Time: Castro likely has terminal cancer

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1543828,00.html

 

wonder how he got it?

 

How long does Castro have to be in power before Cuban officials quit saying he's leading a "revolution." At some point, a revolution becomes just a plain old government.

 

You'd have to have a Cray supercomputer to count the number of times the U.S. government has written off Castro.

 

Forgive me if I trust U.S. intelligence no more than I trust a voting guide written and edited by hondo and old_tony at this point. Cuba after Castro will be very interesting, though.

1. Raul will hang onto power for a while, but how will he handle a first big test?
2. Will a Castro-free Cuba prove more or less threatening the Castro? Remember, no one's been worried about that schlaub for some time now.
3. Will we be able to get Cuban cigars legally now? Will the live up to the hype?

 

If I were to make a prediction, I would wager on a military coup within two years of Castro's death. There's going to be a lot of pent-up demand for power. I think you would see some sort of election, although probably not a free and fair election - it would allow some limited form of opposition parties but no real input.

It has always been my opinion that US sanctions against Cuba have been a counter-productive policy. I always thought that if you wanted to get rid of Castro and communism 90 miles away from the US, the best way to do that would be to send exile relatives over to Cuba. Seeing the difference in wealth would create more problems for Castro than having US tourist dollars going to Castro.

 

Just saw the original post and had the same thought

 

Here's a wild speculation: That coup will be quietly backed by corporations involved in casinos or online gaming (gambling).

 

Ole'.

 

I have film critic pals who regularly go to countries in which the foreign policy is not set by 500 lunatics in shortsleeved shirts hanging out in Miami. I can tell you that the answer to Question 3 is yes.