticks to that simple, principled position.

ALERT" HR-1771 Gives President Obama More Power

Mary Greeley

Putin Tells Obama to Get a New Job

Mary Greeley

Top CIA Officer in Afghanistan Mistakenly Named by White House

breitbart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House inadvertently included the name of the top CIA official in Afghanistan on a list of participants in a military briefing with President Barack Obama that was distributed to reporters on Sunday, the Washington Post reported.  

The newspaper said the official, identified as "Chief of Station" in Kabul, was named as being among those at a briefing with Obama during the president's trip to Bagram Air Base near the Afghan capital.

The list of names was sent by email to reporters traveling with Obama on his surprise Afghanistan visit and included in a "pool report" shared with correspondents and others not on the trip.

The Post said the White House issued a revised list deleting the CIA official's name after it recognized the mistake.

Read the full story at Reuters.

'Chicagoland' Emails: CNN, Emanuel Aides Coordinated to Showcase Mayor as 'Star'

breitbart

By John Nolte

 

The Chicago Tribune gained access to over 700 emails between Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office and CNN. The emails detail a cozy relationship between the Democrat's office and the cable news network during the production of "Chicagoland," a low-rated eight-part cable series pitched to viewers as an unvarnished look at the city. [The emails are posted here.]

The emails tell the story of a cable news network coordinating with the mayor of a failing city who is also a rising Democrat star. The apparent goal of "Chicagoland" was for CNN to use its resources as a way to portray the "mayor in a positive light" at a national level and showcase Emanuel "as the star he really is."

According to the Tribune, details were coordinated down to camera angles:

If it seemed as though some scenes of CNN's documentary series "Chicagoland" were coordinated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel's City Hall and the show's producers, that's because they were.

More than 700 emails reviewed by the Tribune reveal that the production team worked hand in hand with the mayor's advisers to develop storylines, arrange specific camera shots and review news releases officially announcing the show.

Producers asked the mayor's office to help them set up key interactions in what the cable network has billed as a nonscripted eight-part series, including Emanuel's visits with the school principal who emerged as a star of the show, emails show. …

The production team for the series, whose final episode aired Thursday night, told Emanuel's staff that particular scenes would present the mayor in a positive light, with one of the producers expressing a desire to showcase the mayor "as the star that he really is."

"Chicagoland's" executive producer is Robert Redford.

CNN has yet to comment on the scandal, but this is yet another black eye for Jeff Zucker, who has been in charge of CNN for just a little over a year. Under his leadership, CNN has become a laughingstock, even among its left-wing colleagues in the mainstream media, for its bungled attempts to cover serious news and bizarre obsessions with whales, missing planes, and ferry disasters.

Just last year, CNN was caught using its network to push anti-gun legislation.

CNN presents itself as an objective cable news outlet.

UPDATE: CNN issues non-denial-denial. 

Trey Gowdy Demands Answers On Benghazi

Dan Adams

Will President Obama stop Putin?

Se supone que conversaciones, concesiones, NOOOO...

CNN iReport

Por Andrés Pascual

Cuando Obama “tiró el farol” (guapería oral en Cuba), contra El Assad, el criminal sirio arreció la masacre contra su pueblo y nada sucedió. El papelazo se olvidó por el control del comunismo demócrata de la media nacional; hace poco le hizo una advertencia al gobierno “que se huyó” en Ukrania y ese pueblo, que entendió el “gesto-declaración sub-amenazante” como la posibilidad de ningún apoyo al reclamo libertario, incendió la capital literalmente, como los moscovitas a Moscú cuando la invasión napoleónica, quedando demostrado que el tipo no solo es pusilánime, sino aliado de las fuerzas represoras que asolan a cualquier pueblo del mundo; que ni mete miedo ni es su intención; pero, para mal de Estados Unidos, cada vez menos de los que reconocieron a este país como suma y reflejo del destino y la esperanza de quienes buscan apoyo para recuperar la libertad perdida, creen en él. Con semejante capitán al frente no puede resolverse con justicia una bronca en kindergarten.

