U.S. & World News

MIAMI (AP) ― Sen. Barack Obama was in Florida Friday afternoon attending the Cuban Independence Day Celebration in Miami. Following the ceremony, Obama sat with local CBS affiliate WFOR's political reporter Michael Williams in a one-on-one interview.

When asked about the DNC's decision to strip Florida of its presidential delegates because the state held an early primary, Obama said he was confident that Florida's delegates will count.

"They are going to be seated and they're votes are going to count. This will be resolved in about ten days. I have made it very clear to the DNC that I want them seated and I intend, when I accept the nomination in Denver, should I be the nominee, I want to make sure that I'm looking at that Florida delegation and they are participating and feeling good and then we can start focusing on the key challenges that face Florida and the country.

On Cuba and the embargo:

"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."

On the high cost of property insurance and support for a national catastrophic fund:

"I think it's important for us to structure something where people are getting immediate insurance relief, that we're shutting down any loopholes that allows insurance companies to avoid paying legitimate claims. I think the federal government should provide a backstop so insurance is affordable. I think it's important to structure it in such a way, that moving forward on development in Florida and anywhere else in the country, that risk mitigation steps are taken. So in the Midwest for example, we are assuring there aren't a lot of developments in the middle of flood plains and the same would apply here in Florida."

On the issue of prejudices among American voters:

"I think an overwhelmingly majority of people are interested in a President who is interested in helping them live out of the American dream. They're not concerned about whether it's a woman, or a black or a Hispanic, they just want to make sure that this person is working for them. This doesn't mean there aren't long standing prejudices on all sides, and I think my job is to let people know that I'm going to be their advocate, that I'm going to be fighting for you, regardless of where you come from, what you look like, I want to make sure you can live out that American dream because that's what's been provided to me in this country. Hopefully, people will get more comfortable as they see more of me and I'm working hard on their behalf. Over the long term, I think they're pretty sure they're interested in who can pay the bills, who can help lower gas prices in the long run, who is going to help them make sure their homes aren't foreclosed and that they have good jobs and good wages. If I do that, then I think we're going to win."

What would first 100 days of an Obama administration look like?

Step number one, I think, is moving to end this war in Iraq. It's an enormous drain on our nation, it's not making us more safe, it's distracted us from the war against Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, so that would be step number one. Step number two would be to put forth a bold plan for universal health care. It is something that is making our business uncompetitive and it's breaking the banks of ordinary families. The third thing is energy independence. These gas prices have built up over time. It's going to take some time for us to start bringing those gas prices by reducing demand, that means raising fuel efficiency standards on cars, investing in alternative energy. We've got to have a Manhattan Project, an Apollo Project, when we say in ten years time we will slash our consumption of oil by 25-percent or 30-percent, if we can take those steps then I'm confident that we can get this country back on track."

On reports of his vice-presidential short list:

"There is no short VP list right now because I've got to finish this nomination, we'll have time to worry about that in the months to come."

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