For years, there were no greater advocates in the U.S. Congress for doing business with the Castro regime than former U.S. Representative (now Idaho Governor) Butch "Mr. Tight Jeans" Otter and (the infamous) U.S. Senator Larry Craig.
See their picture below in Havana with Alimport's Pedro Alvarez.
However, it turns out that their advocacy (and hype) was less than sincere.
So what were they really doing in Havana?
Here's a thought-provoking excerpt from Boise Weekly's "The Cuban Connection":
[Idaho Governor Butch] Otter has traveled to Cuba four times in an effort to relive the days when he exported capitalism (and Idaho products) to communists. Otter is never shy in talking about the days when he successfully pitched frozen french fries to China after marrying into the J.R. Simplot family/company. One divorce and a few elected offices later, Otter was convinced he would have similar success in Cuba. When he was a congressman, Otter led three delegations to Havana. He helmed a fourth, as governor, in 2007.
"I have high hopes that the work we've done will result in a fruitful harvest for Idaho producers and businesses," Otter boasted in 2007. Publicly, the governor said the Idaho/Cuban connection was a match made in heaven. Privately, he was more clandestine.
"They lied to me," said Nathaniel Hoffman, former BW news editor, who attempted to follow the delegation. "They went out of their way to give me the slip. They'd give me false information about when and where they were traveling. They hid from me for days."
When Otter and his delegation, which included dozens of businessmen and government officials, returned to Idaho, there was plenty of back-slapping. An official release from the Governor's Office touted deals to sell biotechnology, seed potatoes and plenty of meat. Falls Brand Independent Meats of Twin Falls announced a plan to ship more than 50 tons of boneless pork, valued at more than $100,000, in a matter of months. None of it happened.
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