This Couldn't Happen To A "Nicer" Guy...
I wouldn't normally comment on something like this, but there's a certain level of personal comedy I get from a story like this. I'm not to trusting of the CIA right now. They do have a problem with leaking information right now, but in this case, I'll make an exception.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-11-17T013356Z_01_MCC676343_RTRUKOC_0_US-CUBA-USA-CASTRO.xml
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA has concluded that Cuban President Fidel Castro suffers from Parkinson's disease and could have difficulty coping with the duties of office as his condition worsens, an official said on Wednesday.
The assessment, completed in recent months, suggests the nonfatal but debilitating disease has progressed far enough to warrant questions among U.S. policymakers about the communist country's future in the next several years.
"The assessment is that he has the disease and that his condition has progressed. There appear to be more outward signs," said an official who is familiar with the assessment.
Bush administration officials and members of Congress have already been briefed on the findings about Castro. The Cuban leader, 79, has been in power on the island of 11 million people since leading a 1959 revolution and has long been at ideological odds with Washington.
But U.S. diplomats played down the significance of any CIA assessment and said they were not using such intelligence to make policy decisions about Castro or Cuba.
"Do we see him losing his grip over the country? No," said a State Department official, who asked not to be named because he was discussing intelligence conclusions. "We are not in any way adapting how we plan for the day Castro is gone based on an assessment that he might have Parkinson's."
No, but the administration should keep an eye ont his as the situation develops. Castro's been a thorn in our backside for quite some time. The moment the Russians put nuclear missiles in Cuba, Washington started wetting it's pants. JFK did a decent job handling that crisis, even though he did take us dangerously close to a nuclear war. But for awhile, Castro has been a moderate problem. The majority of the problems have arisen over those allowed to come to his island nation (celebrities) who come home, and extol the values of his socialist system. Sean Penn, Danny Glover, and a host of others claim that Cuba is an island paradise.
Of course. These people don't get to see what he's doing to his people. His people are afraid to speak out for fear that Castro would retaliate. Why are people fleeing his nation on any chance they might get? If it's such a paradise, why are they leaving? The answer to both is simple: Cuba isn't an island paradise if you're living there.
The CIA based its assessment on a variety of evidence, including observations of Castro's public appearances and the opinions of doctors employed by the espionage agency.
"If the assessment is correct, you could expect there to be effects on his ability to come to grips with fresh challenges over the next several years," said the U.S. official who has seen the CIA report. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the document is classified.
And here's where I cringe. On the heels of so many other secrets being spilled, this didn't necessarily need to come out. We've known that Castro's not a spring chicken anymore, and that he might be close to finally kicking the bucket. However, to know that this is "classified" material doesn't help the revelation of this news. There's a reason why this information is classified.
I'm beginning to wonder if the CIA or the Left understand what the word "classified" really means. To me, it means you keep your yaps shut about things clarified as classified. We're not supposed to know. The WORLD isn't supposed to know. In a world of 24 hour a day, as close to current news coverage as can be accomplished, the world will learn quickly about information like this, or the CIA prisons, or the CIA airlift system for moving detainees, or the name of a not-covert covert CIA agent. Honestly, ladies and gentlemen, the world doesn't need to know this, and neither do we.
"It could have implications for the way Castro functions, and by natural course, the way the Cuban government functions," the official added.
HISTORY OF RUMORS
Cuban officials declined to comment on the CIA assessment. They insisted Castro was in good health when he failed to show up at a summit of Ibero-American leaders in Spain in October.
Castro has long been the subject of rumors of illnesses including Parkinson's, despite a generally strong physical constitution. Many of the reports up to now have come from the anti-communist Cuban American community in Florida.
Castro has dismissed them as the work of his enemies who wish to see him dead. In a recent television interview with Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona, Castro joked the rumors were so many that the day he died, nobody would believe it.
The Cuban leader's pace has slowed noticeably since tumbling to the floor after a speech a year ago. But his stamina appears unabated and he still gives long speeches.
Castro's brother Raul, head of the armed forces, has been designated as his successor and the Cuban leader has said that he expects Cuba's political system to outlive him.
