Holy Crap!

[faustnbulbous]

Castro resigns as president of Cuba

Wow. I coulda sworn this guy was going to stick it out to the bitter end.

And I will personally come to George W. Bush's home and sucker punch him in the gut if he takes personal credit for any of this.

Comments

[pseudoboy]

This was merely symbolic of his step down from power. I think the guy may already be dead, but at least his fatigues won't look quite so good on him now that he is bedridden.

And, sadly for all of the ex-pats in Miami, Raoul is safely in power and, when the time comes, he'll hand it off to another true believer and change will continue to come very slowly so long as the US continues to treat them like they're North Korea or Myanmar.

[faustnbulbous]

Honestly, I think that Fidel stepping down might be just the symbolic gesture that the US needs to start opening up to Cuba. for so long, the Cuba issue has been guided more by a clash of egos than by any sensible policy arguments.

[pseudoboy]

I would agree only if a democrat wins the presidency in the fall. A republican president (who would be McCain) NEEDS the Cuban ex-pat community in Florida in order to win that state every 4 years, so even touching this issue without serious reforms on the part of Cuba, including concessions to the ex-pats who want their land and power in Cuba back and McCain would need to re-draw his electoral map for a run for re-election in 2012.

If Obama wins the presidency, such detente would fit well into his oft stated philosophy of having more open discussions with countries whom we have frosty relations (or not relations) with now.

[faustnbulbous]

yeah, I could see McCain being a real stick in the mud about this one. Do you think congress would try to force his hand? (Assuming the Dems will still be in control in 2009)

[pseudoboy]

Congress, as we have seen, has a long road back to having real power regarding foreign policy after they've been Bush's doormat for the last 6 years!