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'Pathetic:' Rubio, Cruz Blast Obama Statement on Castro's Death

Guy Benson
Guy Benson  |  November 28, 2016 10:25 AM

Before you go any further, go back and read Justin's post from over the weekend, comparing and contrasting the official 'Castro death' statements from our sitting president and our president-elect.  The juxtaposition is striking, as is this one.  Whatever you may think of Trump, he clearly won that round, thanks to moral clarity about Castro's vicious dictatorship. For a strong and contextual analysis of Castro's life and impact, the Miami Herald's obituary is worth your time.  Perhaps President Obama ought to read it, given his anodyne response that utterly ignored the profound evil Cuba's Communist thug inflicted upon his people over multiple decades in power. Newly-reelected Senator Marco Rubio, whose parents fled Cuba, tweeted a blistering reaction to the outgoing president's moral abdication:

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Fellow Cuban-American Senate conservative Ted Cruz echoed his onetime rival's sentiment in a follow-up tweet:

Obama's defenders might argue that the White House statement in no way constituted "showering love" on Castro, but at best, it was an ahistorical whitewash. And for what purpose? An empty gesture to appease the ongoing Castro regime with which Obama has sought to normalize relations? In some ways, the Obama administration's tepid, forgiving commentary on Fidel Castro's demise is reminiscent of its response to virtually every provocation and misdeed of the Iranian regime. The protection of a political legacy appears to supersede all else. But the president's written remarks were downright heroic compared to the deeply embarrassing statement from left-wing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who actually did "shower love" on the deceased tyrant.  As you read this, recall that he's paying tribute to a man who brazenly broke his pledge on free elections, then imprisoned and murdered his opponents throughout his illegitimate reign.  As surreal as it is morally appalling:

“It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of Cuba’s longest serving President. Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century. A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation. While a controversial figure, both Mr. Castro’s supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for “el Comandante”. I know my father was very proud to call him a friend and I had the opportunity to meet Fidel when my father passed away. It was also a real honour to meet his three sons and his brother President Raúl Castro during my recent visit to Cuba. On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and many, many supporters of Mr. Castro. We join the people of Cuba today in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader.”

I've bolded the lowlights, but in truth, the whole statement reads as a lowlight.  Cruz, again:

Trudeau's embarrassing, mournful tongue-bath lit up social media; the hashtag #TrudeauEulogies quickly started trending, rightly ridiculing the prime minister's amoral tribute.  One representative sample:

I'll leave you with ABC News correspondent Tom Llenas -- the son of Cuban exiles -- accurately framing Fidel Castro's legacy of misery and abuse: