Meet the Diaz-Balarts: A couple of Castro's 'nephews' — in Congress

National Review, March 10, 2003 by Jay Nordlinger

Fidel Castro and his group have repeatedly declared, from their comfortable prison, that they will be leaving prison only in order to continue plotting new acts of violence and whatever it takes to achieve the total power they seek. They have refused to take part in any type of peaceful settlement, threatening both members of the government and members of the opposition who support electoral solutions to the country's problems.

They do not want peace. They do not want a national solution. They do not want democracy, or elections, or fraternity. Fidel Castro and his group seek only one thing: power, and total power at that. And they want to achieve that power through violence, so that their total power will enable them to destroy every vestige of . . . law in Cuba, to institute the most cruel, most barbaric tyranny -- . . . a totalitarian regime, a corrupt and murderous regime that would be difficult to overthrow for at least twenty years. This is because Fidel Castro is nothing more than a psychopathic fascist, who could choose to align himself with communism only because fascism was defeated in the Second World War.

He ended, "I believe that this amnesty -- so imprudently adopted -- will bring days, many days, of mourning, pain, bloodshed, and misery to the Cuban people, even though these very people do not see it that way now. I ask God that the majority of the people and the majority of my fellow representatives present here be the ones who are right. I ask God that I be the one who is mistaken -- for Cuba's sake."

In Lincoln Diaz-Balart's office are the tokens of his life and thought. There are photos of his illustrious family, of course, and of prominent political prisoners in Cuba. There are Lincoln memorabilia. There's an image of the Shroud of Turin. There are pictures of early Cuban heroes, such as Jose Marti. There are photos of Reagan, Nixon -- and of Alvaro Uribe Velez, the new president of Colombia, whose job is one of the hardest on earth. Lincoln arrived in Congress after a career as a legal-aid lawyer, assistant state attorney, and Florida legislator. He is, indeed, lawyerly, a nimble and forceful debater. He is a constant reader and inquirer. Mario Diaz-Balart is often described as more laid back -- almost a surfer dude. (He scuba-dives, actually.) Mario gives an impression of Miami Cool, though he is a dedicated pol. Lincoln says, "He has much better people skills than I do."

Lincoln was born there, in 1954, and Mario here, in 1961. The younger brother left college to work for the mayor of Miami -- and never went back. At 27, he was elected to the state house of representatives. At 31, he was elected to the state senate. As chairman of the ways and means committee, he was a ferocious budget-cutter. His nickname? "The Slasher." Employing his legislative virtuosity, he had a hand in drawing the district that would elect Lincoln to Congress. Years later, he had a hand in drawing the district that would elect . . . him. Most seem to think that his future in Washington is very bright. Mario was chosen to give a kind of pep talk to GOP senators about the Miguel Estrada judicial nomination: If you're Hispanic, you're supposed to be a liberal Democrat. The Diaz-Balarts are fervent Reaganites. They have naked contempt for the notion of race-as-destiny.