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 .
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 .