Obama hands Cuba 's Castros a major victory , but Congress can still stop it . 
In order to lift the embargo , the Cuban government would have to give the Cuban people a number of rights -- of association , speech , political activity , etc. -- that President Obama obviously failed to secure in his 45-minute conversation with Cuban dictator Raul Castro Tuesday . 
Can President Obama do any of that ? 
Senators should also make clear that they will put a hold on any ambassador that Mr. Obama nominates to serve in Cuba unless he can guarantee that the Cuban government is no longer a threat to the United States and has decided to grant freedom to people in Cuba . 
Not only does President Obama 's action fail to advance freedom in Cuba , it throws a lifeline to Cuba 's dictators , whose current supplier of funds , Venezuela , is on the ropes because of plunging oil prices . 
Establishing ties with Cuba has been on President Obama 's bucket list for some time . 
Congress must act because President Obama has been completely feckless in his entire approach to Cuba . 
After five years of "negotiations" President Obama ended exactly where Raul Castro 's demands began five years ago . 
As Senator Marco Rubio said , President "Obama is the worst negotiator since Carter ." 
Mr. Obama 's statement was filled with Havana 's communist talking points , such as affirming that Cubans are poor and unfree because of the embargo , or that Cuba was a U.S. colony . 
None of that is true , and yet Mr. Obama said it . 
Left unchecked , Obama will simply move on to the next misguided item on his bucket list . 
Right off the bat , Congress must make it crystal clear to President Obama that he lacks the authority to lift the embargo on Cuba , allow trade to take place between the two nations , let tourists to go to Cuba to bail out the regime or give Cuba have access to capital markets .
Obama hands Cuba 's Castros a major victory , but Congress can still stop it. In order to lift the embargo , the Cuban government would have to give the Cuban people a number of rights -- of association , speech , political activity , etc. -- that President Obama obviously failed to secure in his 45-minute conversation with Cuban dictator Raul Castro Tuesday. Can President Obama do any of that? Senators should also make clear that they will put a hold on any ambassador that Mr. Obama nominates to serve in Cuba unless he can guarantee that the Cuban government is no longer a threat to the United States and has decided to grant freedom to people in Cuba. Not only does President Obama 's action fail to advance freedom in Cuba , it throws a lifeline to Cuba 's dictators , whose current supplier of funds , Venezuela , is on the ropes because of plunging oil prices. Establishing ties with Cuba has been on President Obama 's bucket list for some time. Congress must act because President Obama has been completely feckless in his entire approach to Cuba. After five years of "negotiations" President Obama ended exactly where Raul Castro 's demands began five years ago. As Senator Marco Rubio said , President "Obama is the worst negotiator since Carter. " 
Mr. Obama 's statement was filled with Havana 's communist talking points , such as affirming that Cubans are poor and unfree because of the embargo , or that Cuba was a U. S. colony. None of that is true , and yet Mr. Obama said it. Left unchecked , Obama will simply move on to the next misguided item on his bucket list. Right off the bat , Congress must make it crystal clear to President Obama that he lacks the authority to lift the embargo on Cuba , allow trade to take place between the two nations , let tourists to go to Cuba to bail out the regime or give Cuba have access to capital markets.