Castro calls Obama stupid, slams Cuba policy

[Bacchus39]

Source: CNN

Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro lashed out at U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday for demanding changes on the island in order to improve bilateral relations and referred to him as "stupid."

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He went on to say many things would change in Cuba, but only thanks to their own efforts and "despite" the United States. "Perhaps that empire will collapse first," he added.


He also slammed a recent ruling by a U.S. judge against a Cuban agent, but he said it was to be expected.


"Otherwise, the empire would cease to be the empire and Obama would cease to be stupid."



Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/09/29/world/americas/cuba-castro-obama/

[Richardo]

1. *yawn* Did the sun rise in the east again, too?

:boring:

[Robert_C]

3. Emeritus ruler speaks the truth

Having reached old age, after a long and successful political career, he has little to fear nor hope of gain. So, he tells the truth. Those are the hallmarks of an individual who is contented with what he accomplished in life.

[lebkuchen]

9. His greatest accomplishment in life was probably

avoiding over 600 CIA assassination attempts. If the CIA isn't stupid, who is?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

10. "successful political career"

Yeah, those re-election campaigns can be murder.

[KansDem]

2. I know Obama is only doing what the previous ten presidents did...

...but this economic blockade is ridiculous!

We lost over 58,000 American soldiers in Vietnam, yet we now trade with them and buy their products.

We've not lost a single US soldier in Cuba, yet we maintain this economic blockade.

It wouldn't be because of the "exiled" Cubans living in Miami, would it? :shrug:

And what about this statement?: ...demanding changes on the island. Like perhaps, replacing its socialized medical system with a private, for-profit one?

[flamingdem]

4. It is really ridiculous

and I really hope that Obama gets some better advisers on Cuba because he's wrong on the facts. There are no more political prisoners - they were freed and there is entrepreneurship open for all Cubans.

He is woefully uninformed.

Not to mention your point about medicine

[Mr Deltoid]

6. Yep

Every communist country we opened trade with has gone capitalist, even Vietnam.

[MADem]

7. I think there is a more substantial reason.

Haven't you noticed--I know I have--that more than one Presidential candidate says something like "I will certainly loosen the restrictions on Cuba, and move towards normalizing relations" or words to that effect....and then, they get into office, get the CIA brief, and that shit goes away?

One thing Presidents don't like is other leaders trying to kill them. I think Castro was somehow implicated in the JFK assassination (or perhaps an attempt on another President), to a greater degree than Oliver Stone or anyone else could imagine. If not that, he had to be part of something that really pisses off a President on a visceral level. I don't think it's the Cubans in FL--I used to, but I don't think that's it any more. Sure, they want their property back, but I'd like to be 25 again, and that's not going to happen, either.

I don't claim to know anything. It just seems strange to me that the Presidential POV gets hardened after that oath of office is taken. And it happens over and over and over....

[Xtraneous]

11. That substantial reason is that this "dictator" makes the US look stupid...

while surviving a US-strongarmed embargo, no consumerist economy to speak of, a hurricane survival rate that makes FEMA look stupid, an education system that puts the US's to shame, not to mention all those CIA assassination attempts that he has readily "avoided". He is successfully anti-capitalist and depends on zero money from the superpower of the world. Cuba is not failing without US intervention- and it has for 50 years. That's the danger.

It's quite funny the concept that the CIA might finger Castro as having had something to do with Kennedy's assassination. Kettle, black. Maybe they know that Castro would expose his knowledge of the CIA's involvement ; )

[Bacchus39]

12. well then, Cuba doesn't need to have better relations with the US then given all those

factors you stated.

[flamingdem]

16. I'll tell you the reason: The stranglehold of the Cuban American Congressmen in Florida

They influence the vote and the Democrats have to kiss up or risk losing Florida.

On this front I'll agree with their strategy, it's more important for the Dems to win even
for the sake of Cubans on the island than opening up right now, before 2012 elections.

However I am surprised at how poorly informed Obama is...and I partly blame HILLARY whose
brother is married to a right wing Cuban American lawyer and who influences policy sadly.

Hillary's strategy? Wait for Fidel to die and appease the right wing in Miami.

Bad idea considering US interests, common sense and how this will bite us in the future

[Peace Patriot]

18. I like your mind, Xtraneous--and welcome to DU!

I was going to comment that it would be extremely funny, in a dark humor sort of way, if the CIA was secretly telling presidents about their highly, highly, highly secret 'intelligence' that "it was Castro," but I hadn't thought of your further twist, that Castro has the goods on the CIA, on the JFK assassination, and THAT is why this tiny communist island (well, one end of it--the other end being a U.S. torture dungeon) has survived all these years. Frankly, I think you've nailed it.

BTW, have you read James Douglass' "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters"? He nails the CIA to the wall. Best book on the assassination and "why it matters." He's doing a trilogy--the other two books will by on RFK and MLK.

[Fuddnik]

13. Maybe Jesse Helms is haunting the White House.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Late report byCNN

There is already a post on this in GD from yesterday and another today in GD Pres.

For full transcript in English search "Granma" Cuban Media.

[lebkuchen]

8. If the US could raise its literacy rate to that of Cuba

our presidents wouldn't be so stupid.

[Fuddnik]

14. Or our voters.

[BlueStater]

15. Good grief. Just die already, you fossil. N/T

[saras]

17. He hasn't conducted any mass slaughter, which sets him above everyone America's supported in S. Am.

I'm sure there's an exception, at least one. Someone will mention it.


Nor is it Castro's job to think about the entirety of Obama's mission or opposition. He's just referring to America's treatment of Cuba, and Obama's continuation of longstanding policy.

It's a stupid, evil policy. It always was. Every president who continued or contributed to it was partially responsible.

Fixing it is just one thing Obama didn't do, whether because of Republican opposition and Tea Party insanity or because it wasn't high enough on his agenda or because he supports it more than opposes it - who knows?

In practice, our policy is only changing to the extent that they can figure out how to make the changes support capitalism and its invasion there. So yeah, I imagine that Obama is rather a disappointment to Castro, too, after fifty years of it.

If there were a bunch of Americans trying to figure out how Cuba did so well with so little, and how to scale it up to America, and factor in the vastly large resource base America has, I could see getting really excited about it. But no, it seems more like we want Cuba to adopt its old role as a mob playpen again.

Typical of CNN, there's no context whatsoever. Just "he lashed out...".

[joshcryer]

19. Angola

Read up on history, Castro has no moral legitimacy. Angola is a direct comparison to Libya. Except Libya ended sooner with 20k less lives lost.

[naaman fletcher]

20. actually, castro sent troops to help th Derg in eithiopia..

you know, the same guys who starved millions of people to death.

[Zorro]

21. Yes I remember those events well

However, because there isn't as much information available on the internet about that particular involvement (as compared to the Cuban engagement in Angola), there will be plenty of people who will dismiss it as inconsequential or an exaggeration.

[joshcryer]

22. You can find info about the Ogaden War, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Angola.

The Ogaden War wasn't necessarily a war internal occupation / regime change, unlike Angola.

[Zorro]

23. The Cubans also provided economic advisors

who worked to transform Ethiopian agrarian society into one more closely aligned with the Soviet agricultural model.

This systemic change actually exacerbated the effects of the mid-80s famine and contributed to thousands of deaths by starvation.

[CJvR]

24. Well inFidel...

...the sooner you die the sooner the US-Cuban relations can improve.

[Bacchus39]

25. indeed n/t

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