Slightly more credible than usual rumor: Castro dead? Update: Cuban FM denies Castro rumors
posted at 3:17 pm on August 24, 2007 by Allahpundit
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We went through this same routine with the same source last summer, but it’s Friday afternoon, Val says the whispers are awfully loud this time, and I do so enjoy being, ahem, “out in front of the news cycle.” So what the hell. I’m posting it.
Exit question: Will it matter at all after the party’s over? His brother’s been in charge now for about a year already, hasn’t he?
Update: The inevitable official government denial.
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Yep. Won’t matter unless we intervene.
amerpundit on August 24, 2007 at 3:21 PM
Good riddance to bad communist rubbish if it’s true :)
wytammic on August 24, 2007 at 3:21 PM
and his brother is just as bad….
*sigh* Poor cubans.
Americans that meet with cuba and think raul and castro are great leaders, need to move there.
Highrise on August 24, 2007 at 3:22 PM
Its hard to say, there is a lot tied to Fidel Castro. When he croaks, there’s something of a clean slate. It might be easier for whoever is in the generalship or Raul himself to go against what Fidel would want, maybe the people will start to make or demand changes.
Bad Candy on August 24, 2007 at 3:24 PM
One can only hope. Sure, the country might incur slight changes under new leadership, but we’ll still have to step in at some point to put an end to the threat posed to us or their own people.
nationspatriotcom on August 24, 2007 at 3:25 PM
This issue could really shake things up politically here if things get chaotic down in Cuba…
canvas on August 24, 2007 at 3:25 PM
I would support pulling the army out of Iraq if it meant putting them into Cuba.
JayHaw Phrenzie on August 24, 2007 at 3:26 PM
btw perez hilton is confirming this news, http://www.perezhilton.com
this makes it official.
(beyond snarking, perez is cuban himself)
zane on August 24, 2007 at 3:29 PM
Speaking as a legitimate Cuban, I’d just like to say “Suck it, Fidel.”
Enrique on August 24, 2007 at 3:29 PM
The funeral guest list will read like the red carpeters on Oscar night.
Brat on August 24, 2007 at 3:32 PM
Left a message with my mom to get her reaction, and to find out what my uncle thinks. Both left Cuba when Castro took over.
jharada on August 24, 2007 at 3:35 PM
It’ll give me an excuse to stop for champagne and a celebratory cigar on the way home. Beyond that, hard to say. I hope we can make it matter.
Tanya on August 24, 2007 at 3:39 PM
Pre-spin? I always suspected fidel was gone. Good riddance.
If the buzz is real, may my Cubiche brothers excuse me as I bid the tyrant farewell in my own special way.
Kid from Brooklyn on August 24, 2007 at 3:41 PM
If I were Raul Castro, I would have been talking to the US, behind closed doors, a year ago. With the possible demise of Fidel, there has got to be a lot of political scrambling going on which could bode not so well for Raul. And with the protection of his brother gone, his future would surely be in doubt.
pocomoco on August 24, 2007 at 3:41 PM
Cuba hasn’t had a good marshal law crackdown in a while. Raul Castro is a hard ass that is not as charasmatic as Fidel.
It will be up to the guy who succedes the Castro brothers that will map the long term future of Cuba. It will take a while.
saiga on August 24, 2007 at 3:44 PM
I wait to hear from Hugo.
LakeRuins on August 24, 2007 at 3:45 PM
Can we send our manufacturing base down there now? It’s a lot closer than China, and I hear they use less lead paint in their Thomas the tank engine toys.
Plus, I’d like to buy a 55 chevy fom one of their used car lots.
Masscon on August 24, 2007 at 3:47 PM
Hey AP,
Like you said last time. If it is true, party big time going on in Miami with drunk hot cuban chicks everywhere.
Might be time to start looking at flight schedules man.
conservnut on August 24, 2007 at 3:49 PM
Adios A$$holie
right2bright on August 24, 2007 at 3:49 PM
only reason this turd is in power is because of JFK getting played like a fiddle in the Cuban Missle crisis by Kruschev
jp on August 24, 2007 at 3:49 PM
May God free the people of Cuba.
CP on August 24, 2007 at 3:50 PM
just read in a comments section elswhere that the State Dept. have moved a press conf to 4pm est.
zane on August 24, 2007 at 3:50 PM
Lets face it, if Perezhilton.com confirms it, you know its true.
RiteWingFascist on August 24, 2007 at 3:51 PM
See, I’m wondering if it could be the opposite. Fidel probably has people personally loyal to him, and he might wanna die with a hardline resisting policy intact. Just throwing it out there. I hope the monster burns in hell for what he’s done to the Cuban people.
Bad Candy on August 24, 2007 at 3:52 PM
Over at Blackfive, Uncle Jimbo went out on a limb real early.
BohicaTwentyTwo on August 24, 2007 at 3:53 PM
Will Spicoli be covering the funeral?