Parte del incremento de la pérdida de espacios de la llamada democracia es culpa de este antiamericano y comunista que habita en la ex Casa Blanca.

Los venezolanos deberían tener en cuenta el caso cubano otra vez, porque, con mil y una artimañas (tal vez le quede mejor marañas), una parte muy generosa de ambos partidos han contribuido a enquistar la tiranía dictatorial castro-comunista, tomando en cuenta que, en 55 años, han pasado 5 presidentes republicanos ¿Y?

Aunque vale la pena decirlo, por lo menos los republicanos hablan, prometen, engañan piadosamente (con intención electorera claro), a sabiendas de que nada harán por el país, como los congresistas cubanos y Marcos Rubio; pero se prefiere eso a la actividad abiertamente pro-tiranía, tal el apoyo político-económico de Obama con los viajes, las remesas, los intercambios y lo que cuelga y falta.

Venezuela no puede confiar en nadie de aquí, porque Maduro representa los intereses de algunos; otros, porque varios también tienen intereses y el resto no tiene poder para ejecutar lo único que puede salvar a Venezuela y ahorrarle más sangre inocente y corajuda: la intervención militar para expulsar al gobierno asesino que le entregó el país a un ejército de ocupación...

De Capriles: “seguirán las protestas hasta que se escuchen las demandas...”, por lo que he sabido ¿A quién se dirigió? “EL PAPA NO TIENE DIVISIONES”, ni el “raro” pacifista seguidores, digo, eso creo.

Si el objetivo INCLUYE “conversar” con quien los desconoció al pedírselo a Obama para que “no lo tumben”, esa protesta, con muertos y heridos, terminaría en un desastre; sin embargo, creo que los jóvenes en Venezuela, que no son como los de la Cuba castrista, tienen más lucidez y arrojo que los “mayores”, porque, a fin de cuentas, arriesgan más porque no tienen que buscar la comida de un hogar, y por la propia naturaleza juvenil cuando son nacionales con identidad y el sentimiento patriótico latente para luchar por su independencia y soberanía.

Esta juventud venezolana en la calle no es similar a la castrista, en Cuba no hay jóvenes: los niños nacen viejos por el ENTREGUISMO OPORTUNISTA DE SUS PADRES, QUE SE LOS OFRECEN AL CULTO POLÍTICO DE ADOCTRINAMIENTO, saltan etapas obligatorias de vida y a los 5 o 6 años escuchan “que deben ser como el Che”, sin juguetes ni televisión acorde con su edad, entonces crecen de acuerdo a la involución natural impuesta...

Hoy se inauguró en Miami un monumento solemne a la memoria de parte de los últimos niños y jóvenes que nacieron en Cuba, es un mausoleo de cálculo, porque nadie puede cuantificar cuántos jóvenes cubanos murieron en los primeros 7 años de genocidio castrista en acción, asesinados sin juicio o en paredones de fusilamiento, etapa capaz de convalidarse con el arrojo y la necesidad de la juventud venezolana en la calle, pero con muchos más muertos, presos y desaparecidos que, por la apatía o por la militancia castrista del “hombre y el joven nuevos”, han quedado en el plano de víctimas inútiles por un sueño roto: la libertad de Cuba.

Pero en Venezuela, porque el capitalismo y la sociedad de consumo se han mantenido vivos aunque en peligro, donde todavía pueden ver a los Yankees por televisión y a Miguel Cabrera con el Detroit; o comprar un juego de video que no sea la “lucha heroica de Fidel o de Chávez por el pueblo”, incluso gustos a tono con su edad como disfrutar un concierto de un nacional que viva en Estados Unidos y no sea chavista, a fin de cuentas, hay diferencias.

