The term “useful idiot” is generally attributed to Lenin. He was referring to Americans who promoted Soviet propaganda or sympathized with the Soviet Union. The USSR saw these ignorant dupes as tools for furthering their agenda, but thought they were fools.

Emmanuel Cleaver was one of the useful idiots in the Congressional Black Caucus that went to Cuba and later praised Fidel Castro. He was a useful idiot for being a part of that.

But then he took his idiocy to a new, almost unparalleled level with this comment on NPR:

While a lot of commentators have talked about the Congressional Black Caucus’s trip to Cuba, few have paid any attention to comments made by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver to NPR’s Melissa Block.

At the 2 minute mark in the interview, reporter Melissa Block asks, “Well, Congressman, you well know that supporters of current Cuba policy, supporters of the embargo, say if you lift sanctions you are going to just aid and justify a repressive regime, you are going to kill any hope of democracy — that regime will just use more resources to become more oppressive than it already is.”

Cleaver’s response: “Well, the world operates at its best when there’s diversity. Every nation does not need to be like the United States. And, frankly, we already have ties to diplomatic nations. And, frankly, if there is repression in Cuba we didn’t see it.”

Moron. Complete moron.

These are people who cobble together boats made from 50s era cars and try to get to Florida. People who are happy and free do not do that.

Human Rights Watch says that repression is “written into Cuban law.”

Perhaps instead of taking the government sponsored tour as gospel, he could open his eyes to reality. Consider the story of Jorge Luis García Perez Antúnez, a black man on this suupposed repression free island paradise:

Despite torture and years in prison, Jorge Luis García maintains his stance. Now that he is free, he will continue his political activism as coordinator of the Pedro Luis Boitel Political Prisoners Movement .

He spent 17 years in different prisons where he survived punishment cells, hunger and being humiliated by communist agents.

He responded to beatings in prison by singing the Cuban national anthem; to injustices, the lack of food, and medical attention, and punishments with prolonged hunger strikes. This rebellious and unbreakable attitude was maintained by Jorge Luis García Pérez, “Antúnez”, during the 17 years and 38 days that he was imprisoned in different prisons throughout Cuba.

Why didn’t Cleaver and his crew talk with him? Probably because they weren’t allowed. They saw exactly what Castro wanted them to see, and they take it as truth and sell it back here. That’s why he is a useful idiot.

He is being played.