Washington ( CNN ) -- Sen. Marco Rubio , who is considering a presidential run , said Sunday that President Barack Obama has thrown away valuable leverage to bring about political changes in Cuba . He also took another opportunity to attack his potential opponent for the Republican presidential nomination , Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul , who agrees with Obama 's decision to switch course on Cuba . The most vocal Republican leading the fight against Obama 's rapprochement with Cuba insisted again that Obama 's new policy wo n't bring democracy to the island . `` My opposition to what the President has done is it wo n't do anything to further that cause ( of democratization ) , '' Rubio said on NBC 's `` Meet the Press . '' `` There has to be some reciprocal opening on their part toward democracy and there was none in this engagement . '' Rubio , who is Cuban-American , also said Cuban democracy activists `` feel betrayed '' by Obama . `` He completely ignored them and threw them to the side in this whole process , '' Rubio said , adding that he would have `` actively and vibrantly engaged '' those activists if he were President . And the slugfest between Rubio and Paul continued Sunday . Just days after Rubio said Paul `` does n't know what he 's talking about , '' the Kentucky senator swung back Friday on Fox News calling Rubio 's remarks `` rude and intemperate '' and suggesting Rubio was promoting `` a policy of isolationism '' toward Cuba that has n't brought about regime change . Rubio did n't bow out on Sunday , once again aiming his arrows at Paul in a preview of what could come in an eventual Republican presidential primary bout . `` Rand Paul , if he wants to align himself and become a supporter of the Obama foreign policy , particularly toward Cuba , that 's his right , he has a right to do that , '' Rubio said on Sunday . Rubio also accused Paul of becoming the `` chief cheerleader of Obama 's foreign policy , '' on ABC 's `` This Week . '' That prompted Paul and his senior adviser , Doug Stafford , to fire back . `` With all due respect , Sen. Marco Rubio was captain of the GOP cheerleading team for Obama 's arming of Syrian rebels , bombing Libya resulting in a jihadist wonderland and illegally giving foreign aid to Egypt 's military government . The Rubio-Obama foreign policy has made the Middle East and North Africa less safe , '' Stafford said in a statement provided to CNN . Rubio has won the support of most of his Republican colleagues in the Senate , with some joining him in attacking the policy shift and others , like incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , deferring to Rubio 's expertise on the subject . Defenders of Obama 's decision to ease sanctions on Cuba and normalize diplomatic relations with the island nation , including Paul , have called the embargo and sanctions on Cuba a 50-year policy that has failed to provoke any political change and have pointed to U.S. decision decades ago to engage and trade with China and Vietnam . Rubio on Sunday looked to spin those examples to his advantage , saying the U.S. should `` learn our lessons from those policies , '' calling China 's regime more oppressive than when the U.S. normalized relations with China in the '70s . `` Certainly the Chinese economy has grown , but politically they 're more repressed than they were twenty or thirty years ago . There 's no freedom of religion , no freedom of speech , no free access to the Internet , no elections , no political parties , '' Rubio said . `` So in essence , that is the model the Cubans will try to follow . '' And while embracing that analogy , Rubio also dismissed a comparison between Cuba and China when prompted about whether he would end the U.S. 's trade relations with China if he became President , noting that there are `` geopolitical realities '' when it comes to the Asian power . `` My interest here is singular , and that is freedom and democracy for the people of Cuba , '' Rubio said . `` I just do n't think that this policy that the President has put in place furthers that goal . In fact , I think it makes it harder to achieve . '' But Rubio may not be the only Florida politican with strong views on the issue entering the 2016 GOP fray of presidential hopefuls . Former Gov . Jeb Bush , who announced this week he is `` actively '' exploring a presidential run , also slammed Obama this week for rewarding Cuba 's dictators , calling it an `` ill-advised move . '' And while Bush has been a mentor to the younger Rubio in many ways , Rubio said a Bush candidacy would not deter him from his own . `` Jeb if he runs will be a very credible and formidable candidate , '' said Rubio , who has not yet made a decision about running . `` When you reach a point where you 're thinking about running for President -- as I am -- what you have to make your decision on is not on who else is running , it 's on whether you think that 's the right place for you to achieve your agenda and serve your country . '' CNN 's Kevin Bohn contributed to this report .
Sen. Marco Rubio continued to bash President Barack Obama and Sen. Rand Paul for their support of normalizing relations with Cuba . Rubio says is Paul wants to align himself with Obama 's foreign policies , `` he has a right to do that ''