JammieWearingFool on August 24, 2007 at 3:54 PM
When Cuba does open up, the peasants who own these cars would become instant millionaires as they sell them to collectors around the world.
pocomoco on August 24, 2007 at 3:59 PM
The death of an evil man is usually a good thing in itself.
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on August 24, 2007 at 4:00 PM
A young lady who works for me is in Miami. We were joking about what a party it would be when this lowlife has officially kicked off.
JammieWearingFool on August 24, 2007 at 4:01 PM
uhhh, why is this such a big deal? I mean, come on, he has been dead since 1981:
http://www.uncoveror.com/castro.htm
RiteWingFascist on August 24, 2007 at 4:02 PM
Confirmed: Castro died two days ago.
But how did he get to Manila?
Bob Owens on August 24, 2007 at 4:02 PM
This one doesn’t seem to be panning out… time to pull in the reigns.
Editor on August 24, 2007 at 4:04 PM
I hear the government guys are now praying TO Castro:
When asked if the 81-year-old Castro was still in charge of Cuban affairs, Roque said, “He is being informed and consulted constantly.”
BobH on August 24, 2007 at 4:04 PM
Loyalty is only money deep.
pocomoco on August 24, 2007 at 4:05 PM
The story here is that a dictator died peacefully in his bed after running a country and people his whole life.
HE WON. EVERYBODY ELSE LOST. WE LOST. CUBANS LOST.
He got the last laugh. Doesn’t matter if he’s dead or not. He had quite a run.
Don’t ever underestimate the courage it must have taken to overthrow British rule here. Or, god bless the British for being the most benevolent of rulers. Remember, Gandhi would have been shot on day one in Cuba. It’s why Iraq is a nightmare instead of a holocaust.
JiangxiDad on August 24, 2007 at 4:08 PM
heh.
BadgerHawk on August 24, 2007 at 4:08 PM
tenga una bella dia en El INFERNO Cretino!
>:)
-Wasteland Man.
WastelandMan on August 24, 2007 at 4:17 PM
I’m waiting to see what happens when Cindy and Sean’s pal, Hugo decides to plant some of his new Russian toys in Cuba in defense of Communism
Hening on August 24, 2007 at 4:22 PM
Interesting, suddenly Balbalu is listed as a suspended account.
Grunt2Jag on August 24, 2007 at 4:22 PM
that is only because of JFK, the only reason we never popped that turd out of power is JFK’s weakness. Russia had 300 nukes to our 3000 during the Missle Crisis with no intentions on actually starting a war with us for obvious reasons. They got exactly what they wanted from JFK, he agreed as a matter of US Policy from here on out that we would never get rid of Castro and remove the missles we had in Turkey, in exchange for them disarming in Cuba.
so since we couldn’t fight the Soviets via Proxy in our backyard and a paradise island at that, we went halfway around the world to a jungle to do it under JFK, sealing the destiny of Cuba to what it is today, a commie hell hole.
jp on August 24, 2007 at 4:24 PM
Oh dear. Such sad news. A “Man of the People” has passed.
Such a humaitarian. Tsk tsk.
I’d like to extend my condolences to:
Sean “Spicoli” Penn
Michael “Minute Man” Moore
Hillary “Big Mother” Clinton
Harry “I surrender” Reid
And to all the pseudo intellectual graduate degree students in Liberal Arts brats on campuses across AmeriKa.
Montana on August 24, 2007 at 4:28 PM
I keep trying to get Babalu blog via the link, but get a “this account has been suspended” page.
Jeez, Raul’s guys work fast!
I’m just hoping it’s server overload.
Nonblonde on August 24, 2007 at 4:28 PM
I think we broke Val’s blog. Comments wouldn’t come up, now the whole thing is refusing to load.
Retread on August 24, 2007 at 4:35 PM
A Corleone by any other name…..
Limerick on August 24, 2007 at 4:36 PM
I got it to load but Val’s aware of the problems and says go here if Babalu won’t load:
http://cubanamericanpundits.blogspot.com/
Retread on August 24, 2007 at 4:36 PM
The big question is, when he does go, do you think they’ll stuff him and put him on display like Lenin?
Blacklake on August 24, 2007 at 4:48 PM
Weekend at Fidel’s, Part II!!
thebookkeeper on August 24, 2007 at 4:51 PM
He’s dead. I think he’s been dead for a few days, at least.
I’m not convinced it will make much of an impact in the daily life of your average Cuban.
Asher on August 24, 2007 at 4:53 PM
Will it matter? Absolutely!
Castro (or the image of Castro) is so strong that his passing will not be a whimper.
The tricky part of the exit question is HOW it will matter. Castro is iconic. His going room temp will make a difference but it is up in the air as to what the consequences will be.
Truth be told, I think Castro is already dead. What’s going on now is media management by the Cuban status quo who fear what will happen in the aftermath of Castro’s death. These rumors are really testing the waters to figure out the time when they can best break the “bad news” to the world without danger of finding themselves joining El Presidente in hell.
