Fidel Castro Retires as Cuba’s President

Fidel Castro announced his own retirement as Cuba’s President and Commander in Chief of the Cuban military as he announces he would not accept a new term as president.

Castro has been seriously ill since undergoing surgery in 2006.  Castro outlasted nine American presidents even though he was the target of many CIA assassination plots.

United States leaders across nine adminstrations have never forgiven Castro for taking out in 1959 their man, the dictator in their pocket, Batista. Batista had cozy relationships with a good number of American politicians as well as the America Mafia. These people were very unhappy with Castro for cutting their ties to their Cuban paradise. Life was very sweet for American fat cats in pre Castro Havana.

Since Castro first came to power he has faced the opposition and sanctions of the petty, unforgiving American government. While US sanctions against Cuba have without a doubt caused hardships for many of Cuba’s eleven million people they never even came close to causing such unrest as to be a threat to Fidel Castro’s hold on power.

US President George W. Bush, world class hypocrite that he is, stated that he regarded Mr Castro’s departure as “a period of transition, and it should be the beginning of the democratic transition in Cuba”. The US, he added, was ready to help the “people of Cuba realise the blessings of liberty”.

One might wonder if the type of liberty that Bush has in mind for Cuba is of the same sort that he has delivered to the peoples of the destroyed nation of Iraq? If so Bush may find he has few takers. One may also wonder what kind of liberty George Bush and the previous eight US presidents were thinking of for Americans by imposing travel restrictions to Cuba and other countries that the US opposes?

You would think that the interaction of Americans and the people of Cuba as well as for other nations where relationships are in need of repair would be a good thing for all nations as it would tend to normalize relationships and lead to more trade in an environment of friendship. Unfortunately, the nasty sort of people who seem to be voted to power in the US are too mean spirited and small minded to make a real effort at reconciliation, even with a close neighbor like Cuba.

It is time that the US stop being so absolutely stupid with it’s policies towards Cuba. Hopefully the next President will see the folly in continuing to oppose normal relationships with a country that is considered a friend by every country in South America, the EU , and very nearly around the world.

Even without Castro’s retirement, it’s long past time that we normalize our relationship with Cuba.

One item for thought. Over the past few years one of Cuba’s principal exports to the world, even as a poor country, especially to Central and South America, has been medical doctors and nurses and medical supplies. Contrast that focus to the United States top export items of military hardware and weapons of every description.

In the US congress and executive branches of government hypocrisy knows no bounds. And greed and hubris has no limits. Not that Castro was such an enlightened leader either. It was not wise in Cuba to speak out against the man or his policies. Dictators the world over seem to have very thin skins and poor senses of humor. Castro was no exception.   

However, there are many dictators around the world who run repressive regimes and that the US still does business with when it serves our interests of the moment.  No , the over 50 year US opposition to Castro was based upon the fact that he dared oppose us to knock out Batista and never became our boy. And he stayed in power while nine US adminstrations came and went. 

Hopefully the next US adminstration will bring some intelligence to office that is already in place inside the head of the next President. The US can no longer afford  to be the odd man out in a world that we no longer dominate.  

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