Sin embargo, para que no pierdan en el round 12 por TKO, deben seguir en la calle y quemar lo que vean, así provocaron la huida del sátrapa en Ukrania y obviar lo que diga el partido demócrata o quien sea, porque, si la tiranía castro-madurista cierra el candado, esa llave no la encontrarán más nunca.

Por cierto ¿Cuántos mexicanos, aquí o allá, se están solidarizando con Venezuela como "hermanos" exigen para marchas intimidantes por su “reforma migratoria”? incluso de todo Centro y Suramérica y hablo de pueblo, no de gobierno.

Joe García, que ni pinta ni da color y cuyo puesto como congresista es un apéndice para molestar al exilio y bacilar sin ninguna capacidad legistativa de efecto positivo; que nunca está en la base correcta para anotar con fly de sacrificio, sugirió lo que entendí como la política del partido demócrata, ala obamista, para resolver el problema venezolano: hace un par de días este “headknuckles” (“CABEZA HUECA”, tratamiento a lo MOCHELLE), propuso “conversar sobre la habilitación de un Ajuste Venezolano” que dirima el asunto a favor de Maduro y de Raúl, en un momento en que ese país necesita la 82 División Aerotransportada en “terreno de nadie”, por el bien de Venezuela y del resto de Hispanoamérica.

Con este tipo de elemento, con esta facción de la tiranía estadounidense que entrega el destino de la libertad del mundo, Venezuela, que ni se te ocurra...

Top 5 Consequences of Putin's 'Crimea Reset'

breitbart

By Joel B. Pollak 

"We are entering into our renewed relationship with our eyes open," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton five years ago, before presenting Russia's foreign minister with the infamous bright red "reset" button.

Russia has pushed the "reset" button all right, resetting history and geography to take the Crimea back, while the U.S. and the European Union do virtually nothing. The White House announced Monday morning that President Barack Obama had imposed a set of sanctions on the Russian arms industry and senior Russian officials, but no one close to Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, according to the UK Telegraph.

The weakness of the west in facing the Russian seizure of the Crimea is likely to have a significant geopolitical effect, both in the short term and long term. Here are five of the most likely consequences of the :Crimea reset":

1. China advances claims over territory and airspace. An aggressively nationalist China was already moving to broaden its air defenses and its claims to the Senkaku Islands, despite U.S. plans to "pivot" from the Middle East to the western Pacific. It will now be even more assertive, knowing there are few consequences.

2. Al Qaeda steps up its attempts to create an Islamic caliphate. The Obama administration, having dispatched Osama bin Laden, has left Al Qaeda to expand across Africa and the Middle East. Those hoping to establish an Islamic state in the ruins of Syria and Iraq will be encouraged by the failure of the west to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine, because the artificial borders of the Middle East seem even more vulnerable now.

3. Israel plans for completely unilateral action on Iran. It is clearer than ever before that the Obama administration has no ability to enforce its own "red lines" and no will to risk armed conflict. Israel will likely set aside the task of obtaining U.S. approval for a pre-emptive strike on Iran and will make independent plans--perhaps in coordination with Saudi Arabia, which has likewise learned that Obama is not to be trusted.

4. Europe gets serious about fracking. As my colleague James Delingpole of Breitbart London observes, one of the positive side-effects of the Crimea crisis is that the EU has realized that energy independence is vital to its security. It will start to reject pseudo-scientific "green" arguments in favor of oil and gas development.

5. Russia continues to challenge U.S. allies and create crisis. The Crimea crisis is hardly over, and may reach other parts of Ukraine, as well as NATO allies in Eastern Europe, as Putin tries the same trick again. He is also expanding Russian influence into Latin America. He will only stop when the U.S. stops retreating from any possible confrontation, and commits military resources to stopping his advance. That point is still very far away.

¿Pudiera el Presidente Obama estar considerando cambios en las restricciones a Cuba?

