May 23, 2008 11:06 pm US/Eastern
Obama Talks Cuba, Visits Sunrise To End Fla. Tour
He Spoke At A CANF Luncheon Friday Afternoon
He's Finished With A Rally Attended By Thousands In Sunrise
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Senator Barack Obama looks toward the future at a town hall meeting in Kissimmee.
CBS
It was a back to basics message for Barack Obama on Friday, as he wrapped up his three-day Florida tour with a rally in front of thousands at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise.
"We can't wait to fix our schools; we can't wait to provide health insurance to people who don't have it; we can't wait to deal with things like global warming," said Obama. "We can't wait to deal with high gas prices, and we can't wait to bring this war in Iraq to a close."
Earlier in the day, Obama was in Miami, where he made a speech hosted by the Cuban American National Foundation at the Intercontinental Hotel.
During his address, Obama said he wants to pursue direct diplomacy with Cuba and Latin America and criticizes Republican rival John McCain for offering the Cuban-American community empty promises.
"After eight years of the disastrous policies of George Bush, it is time to pursue direct diplomacy, with friend and foe alike, without preconditions," Obama told the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF).
The Illinois senator repeated his willingness if elected president to meet with Cuban leader Raul Castro. But he said a meeting would only occur at a time and place of his choosing and when there is "an opportunity to advance the interests of the United States."
During a one-on-one interview with
CBS4 political reporter Michael Williams, Obama said, "I'm not in favor of lifting the embargo but I am in favor of lifting the restrictions on travel restrictions between Cuban Americans and their families and remittances so that they can send money back to their families in Cuba. I think that is part of a process of exploring whether or not Raul Castro is willing to start liberalizing in Cuba. I do want to see some low level direct talks initiated there to explore the possibilities of change there. If, over time, we get a clear signal through the release of political prisoners and other democratization that Cuba is ready to change, then I think America should be there to change with them and I would be happy to participate in that process."
Click here to read and see the entire one-on-one interview with Barack Obama.
CANF, once the foremost voice representing the Cuban exile cause in Washington, hosted Friday's speech in a move to recapture the group's prominence.
Its founder, Jorge Mas Canosa, long served as a symbol of stalwart anti-Castro sentiment. But since his 1997 death, the group has receded into the cacophony of Cuban-American voices.
The decision to host Obama is a daring move in a community generally more supportive of Republican candidate John McCain and even Obama's Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"Right now, it's a very important chapter in the history of Cuba. We are also at a turning point in our own community," said Francisco Hernandez, the foundation's president and co-founder.
Hernandez said the next president will have a unique opportunity -- now that Raul Castro has replaced his brother Fidel as Cuban president -- to promote change on the communist nation and is calling on the government to allow private organizations to send money directly to dissidents on the island.
The U.S. economic embargo, which the foundation still generally supports, prohibits such transactions with the Caribbean nation.
On Thursday, Senator Obama tried to court the Jewish vote in Boca Raton, and dispel reports that he is anti-Israel. He held a town hall meeting at the B'nai Torah Congregation in the late afternoon. The event was pushed back after Obama had to fly to Washington D.C. to cast a vote on an issue concerning the war in Iraq.
Not everyone at the event was a supporter. Protestors like Karen Albert started lining up in the morning carry signs that read "Obama is Bad for Israel" to express their displeasure at Obama's appearance.
"Show me who your friends are and I'll show you who you are," Albert told CBS4 Ted Scouten. "I know his friends, that's what I do know about him; Reverend Wright, Louis Farrakhan, he went on the 'Million Man March'. He is no friend of Israel."
Indoors though, Obama was clear in his message regarding Israel.
"When I am in the White House, I will bring with me an unshakable commitment to maintaining that bond between the United States of America and an unshakable commitment to Israel security," said Obama.
He also forcefully rejected claims that he would sit down with groups promoting terror against Israel.
"We must not negotiate with a terrorist group that is intent on Israel's destruction," he said. "We should only sit down with Hamas if they renounce terror, recognize Israel's right to exist, and abide by past agreements."
"He has denounced Minister Farrakhan, completely disagrees with him," countered Mark Gilbert, a past president of the B'nai Torah synagogue and an Obama staffer.
B'nai Torah's Rabbi David Steinhardt says Obama is a friend to Israel and members of the Jewish faith, but not everyone understands that yet.
"I think there's a lot of misinformation and a lot of fear," said Steinhardt, "You know, Obama is a lot less known than John McCain and his history is a lot shorter."
Steinhardt said the reason for a town hall meeting like this one is for people to ask questions and make up their own minds.
Obama began his three day campaign swing through the state on Wednesday with rallies in Tampa and Orlando.
During his speeches, Obama embraced all Democrats in Florida and expressed support for its primary vote to be counted.
The DNC stripped Florida of its delegates because its primary was held before February 5th. The DNC said Florida, and Michigan as well, violated its rules by holding primaries in January and would not seat their delegates at the national convention this summer.
"My hope is, in a couple of weeks time, we've won some more elections; we've won some more delegates; we've got the Florida delegation seated," he said.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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