View journalist Barbara Walters on Tuesday used Nelson Mandela’s funeral as a way to push for normalization of relations with Cuba. Absolutely struck by the fact that Barack Obama shook hands with President Raul Castro, Walters lectured, “The significance is that maybe this may change our relations with Cuba after 50 years, because it seems a little ridiculous to me that we recognize China and our relationship but we still do not have a relationship with Cuba.” [See video below.]
She enthused that the footage of Obama and Castro was “old enemies…shaking hands.” The host hyped, “It’s historic.” Walters has a history of touting communist leaders.
In 2002, she traveled to Cuba [1]and fawned, “For Castro, freedom starts with education. And if literacy alone were the yardstick, Cuba would rank as one of the freest nations on Earth. The literacy rate is 96 percent.”
In 2007, she thrilled over the “warm,” “dignified,” “friendly” Hugo Chavez. [2]
A transcript of the December 10 segment is below:
11:15
12/10/13
BARBARA WALTERS [On Mandela]: Everything about him was interesting. But to see some old enemies, maybe, shaking hands. Like it's been 50 years since we had relations with Cuba and there was President Obama shaking hands with Raul Castro and that's --
SHERRI SHEPHERD: It just shows you his impact.
WALTERS: That’s historic.
JENNY MCCARTHY: Even after his death, he’s bringing people together.
WALTERS: Let me just finish this while I’m on it. The significance is that maybe this may change our relations with Cuba after 50 years because it seems a little ridiculous to me that we recognize China and our relationship but we still do not have a relationship with Cuba. So maybe something -- something -- if Mandela could forgive maybe we could --
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: I think so. Yeah, yeah. All right. This is the most -- this is the first time this many heads of state have been in one place.
— Scott Whitlock is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Scott Whitlock on Twitter. [3]