Marking yesterday as the first annual "Day of Solidarity With the Cuban People," President Bush gave a speech calling Cuba's economic reforms "empty" and "the height of hypocrisy," citing the nation's policies denying citizens personal freedoms. The lack of free speech and other basic human rights for Cuban citizens is an atrocity. But President Bush should be careful when pointing out hypocrisies. His call for the liberation of Cuban political prisoners seems to ignore the fact that he is keeping 270 political prisoners of his own on the eastern coast of the island in Guantanamo.

The president declared that, to truly convince the world of its commitment to political reform, the Cuban government should, "open up access to information...and respect political freedom and human rights."

So what are Bush and his administration doing to convince the world of the our commitment to political reform? Well, they've interfered with public access to information regarding its warrantless wiretapping program, engaged in politically-motivated manipulation of EPA scientists' findings, and initiated the political firings of federal prosecutors. To top it off, the president reproached Cuba's history of human rights violations and political imprisonment despite the fact that, under the Bush administration, several hundred people are currently incarcerated without having been charged, and despite the fact that his administration signed off on the use of torture against terrorist suspects.

If the President really wants to demonstrate his solidarity with the Cuban people, he needs to set an example for the Cuban government by implementing the very changes he demands from Cuban leaders. The first step in this direction is to close Guantanamo. Tell Bush that the American people will not stand for political imprisonment in our name by signing our Close Guantanamo Petition.