Bush Unveils Measures to Weaken Cuba's Castro

Friday, October 10, 2003

(12:13 PM ET)

Reuters

Some business groups, Democratic lawmakers and free-trade Republicans favor loosening up sanctions such as the travel ban, saying they have been ineffective and are costing American firms potential sources of profit. But Bush said money paid by American tourists who stay in hotels in Cuba goes to the government, with local workers paid only "a pittance."

President Bush, right, speaks about Cuba as Secretary of State Colin Powell, left, looks on in the Rose Garden of the White House Friday, Oct. 10, 2003 in Washington. Eager to please a key Florida constituency, President Bush directed his secretary of state and his Cuban-born housing secretary Friday to recommend ways to achieve a transition to democracy in Cuba after 44 years under Fidel Castro.

Image Credit: Charles Dharapak -- AP

WASHINGTON -- Reuters
President George W. Bush vowed on Friday to try to weaken Cuban leader Fidel Castro's power, and said the United States would crack down on travel to the country and make it easier for dissidents to flee.

"Clearly, the Castro regime will not change by its own choice," Bush told a gathering at the White House Rose Garden. "But Cuba must change."

Bush unveiled the initiatives as he gears up for next year's presidential race. Florida is home to many Cuban Americans who advocate tougher measures against the Castro government. Anti-Castro Cuban Americans helped hand Bush a disputed but pivotal victory in Florida in 2000 and the state could once again prove key in the 2004 election.
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Working for that Cuban-American vote, and getting the needed cheers,

Dan