When Obama paused in Revolution Square with famous #Che Guevara sculpture in background, a collective gasp in this conference room. #Cuba — Peter Orsi (@Peter_Orsi) March 21, 2016

Obama proudly poses w/ Marxist murderer Che Guevara. Freedom advocates everywhere mournfully ask: Where is America? pic.twitter.com/H8sTqB8tMk — Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 21, 2016

So, Obama couldn't make it to Chris Kyle's memorial service, but he will stand at attention for Che Guevara. pic.twitter.com/SKPHdQRMCJ — Bill Sanderson (@BanCollectivism) March 21, 2016

BreakingNews: Obama(D-Che) will be allowed to shoot a dissident in the head later today in the Cuban festival of Che pic.twitter.com/6iVlUHo087 — DANEgerus ن (@DANEgerus) March 21, 2016

President of the United States posing respectfully by a large Che Guevara. Good thing it wasn't a Confederate flag! pic.twitter.com/YwwxADbMi3 — Razor (@hale_razor) March 21, 2016

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz decried President Barack Obama's historic visit to Cuba Monday, saying the left likes to "put posters of Che Guevara on the wall" even though he was a "homicidal maniac," shortly after Obama drew heat from conservatives for posing for pictures in front of a mural of the Marxist revolutionary icon in Havana."Today I think was a disastrous mistake from President Obama," the Texas senator, whose father fled Cuba, said on Fox News'The Cuba discussion starts at the 9:58 mark of the video above."President Obama's traveled to Cuba with movie stars and rock stars," Cruz continued. "The radical left has always found Cuba, Fidel Castro and Raul Castro chic and sexy.""They'd like to put posters of Che Guevara on the wall because he was a young, rugged-looking revolutionary." "Now, mind you, he's a homicidal maniac who tortured and murdered people, but the left idealizes him and it's really sad that [we have] a president sitting there sipping mojitos with these Communist dictators that hate America."He has no time to visit the dissidents, no time to visit the ladies in white. You know, my dad was in prison and tortured by [former Cuban president Fulgencio] Batista. My aunt was imprisoned and tortured by Castro's thugs. America's always been a voice for freedom. And under Obama, what he's doing with Cuba is what he's doing with Iran."President Obama's sending over $100 billion to the Ayatollah Khamenei, who hates America and will try to use that to try to murder Americans. In Cuba, President Obama is sending billions of dollars to Raul and Fidel Castro, they will use those billions to oppress and torture and murder their citizens and to export terrorism throughout Latin America and undermine America. I think today was a tragic mistake."Cruz's remarks came Monday, hours after reporters "gasped" and conservatives fumed as Obama posed for pictures in front of a mural for Guevara in Havana's Revolution Square.Associated Press reporter Peter Orsi tweeted that Obama's decision to pose as the familiar image of the Argentine guerrilla gazed down at him caused "a collective gasp" in the press room:There was no shortage of tweets from outraged conservatives:The Drudge Report ran the photo as its lead item on its website, with the headline "Mission Accomplished,"Michael J. Totten,, said of Che's popularity in Cuba:"You know what happens to Cubans who display open hatred of Che? They get arrested. When he was still alive, they were executed or herded into slave-labor camps. So yeah, everyone 'loves' him. It’s required by law. Woe to those who disobey State Security. "