Castro says he probably won't be around in 4 years

[Dantheman62]

HAVANA – Fidel Castro said Thursday he doubts he'll make it to the end of Barack Obama's four-year term and instructed Cuban officials to start making their decisions without taking him into account.

In an online column titled "Reflections of Comrade Fidel," the 82-year-old Cuban leader suggested his days are numbered, saying Cuban officials "shouldn't feel bound by my occasional Reflections, my state of health or my death."

"I have had the rare privilege of observing events over such a long time. I receive information and meditate calmly on those events," he wrote. "I expect I won't enjoy that privilege in four years, when Obama's first presidential term has ended."

He didn't elaborate, but the lines had the ring of a farewell, and Castro suggested he was on his way out.

"I have reduced the Reflections as I had planned this year, so I won't interfere or get in the way of the (Communist) Party or government comrades in the constant decisions they must make," he wrote.

Castro stepped down in July 2006 to undergo emergency surgery and hasn't been seen in public since. He turned over the presidency to his younger brother Raul in February after nearly a half-century as Cuba's supreme leader, but his periodic essays have continued to carry weight


For the rest of the article... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090123/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_fidel_castro

[Steve_A]

Hi Dantheman62,

Quite frankly I'm suprised that Fidel Castro is still breathing today, never mind in four years. I think he's even being a little optimistic.

Best regards,

Steve



HAVANA – Fidel Castro said Thursday he doubts he'll make it to the end of Barack Obama's four-year term and instructed Cuban officials to start making their decisions without taking him into account.

[Dantheman62]

I agree, I'm surprised myself and the article says he hasn't been seen since the operation he had in 2006. And his brother is 77, so we'll see what happens in a few years.

[Baggywrinkle]

Old tyrants never die.

They just retire and move to Crawford Texas

[oldpaganfreak]

i certainly fear for the cuban people in a world without fidel. the americans are bound to try and get back what they lost in the revolution. the cubans have not known poverty and american oppression for 50 years. there are still some fatcats that hold major grudges.
i hope that they are strong enough without him. or all the good work of the revolution could be lost.

[Dantheman62]

I thought Cuba was all about poverty, that's why they drive old 55 chevys rebuilt 100 times, and that's why 1000's have fled to south Florida to get away from poverty and Castro.

[oldpaganfreak]

no. that's what the american press would want you to believe. canadians have had a different perspective since the revolution. it is a popular vacation spot for canadians. cuba has one of the highest literary rates in the world, has incredible medical care and a quasi- free enterprise system for cubans. cuban farmews own their own land, cna sell any surplus crops in the markets, and enjoy a decent lifestyle. they drive old cars, cuz they can. cars doin't rust in their climate, and they reuse instead of waste. most of the people that were expelled after the revolution were criminals and cubans that were in collusion with the mafia/corrupt politicians that owned most of the island. one of the reasons that the american fatcats hate fidel is that, after the revolution, he expropriated foreign owned land and paid the price that they owners claimed them to be worth on their american income taxes. he caught them at their own game.
there are no very rich people in cuba, but there is universal education, including university, universal health care, and a share in the country for all cubans. they may not eat a lot of steak, but there is ample food for all. they still roll the best cigars in the world too, and as a canadian, i can buy them in the local corner store.

mohammed ali is one of the greatest heroes of the cuban revolution for the work he has done to get modern medical equipment to cuba, past the embargo. he is 'persona non grata' with the american establishment, though.