Hagel & Cuba

In 2008, Hagel Said That U.S. Policy On Cuba Is “Outdated, Unrealistic, Irrelevant.” “Backing up to catch Chuck Hagel’s comments about engagement with Cuba when he was questioned on CNN a week ago. ‘On Cuba, I’ve said that we have an outdated, unrealistic, irrelevant policy,’ he said.” [The Lincoln Journal Star, 3/3/08]

• Hagel Agreed With Jimmy Carter And Said That Carter “Is Exactly Right: Our 40-Year Policy Toward Cuba Is Senseless.” “Wednesday, though, Hagel did endorse Carter’s message: that the United States should broaden relations with Cuba and lift its trade and travel embargo. ‘What Jimmy Carter’s saying … is exactly right: Our 40-year policy toward Cuba is senseless,’ Hagel said.” [Omaha World-Herald, 5/16/02]

In 2002, Hagel Said That Labeling Fidel Castro A Threat Would Be “Just Goofy,” Despite His Support For Terrorist Groups Throughout The Region. “Otto Reich, the State Department’s assistant secretary for the Western Hemisphere, last week laid out a case against overtures to Cuba and its longtime president, Fidel Castro. ‘Castro has supported terrorist groups in every country in this hemisphere except Mexico,’ Reich told reporters Thursday. ‘So he is a terrorist.’ Sen. Chuck Hagel, a main sponsor of Senate legislation to lift economic sanctions on Cuba, countered Reich on Friday, saying that to term Castro a threat is ‘just goofy.” [Omaha World-Herald, 8/18/02]