Cuba Libre?

Well, this has been a long time coming....

ABC reports:

HAVANA Jul 31, 2006 (AP)— Fidel Castro announced Monday night in a letter read by his secretary live on state television that due to illness he was temporarily relinquishing the presidency to his brother and successor Raul, the defense minister.

In the letter read by his secretary Carlos Valenciaga, Castro said he had suffered gastrointestinal bleeding, apparently due to stress from recent public appearances in Argentina and Cuba, and had to undergo an operation.

Read it here.

This does not sound good for the mad old monster, but for the Cuban people it raises all sorts of hopes and fears. Fidel has been around since I was young and has long since achieved iconic status for those deluded souls who still hold to the dream of a communist utopia. His death, and it seems to be imminent, will not change that. But the disorder that is certain to ensue will be fraught with promise and peril.

Stay tuned....

Interesting times ahead!

UPDATE:



They're dancing in the streets in Miami! The shouts of "Libertad! Libertad! Libertad!" are everywhere.

Read about it here.