By Jeff Mason
MIAMI (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama said on Friday hewould he would pick the time and place for direct diplomatictalks with Cuba as U.S. president and criticized RepublicanJohn McCain for embracing failed policies.
Obama, an Illinois senator who is leading New York Sen.Hillary Clinton in the race for their party's White Housenomination, has taken heat for saying he was willing to meetwith the leaders of countries hostile to the United States,including countries such as Cuba and Iran.
McCain, in Miami on Tuesday, criticized Obama's proposalsand vowed to maintain a strict economic embargo on Cuba untilits communist government releases political prisoners, grantsbasic freedoms and schedules internationally monitoredelections.
Both candidates are courting Florida's influentialCuban-American community in a state that will be crucial tovictory in November's general election.
Obama said McCain had distorted his position.
"John McCain's been going around the country talking abouthow much I want to meet with Raul Castro, as if I'm looking fora social gathering," Obama said.
"That's not what I said. John McCain knows it."
Obama said McCain had embraced President George W. Bush'spolicies, which would not advance freedom in Cuba.
"That's the political posture that John McCain has chosen,and all it shows is that you can't take his so-called straighttalk seriously."
The Illinois senator called for direct diplomacy with thecommunist island and, without saying whom he would meet with,pledged to lead that charge as president.
"It is time to pursue direct diplomacy, with friend and foealike, without preconditions. There will be carefulpreparation. We will set a clear agenda," he said. "I would bewilling to lead that diplomacy at a time and place of mychoosing, but only when we have an opportunity to advance theinterests of the United States."
Obama said he would maintain the Cuban embargo but wouldoffer to start normalizing relations with the communist countryif it released all political prisoners.
The McCain campaign accused him of shifting his stance.
"By changing his position in front of Cuban-Americans tosupport the embargo that he used to oppose, Barack Obama isengaging in the same political expediency that he railedagainst in his speech," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said.
"This same tired type of political flexibility shows BarackObama's weak leadership on an important issue."
Obama promised to lift restrictions on family travel andmoney transfers to the island.
Obama, who sprinkled his speech with Spanish words andphrases, laid out other policies for Latin America.
He called for a regional energy partnership to developalternative sources of fuel and more diplomatic effortsthroughout the hemisphere to promote democracy.
(Editing by Doina Chiacu)
