Sen. John McCain has admitted he was wrong to compare the handshake between President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro to that between Neville Chamberlain's and Adolf Hitler was a "gross exaggeration."
"I think it was a gross exaggeration," the Arizona senator said on CNN's State of the Union. "But have no doubt that (the handshake) is of great propaganda value for the Cuban government, which is oppressive, repressive, continues to jail dissidents and continues to be one of the — probably, easily the most repressive governments in our hemisphere."
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"I don't think you should shake hands with someone who continues to violate his own country's human rights," the former presidential candidate said. "It happened. But it is what it is. And I'm sure Mr. Castro appreciated it."
Obama shook Castro's hand last week as the two joined other world leaders gathered in Johannesburg for Nelson Mandela's funeral
McCain
said at the time that the greeting "gives Raul some propaganda to continue to prop up his dictatorial, brutal regime," adding as an aside that British Prime Minister Chamberlain shook hands with Hitler.
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