While President Obama might not be ready to end the Cuban embargo, a bi-partisan group of U.S. Senators are on a crusade to lift the ban on U.S. travelers to the island.

“I think there’s sufficient votes in both the House (of Representatives) and the Senate to finally get it passed,” Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan said at a news conference.

Dorgan, whose home state of North Dakota could benefit from increased agricultural sales to Cuba, introduced the bill along with fellow Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd and Republican Senators Richard Lugar and Mike Enzi. Seventeen other senators also are sponsoring the measure. A companion bill introduced in the House earlier this year has 121 co-sponsors.

On Senate Republican in particular, Cuban American Senator Mel Martinez, says this is all wrong, as it will provide the Castro regime with a “resource windfall”.

Personally, I am not buying that. Years of isolation has made the Castro regime stronger, and tourism isn’t going to make a difference either way. Cuba is already overloaded with tourists from all over the world, and a few more coming by way of Miami International Airport isn’t going to drastically change anything.

Anyway, Americans have been traveling to Cuba illegally for ages. I’m more concerned about the U.S. making some kind of colonial move on the island, though that was more of a threat during our plumb loco previous administration.

At least one Republican Representative is for ending the travel ban; Representative Jeff Flake of Arizona makes his case for an end to the embargo in a video after the jump.

And Flake ain’t no liberal (just in case you didn’t get that from the video).

Via / Reuters