Again, this information shouldn't be released. With the specifics given thus far, a revelation like this could cost us an intelligence asset. The Left, the media, and those opposed to the CIA, in general, they don't get what an intelligence asset is. It's the guy or girl on the ground, in the lion's den, or close to it, and they're feeding us the information they get. Burning one of ours, in a nation like Cuba, could cost them their lives.
"If it's true and he does have it, then it's still an open question anyway as to how much it might -- somewhere further in the future -- affect how he runs Cuba. So we would not use this kind of conclusion to inform our policymaking, anyway," the State Department official said of the CIA assessment.
Cuba and the United States have no diplomatic relations and Washington imposed an economic embargo on Havana 43 years ago.
Parkinson's is a chronic, irreversible disease that affects about 1 percent of people over the age of 65 worldwide. Among notable sufferers are actor Michael J. Fox, boxing legend Mohammad Ali and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.
The Miami Herald, which originally reported the CIA assessment on Wednesday, said Castro could be entering a period in which medicines are less effective and mental functions start to deteriorate.
Let me be frank with everyone. If Castro kicks the bucket, I'm not going to get all weepy. I'm popping open the bubbly.
But the newspaper said Cuba analysts fear the possibility of a tumultuous period during which an incapacitated Castro refuses to give up power but can no longer lead.
Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. I'm not looking forward to a possible civil war in Cuba, but depending on what happens will determine the immediate future of the island nation when it comes to relations with America. If someone other than Castro's cronies seize power in such an instance then there could be progress. If someone like Raul Castro takes power, or worse, we could be looking at a new phase of the war everyone thought was over. That would be the Cold War. Communism, ladies and gentlemen, is far from dead.
In October 2004 when Castro tripped and broke his left knee and right arm after a speech, he refused tranquilizers and general anesthetic during a three-hour operation, telling Cubans he was fully in command of government affairs.
He has dismissed reports of illnesses ranging from stroke and brain hemorrhage to heart attack and hypertensive encephalopathy.
I can only hope that he dies soon. This isn't like the Left's psycho death fetishes involving the president and other conservatives. Castro is an enemy of the United States. What's wrong with rooting for an enemy's death?
Publius II
I wouldn't normally comment on something like this, but there's a certain level of personal comedy I get from a story like this. I'm not to trusting of the CIA right now. They do have a problem with leaking information right now, but in this case, I'll make an exception.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-11-17T013356Z_01_MCC676343_RTRUKOC_0_US-CUBA-USA-CASTRO.xml
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA has concluded that Cuban President Fidel Castro suffers from Parkinson's disease and could have difficulty coping with the duties of office as his condition worsens, an official said on Wednesday.
The assessment, completed in recent months, suggests the nonfatal but debilitating disease has progressed far enough to warrant questions among U.S. policymakers about the communist country's future in the next several years.
"The assessment is that he has the disease and that his condition has progressed. There appear to be more outward signs," said an official who is familiar with the assessment.
Bush administration officials and members of Congress have already been briefed on the findings about Castro. The Cuban leader, 79, has been in power on the island of 11 million people since leading a 1959 revolution and has long been at ideological odds with Washington.
But U.S. diplomats played down the significance of any CIA assessment and said they were not using such intelligence to make policy decisions about Castro or Cuba.
"Do we see him losing his grip over the country? No," said a State Department official, who asked not to be named because he was discussing intelligence conclusions. "We are not in any way adapting how we plan for the day Castro is gone based on an assessment that he might have Parkinson's."
No, but the administration should keep an eye ont his as the situation develops. Castro's been a thorn in our backside for quite some time. The moment the Russians put nuclear missiles in Cuba, Washington started wetting it's pants. JFK did a decent job handling that crisis, even though he did take us dangerously close to a nuclear war. But for awhile, Castro has been a moderate problem. The majority of the problems have arisen over those allowed to come to his island nation (celebrities) who come home, and extol the values of his socialist system. Sean Penn, Danny Glover, and a host of others claim that Cuba is an island paradise.
Of course. These people don't get to see what he's doing to his people. His people are afraid to speak out for fear that Castro would retaliate. Why are people fleeing his nation on any chance they might get? If it's such a paradise, why are they leaving? The answer to both is simple: Cuba isn't an island paradise if you're living there.
The CIA based its assessment on a variety of evidence, including observations of Castro's public appearances and the opinions of doctors employed by the espionage agency.
