Rubio slams ‘Obama-Paul’ Cuba policy

Sen. Marco Rubio has spoken out against normalizing relations with Cuba. (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)

The feud over Cuba between two potential 2016 foes, Republican Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), continued Sunday, with the Floridian trying to tie his Kentucky colleague to President Obama.

"Rand, if he wants to become the chief cheerleader of Obama's foreign policy, he certainly has a right to do that," Rubio said in an interview on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos. "I'm going to continue to oppose the Obama-Paul foreign policy on Cuba because I know it won't lead to freedom and liberty for the Cuban people, which is my sole interest here."

The dispute between the two possible presidential candidates flared up late last week after  Obama announced that the United States would normalize relations with Cuba. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, swiftly spoke out against the decision. Paul expressed support for it.

Then, Paul took to Facebook and Twitter to voice his disagreement with Rubio.

"Senator Marco Rubio believes the embargo against Cuba has been ineffective, yet he wants to continue perpetuating failed policies," Paul wrote Friday on Facebook. "After 50 years of conflict, why not try a new approach? The United States trades and engages with other communist nations, such as China and Vietnam. Why not Cuba? I am a proponent of peace through commerce, and I believe engaging Cuba can lead to positive change."

Asked whether he could support Paul and his foreign policy if the Republican Party nominates him for president, Rubio responded, "I anticipate supporting whoever the Republican nominee is, and I'm pretty confident that the Republican nominee for president will be someone who has a pretty forceful role — view of America's role in the world as a defender of democracy and of freedom and also understands that it's important for America to be engaged on the global stage."