Rubio Rips Obama For Not Confronting Castro At Mandela Memorial
If Florida Senator Marco Rubio thinks it’s appropriate for the president of the United States to get into an angry confrontation with another world leader at a memorial for a cherished icon, he should put aside any thoughts of ever running for higher office.
Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, was complaining about Obama’s handshake with Cuban President Raul Castro, a brief interaction that took place at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in South Africa.
“If he was going to shake his hand, he should have asked him about those basic freedoms Mandela was associated with that are denied in Cuba,” Rubio told ABC News.
Rubio’s response represents the first real criticism Obama has received from a major Republican for the handshake. Former President Jimmy Carter called the handshake “something significant” and expressed hope that it “will be an omen for the future.”
