Charles Rangel: “I was in Havana, Cuba, when the President of the United States declared that he was going to relax the restrictions that…”

“I was in Havana, Cuba, when the President of the United States declared that he was going to relax the restrictions that we have on the embargo in Cuba, and I tell you that the people in Havana rejoiced. In the streets of Havana, they said there were two basic things they liked about America: one was American movies, and the second was everything else. When I got to come back home through Miami, at the airport, people with Cuban backgrounds--Americans--were so excited about the opportunity for America to rejoin the family of nations and to recognize the contributions that Cuba can make. We thought that, today, we would be hearing a rejoicing for those people who should have never been in jail in Cuba who were released. Obviously, there are some people who have a different opinion. I am here today to say that, with all due respect to those Americans and to those Cubans who suffer under the dictatorship in Cuba, we feel their pain, but now, American policy should override the pain that a few feel for what is in the best national interest of our great Nation. ____________________”