Some of the overriding questions, yet to be answered:
Will the Cuban people rise up and say “no mas” if Raul Castro takes over?
What will the Cuban military do?
Long-term, what will America do? Will the USA decide it was all about Castro or all about the Cuban government? This nation has normalized relations with countries far worse than Cuba’s oppressive regime (China and Saddam’s Iraq come to mind).
What will Hugo Chavez do? I wouldn’t put it past the bastard to invade Cuba if he can get away with it.
——
My money is on the following scenario.
Cuba becomes less socialist. The pace of reform could be quick vis-a-vis the fall of the Berlin wall or could be glacially slow. A lot depends on how much control the status quo will be able to maintain in the power vacuum that will be created. My initial thought is that reform will be quick to very quick due to external (read Cuban-American) pressures.
There will be great interest in American investment in the new Cuba which will also supercharge the reform process. Intial grandiose plans will boil down to significant investments in tourism and related industries. All the cool kids will want to go see Cuba for a few years, at least.
The sham of Cuban healthcare will be so exposed that Michael Moore might just shut up for a couple weeks.
In five years of reform starting, Cuba will be far along its way of being a good neighbor.
Within 10 years, the U.S. will decide to leave GITMO, opening up huge tourism development potential on that part of the island. Truth be told, the US probably would have left about 20 years ago were it not for the fact that we could stick it to Castro by staying.
highhopes on August 24, 2007 at 4:53 PM
I want a 55 Chevy speedboat.
Blake on August 24, 2007 at 4:56 PM
PREDICTION TIME FOR MY FELLOW HOT-AIR DENIZENS:
Let’s come up with the list: when Fidel finally does humanity a favor and kicks the bucket, who, besides Comrade Jimmy Carter of course, will attend his funeral?
DavePa on August 24, 2007 at 5:11 PM
Steven Speilberg.
Blake on August 24, 2007 at 5:15 PM
It won’t make much difference, at least short term. A kleptocrat dictator- be it Fidel or Raul- isn’t going to voluntarily loosen his grip on power.
Long term, Raul may prove unable to fill Castro’s corpse-filled shoes, and he may have to allow some reforms towards more freedom in order to avoid a coup or otherwise keep the country afloat. Castro wasn’t one to delegate a lot of authority, however he and Raul had plenty of time to make arrangements to maintain power.
Hollowpoint on August 24, 2007 at 5:15 PM
Well damn, you already picked the low hanging fruit. Oliver Stone will totally be there. I know there’s more, but I’ll let others play.
Bad Candy on August 24, 2007 at 5:19 PM
Danny Glover. Sorry, I’ll had to add one more.
Bad Candy on August 24, 2007 at 5:20 PM
Did I really write “I’ll had to add one more”?
God help me, I sound like a LOLcat.
Bad Candy on August 24, 2007 at 5:26 PM
Castro died 10 years ago. We’ve just been seeing Chavez, with his fake beard.
:O# #
OhEssYouCowboys on August 24, 2007 at 5:31 PM
Dammit, I had some drawrings; but they didn’t come out.
OhEssYouCowboys on August 24, 2007 at 5:32 PM
Michael Moore is obligated to attend, I’d assume.
Blacklake on August 24, 2007 at 5:34 PM
Here we go again!
Drtuddle on August 24, 2007 at 7:12 PM
I sure hope “Abajo” means “Death to…”
profitsbeard on August 24, 2007 at 7:14 PM
Mora at Babalu Blog linked to an article by Fausta Wertz, About these rumors at Pajamas Media. It’s a good read. She says:
INC on August 25, 2007 at 12:28 AM
Adios, Fidel.
Espero que tenga gusto del fuego caliente del infierno.
slp on August 25, 2007 at 1:39 AM
Who cares about an old Marxist anyway? This wacko runs an outdated system of failed concepts and only seeks power and control.Oh, I am sorry, I thought this was another Hilliary story. Never mind.saved on August 25, 2007 at 9:10 AM
The only thing that will be in our interests is a FREE Cuba. Replacing dictators won’t do. You know that Chavez is going to be there in a nanosecond when Fidel is actually dead.
1) Fidel dies
2) Riots ensue, Chavez sweeps in
3) American Special Operations invades to restore order.
4) Free Cuba established
5) Let the good times roll
Mojave Mark on August 25, 2007 at 11:05 AM
Since this thread is likely finished, I’ll say this to freedom, in general.
Kid, I have few major life dreams on my list, having fought hard to attain most, but to visit a free Cuba is one of them. It means the world to me, as it is so symbolic to freedom the world over. For you, and for all of us, viva Cuba libre, indeed “LA ISLA MAS BELLA”.
Mojave Mark, if that turd (Chavez) executes step 2), I sure hope we have the cojones to use the occasion to wipe him out instantly, for the sake of Venezuela, the U.S., and the world, really.
Entelechy on August 25, 2007 at 5:38 PM