Jeff Bingaman, a U.S. senator from New Mexico and member of the Democratic Party who serves as Chairman of Committee Outreach for the Senate Democratic Caucus, acknowledged on Monday that Washington’s policy towards Cuba is ‘out of step’.
“We are out of step with our policy with Cuba. It is past time to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba and end the embargo,” Bingaman said.
According to press reports, the Senator noted that the U.S. policy towards Cuba “has been heavily dictated by Cuban Americans while ignoring the example set by other Latin American countries, who openly trade with the communist country.”
Bingaman was reacting to what he regarded as Washington’s isolation during the Sixth Summit of the Americas held over the weekend in Colombia, where all participating countries —except for the U.S. and Canada— agreed on the need to include Cuba in this regional mechanism.
“I believe we are the ones who are out of step in this respect and we should change our policy,” he pointed out.
However, the Democratic leader recognized that, in the face of the upcoming presidential elections of November 6, it is very unlikely that Obama or his Republican opponent “take a stance that could offend the Cuban-American community in Florida and New Jersey.”
