Tampa’s Frank Sanchez, a Barack Obama insider since early in the presidential primary and a key operative in various vetting scenarios since the election, has now been appointed to an important administration position of his own. Pending Senate confirmation, Sanchez, 49, will become undersecretary of commerce for international trade.
Advising a candidate is obviously different from advising an elected president, but here are some insights and observations from a July 2007 interview with Sanchez.
Trade: “Obama’s hardly for reversing globalization, but he doesn’t want to give lip service to labor issues and environmental concerns.”
Latin America: “For starters, we need to re-engage with Latin America. Brazil and Chile come readily to mind. For the last six years we’ve ignored Latin America – much to our detriment.”
Cuba: Sanchez underscored Obama’s priority of reversing the travel-and-remittance restrictions on the estimated 1.5 million Cuba-Americans living in the U.S. Indeed, President Obama just ordered that done.
As to the (then 45-year-old) economic embargo, Sanchez said Obama was not inclined to rush into any bold initiatives – preferring to use the embargo as “leverage” for changes on the island. The operative word was “incremental,” underscored Sanchez. Do not expect a diplomatic stroke that would “turn on a dime,” he emphasized.
Barack Obama: “He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. A defining characteristic is that he’s an amazing listener. He’s not some superficial glad-hander. He’s perfect for a time when people are genuinely sick of Washington politics.”