Byron Dorgan: “I said 19 million Cuban people. I meant 11 million people who live in the country of Cuba. Madam President, before I…”

“I said 19 million Cuban people. I meant 11 million people who live in the country of Cuba. Madam President, before I yield the floor so my colleague from Oregon can have the floor, let me say again, I think we will have people come to the floor and say: What do you mean ``a waste of money''? We have to deal with the Castro government. We have to get tough. We cannot back away. I do not come to the floor to say anything good about the Castro government. The Cuban people deserve to be free and deserve to have the boot removed from their neck, the boot of oppression from a government that does not allow that kind of freedom. But let me say this: This country has stated as its purpose for a long while with respect to China and Vietnam, both Communist countries, that the road to progress toward democratic reform in those countries is through trade and travel and engagement. We have believed that fervently, Republicans and Democrats. We trade with Vietnam. We trade with China. We travel to both countries. We believe that advances both countries toward more human rights and better human rights. It is only with Cuba we have this obsession--believing if we can track down Americans who attempt to travel in Cuba, and slap them with big fines, restrict travel, restrict trade, and somehow waste money on things like TV Marti--it is only with Cuba we are obsessed with a policy that does not work. Fidel Castro has lived through 10 Presidents.…”