Maria Elvira Salazar

)

Rev. Jeremiah Wright's daughter found guilty of money laundering

Chicago Tribune

Jeri Wright (right) joins Rev. Al Sharpton
patdollard.com

SPRINGFIELD—The daughter of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Barack Obama’s former minister, was convicted by a federal jury Friday of laundering thousands of dollars from a $1.25 million state grant for a Chicago-based job-training program.
Jeri Wright said she would "definitely" appeal the verdict in U.S. District Court, which found her guilty of 11 counts that included money laundering, lying to federal agents and lying to a grand jury.

"I didn't do anything," Wright, 48, of Hazel Crest, said as she left the Springfield courtroom. Her father, whose preaching became a lightning rod during Obama's first presidential campaign, was not part of the case.

Her attorney described Wright as a victim of a web spun by longtime friend Regina Evans, the former Country Club Hills police chief who has pleaded guilty to corruption in the case. Evans

www.businessinsider.com

had secured the state loan for the job-training program but allegedly diverted the money rather than use it for the purpose she proposed.

Prosecutor Timothy Bass contended Wright took as much as $11,000 in cash from more than $30,000 in checks in a scheme where she also sent money back to Evans. Bass maintained Wright lied “over and over” when quizzed about the case.

Bass maintained in closing arguments that Wright was “given an opportunity” and took it in a state that has a “well-earned” reputation for corruption.

Evans applied for the grant in February 2009 for a group called We Are Our Brother's Keepers.The proposal called for 40 people to get training in bricklaying and electrician skills, but the money allegedly was diverted.

Within months, Evans began tapping the funds for what Bass had called a "spending spree," including a trip to Las Vegas, a basement remodeling and the purchase of vehicles for a security business with her husband.

rlong@tribune.com

America in decline

Obama Warns Russia on Ukraine Intervention, Silent on Cuban Intervention in Venezuela

capitolhillcubans

U.S. President Barack Obama has rightfully warned Russian leader Vladimir Putin against military intervention in Ukraine.

The question remains whether Putin will heed Obama's warning after so many unconditionally extended hands; inconsequential breached "red lines"; and unilateral concessions to tyrants around the world.

Let's hope so, but it's not clear.

Unfortunately, in dealing with tyrannical leaders, our policymakers sometimes forget how concessions -- or even apparent concessions -- are interpreted as acts of weakness that embolden misbehavior.

The "nuances" of our policies are lost on them, for these tyrants aren't reasonable, peace-loving actors -- they're anti-American megalomaniacs, obsessed with absolute power.

For example, extending permanent normal trade relations ("PNTR") to Russia (with the help of Congressional Republicans) in December 2012, while Putin was enabling a genocide in Syria, showed him the fickleness of our priorities. This would later come to bear in his giving U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden refuge and protecting Assad after he breached Obama's chemical weapons "red line."

(This is also a reminder of why the Chamber of Commerce should not formulate U.S. foreign policy.)

Similarly, this was the problem with easing travel sanctions for "people-to-people" trips to Cuba in January 2011, while the Castros hold a U.S. hostage and increase repression against their own people. This untimely decision showed the Castros that there are no consequences to misdeeds -- hence the illegal trafficking of weapons to North Korea, welcoming Russian military ships to Cuba and committing acts of violence against the Venezuelan people.

Yet, in contrast to Russia's intervention in Ukraine, the Obama Administration remains silent regarding Cuba's ongoing intervention in Venezuela.

Perhaps Obama should borrow from his statement on Ukraine, and issue a similar warning to Cuba's regime:

"Over the last several days, the United States has been responding to events as they unfold in Ukraine (Venezuela). Throughout this crisis, we have been very clear about one fundamental principle: The Ukrainian (Venezuelan) people deserve the opportunity to determine their own future... We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation (Cuba) inside of Ukraine (Venezuela)... It would represent a profound interference in matters that must be determined by the Ukrainian (Venezuelan) people... The United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine (Venezuela)."

The Venezuelan people deserve no less.

Putin landed troops in Crimea but Barack Obama and Joe Biden run round the White House

ITN