Say Anything Blog

What you’re seeing in this statement from Fidel Castro is the arrogance and fear of an old man, a brutal dictator who has outlived his time and who is afraid that he may be watching his “revolution” crumble if relations thaw between Cuba and the U.S.:

HAVANA (AP)—Fidel Castro says President Barack Obama “misinterpreted” his brother Raul’s remarks regarding the United States and bristled at the suggestion that Cuba should free political prisoners or cut taxes on remittances from abroad as a goodwill gesture to the U.S.

What was said by Raul that was so upsetting to the supposedly retired Fidel?

The speculation began when the Cuban president said leaders would be willing to sit down with their U.S. counterparts and discuss “everything,” including human rights, freedom of the press and expression, and political prisoners on the island.

Can’t have that now, can we? Open and honest discussions concerning the “island paradise” and its human rights record would shatter the image of the “revolution” and expose it for what it is - a myth, and a dangerous one at that.

Ever notice that when a politician opens his mouth and either tells the truth (horrrors!) or just plain out and out lies someone, either the politician himself, or some self interested crony, always says that their statements were “taken out of context” or that they “misspoke”? Happens every day in the Obama Administration. Apparently, though, our American politicians don’t have a corner on the foot-and-mouth market:

That appeared to enrage Fidel Castro, 82, who wrote in an essay posted on a government Web site that Obama “without a doubt misinterpreted Raul’s declarations.”

[...]

He also seemed to suggest too much was being made of Raul’s comments about discussing “everything” with U.S. authorities.

I’ve often said in the past that if we wanted to win in the Cuba situation we should drop the embargo and open up the island to full blown business, trade, and tourism. It would take about two years for four star hotels and restaurants to spring up across the land. MacDonald’s and Burger King would be on every corner and the dollar would be the currency of the nation. The people would enjoy a standard of living they haven’t seen since the 1950’s. We would win, and win quickly.

Fidel knows that, too.

He knows that if relations thaw his revolution would go the way of all such revolutions and their dictators before him, onto the refuse heap of history.

Read the article over at the Washington Times where he flat out says that political prisoners (the open admission of their very existence may or may not have been a blunder on his part) now in Cuban prisons don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of being released.

Note to those Hollywood celebrities who bow and scrape in his presence: Yes, Virginia, it is an oppressive regime.

Anyway, the tone of his statement, while couched as “rage” is clearly the opposite. It’s fear. Fear that his world may be coming to a close and that he’ll live to see it, and he’ll do everything in his power to keep that from happening.

Shut up, Raul. You’re scaring the old man.