Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) expressed disappointment that Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) “decided to adopt Barack Obama’s foreign policy” on Cuba on Friday’s “Mark Levin Show.”

“The entire economy is controlled by a holding company basically that is run by the military. So every penny that goes into Cuba…goes to that company, they take about 9 out of every 10 dollars, or 90% of the funds, 92% of the funds, into their own pockets. And then of course they have to pay people some salary, but it’s literally about $60 a month on average, sometimes less, so they are not going to change that” he stated, adding that increasing the amount of money going into Cuba would only help enrich the Cuban government and would help “solidify” their power.”

He argued that the embargo was still important because “Cuba’s government is an enemy of the United States,” which he said is evidenced by their support for the regimes in Syria, Iran, Libya, Russia, and Venezuela. He also pointed to increasing military and spy installations in Cuba as proof that “they are inviting the Russians to come back,” and Cuba’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Rubio further stated that attempting to normalize relations with Cuba was sending the message that “it’s okay to be a dictator,” and that dictatorships tend to spawn mass migration problems inside the United States.

On his specific dispute with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Rubio said “I think it’s unfortunate that Rand decided to adopt Barack Obama’s foreign policy on this matter. Look, for me, the interest in Cuba, obviously, I know people in this community who have family members who were executed by this regime…this is a matter of daily course,” reporting that Cuba rammed a boat full of refugees, one of which is missing and presumed dead. Adding of Paul, “he just basically repeated the talking points of the president…but I’m telling you, it isn’t going to work,” citing boasts made the government that they will not convert to capitalism.

Rubio also responded to the use of normalizing of relations with Red China in the ’70s as justification for relaxing trade with Cuba by pointing out there was a geopolitical reason behind that move, splitting China from the USSR during the Cold War, and that China opened up its economy and had started doing so long before the US pushed to normalize relations with the US. He also argued that China’s human rights record, opposition to the US, military aggression, and intellectual property violations makes China a poor example of the power of trade liberalization and diplomatic normalization. And that “today, the Chinese government is the most well-funded dictatorship in human history.”

He concluded by slamming President Obama for apologizing for American colonialism in Cuba, arguing that the US fought to make Cuba independent, not to conquer it, and declaring that President Obama was hungry for a legacy and naive on foreign policy.

(h/t The Right Scoop)

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett