Martin Condemns President Clinton, Senator McCain for Supporting Return Of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba and Offers Legal Assistance to Elian's Family
MIAMI, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Republican presidential/senatorial candidate Andy Martin today condemned President Clinton for surrendering Elian Gonzalez to Cuba.
"President Clinton began his adult life groveling to the Soviet Union when as a student at Oxford he went to Russia to denounce the United States. He is ending his stay in the White House groveling to Fidel Castro.
"It is absolutely true that American law favors uniting families. Of course it does. But it is equally true that hard cases make bad law, and Bill Clinton ways manages to make bad policy.
"I condemn the decision to return Elian Gonzalez to Cuba. He will have a difficult time back there. I know he will also face a hard time here, learning to live with the loss of his mother. But in the long run he will do better psychologically if his mother's sacrifice was not in vain.
"To send him back is to say that his mother died for nothing. Inflicting that realization on young Elian will have far more devastating long-term consequences on him than allowing him to remain in the United States to at least reap the benefits of his mother's ultimate sacrifice.
"In Cuba, Elian may face reprisals because of his pro-American comments while here. President Clinton should offer refugee status to any members of Elian's family who want to leave Cuba to join him in Florida.
"The only good thing that comes out of this tragic incident is that Cuban- Americans can see that Bill Clinton and Al Gore and the Democratic Party cannot be trusted," Martin says.
"Floridians will have a chance to send me to the United States Senate next November. Right now I am traveling as a presidential candidate to revamp the Republican Party and to make it nationally more welcoming to Hispanic/Latino- Americans.
"In 1998 Cuban-Americans powered me to a landslide primary victory in Miami-Dade County. I ask them to stand with me again, and to join a victory march to the United States Senate once I step down from the presidential campaign and rejoin my friends in Florida to seek the U.S. Senate seat.
Vinceremos.
"In the meantime, I am offering my legal assistance to Elian and his family. I cannot represent them in court but I am happy to testify in support of family efforts to keep the child here in Florida. I sincerely believe that his staying in Florida is in the best long-term interests of
Elian."
SOURCE Andy Martin
CO: Andy Martin
ST: Florida
IN:
SU: LAW CPN
01/05/2000 23:57 EST http://www.prnewswire.com |