On Latin America, McCain lacks Policy; Obama Offers Some Reform, Some Status Quo

PART 1:

Both Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain outlined their policy for Latin America.  Senator McCain focused mostly on Cuba. Before an older Conservative Cuban Americans, McCain criticized Senator Obama for opening up dialogue with Raul Castro.

CUT: HE ALSO WANTS TO SIT DOWN TO AN UNCONDITIONAL MEETING WITH RAUL CASTRO. THIS MESSAGE WOULD SEND THE WORST POSSIBLE MESSAGE TO CUBA'S LEADERS. I BELIEVE WE SHOULD GIVE HOPE TO THE CUBAN PEOPLE, NOT THE CASTRO REGIME.  MY POLICY WOULD TELL CASTRO TO RELEASE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS UNCONDITIONALLY.

John McCain gave few details of an expanded Latin American policy except to promote a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia and offered general support of Colombia's battle with FARC rebels.

Barack Obama delivered his remarks before the powerful and very conservative Cuban American National Foundation where he outlined his policy for Cuba and the rest of the Latin Hemisphere.

To expand on Barack Obama's policy speech, Dan Restrepo, Advisor to the Obama Campaign on Latin America and Foreign Policy joins us on the phone. First I asked him to respond to Senator McCain's accusations.