"If the assessment is correct, you could expect there to be effects on his ability to come to grips with fresh challenges over the next several years," said the U.S. official who has seen the CIA report. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the document is classified.
And here's where I cringe. On the heels of so many other secrets being spilled, this didn't necessarily need to come out. We've known that Castro's not a spring chicken anymore, and that he might be close to finally kicking the bucket. However, to know that this is "classified" material doesn't help the revelation of this news. There's a reason why this information is classified.
I'm beginning to wonder if the CIA or the Left understand what the word "classified" really means. To me, it means you keep your yaps shut about things clarified as classified. We're not supposed to know. The WORLD isn't supposed to know. In a world of 24 hour a day, as close to current news coverage as can be accomplished, the world will learn quickly about information like this, or the CIA prisons, or the CIA airlift system for moving detainees, or the name of a not-covert covert CIA agent. Honestly, ladies and gentlemen, the world doesn't need to know this, and neither do we.
"It could have implications for the way Castro functions, and by natural course, the way the Cuban government functions," the official added.
HISTORY OF RUMORS
Cuban officials declined to comment on the CIA assessment. They insisted Castro was in good health when he failed to show up at a summit of Ibero-American leaders in Spain in October.
Castro has long been the subject of rumors of illnesses including Parkinson's, despite a generally strong physical constitution. Many of the reports up to now have come from the anti-communist Cuban American community in Florida.
Castro has dismissed them as the work of his enemies who wish to see him dead. In a recent television interview with Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona, Castro joked the rumors were so many that the day he died, nobody would believe it.
The Cuban leader's pace has slowed noticeably since tumbling to the floor after a speech a year ago. But his stamina appears unabated and he still gives long speeches.
Castro's brother Raul, head of the armed forces, has been designated as his successor and the Cuban leader has said that he expects Cuba's political system to outlive him.
Again, this information shouldn't be released. With the specifics given thus far, a revelation like this could cost us an intelligence asset. The Left, the media, and those opposed to the CIA, in general, they don't get what an intelligence asset is. It's the guy or girl on the ground, in the lion's den, or close to it, and they're feeding us the information they get. Burning one of ours, in a nation like Cuba, could cost them their lives.
"If it's true and he does have it, then it's still an open question anyway as to how much it might -- somewhere further in the future -- affect how he runs Cuba. So we would not use this kind of conclusion to inform our policymaking, anyway," the State Department official said of the CIA assessment.
Cuba and the United States have no diplomatic relations and Washington imposed an economic embargo on Havana 43 years ago.
Parkinson's is a chronic, irreversible disease that affects about 1 percent of people over the age of 65 worldwide. Among notable sufferers are actor Michael J. Fox, boxing legend Mohammad Ali and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.
The Miami Herald, which originally reported the CIA assessment on Wednesday, said Castro could be entering a period in which medicines are less effective and mental functions start to deteriorate.
Let me be frank with everyone. If Castro kicks the bucket, I'm not going to get all weepy. I'm popping open the bubbly.
But the newspaper said Cuba analysts fear the possibility of a tumultuous period during which an incapacitated Castro refuses to give up power but can no longer lead.
Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. I'm not looking forward to a possible civil war in Cuba, but depending on what happens will determine the immediate future of the island nation when it comes to relations with America. If someone other than Castro's cronies seize power in such an instance then there could be progress. If someone like Raul Castro takes power, or worse, we could be looking at a new phase of the war everyone thought was over. That would be the Cold War. Communism, ladies and gentlemen, is far from dead.
In October 2004 when Castro tripped and broke his left knee and right arm after a speech, he refused tranquilizers and general anesthetic during a three-hour operation, telling Cubans he was fully in command of government affairs.
He has dismissed reports of illnesses ranging from stroke and brain hemorrhage to heart attack and hypertensive encephalopathy.
I can only hope that he dies soon. This isn't like the Left's psycho death fetishes involving the president and other conservatives. Castro is an enemy of the United States. What's wrong with rooting for an enemy's death?
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 9:27 PM
1 Comments:
I agree with you. If the leak is intentional, I don't trust the CIA to handle a misinformation operation. The guy that bothers me is Chevez of Venezuela. Castro is his mentor and hero. I see that he has four neighboring countries in his camp. Rawriter
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