Congressman: Bush hurting Cuban families

Rep. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the highest-ranking Hispanic in Congress, told a Miami audience Monday that President Bush has ignored the needs of Latin America and enacted policies on Cuba that hurt families more than they hurt Fidel Castro. ''As it relates to Latin America, I can cover the Bush administration so-called policy in less than 30 seconds,'' said Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Caucus. "The Bush administration, in my view, has no policy on Latin America, aside from trade and counternarcotics programs.'' Addressing an audience at Florida International University, he said Sen. John Kerry "promises a vision that I hope to see become a reality. It is a new vision and a dramatic change in U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America.'' On Cuba, Menendez said the Bush administration punishes Cuban-American families, tightening restrictions on visits to relatives on the island even as U.S.-Cuba commercial exchanges have increased. He said Kerry supports the U.S. embargo on Cuba but would push for a more ''humane'' policy and would provide massive U.S. humanitarian aid to Cuba through the International Red Cross, not the Castro government. [more ]