Ted Cruz launches book tour, opposes relations with Cuba

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Ted Cruz is not one to mince words.

"In a time such as this," the first term Texas Senator told Eyewitness News, "telling the truth is a radical act."

In his new book, A Time For Truth, the republican presidential candidate talks about what got him here. His autobiography talks as much family as it does policy.

"I wanted to tell the story of my journey and why it is I'm fighting so hard for free market principles and the constitution," he explained. "More than anything, I wanted to tell the truth about what's happening in America right now. I wanted to tell the truth about what's happening behind closed doors in the United States Senate."

Cruz is a married father of two. His book explores, at length, his childhood and his father's influence on his life. Rafael Cruz, a minister who is a top surrogate for Cruz in early primary states, is a Cuban immigrant. He fought with Castro as a young man, and left Cuba, only to later learn the would-be-dictator was a communist, is sharply opposed to normalizing relations.

We asked Senator Cruz, before his booksigning in Southwest Houston, if he would confirm an ambassador to Cuba given the President's announcement of mutual embassy openings in both countries.

"Absolutely not," he answered. "I think the mistakes the Obama administration are making with Cuba, it's the same approach and the same mistakes they're making with Russia, the same approach, same mistakes they're making with Iran. This is a virulent enemy of the United States ninety miles off our shore that the Obama administration is making stronger in exchange for no meaningful concessions."

He is also critical of the Supreme Court, for which he clerked and in front of which he's argued cases, in light of its rulings last week on Obamacare and same sex marriage.

"Those two decisions last week were both naked judicial activism," he said. "They were both lawless. Millions of Americans are hurting under Obamacare because the Supreme Court stopped, as John Roberts said, being an umpire calling balls and strikes and they put on a jersey; a bright blue Obama jersey and began legislating. Five unelected judges decided they knew better and they purported to strike down the marriage laws in all fifty states."

Cruz, as a result, is calling for a constitutional amendment that would give state legislatures more power. He also would like to see Supreme Court Justices, who currently serve terms for life, be subject to a confidence vote every eight years.