Castro Said to Have Terminal Cancer

I've had similar thoughts Finn. Castro could have been great if he had followed what was originally preached, instead he became a fascist thug at the heel of the USSR. I hope better things are ahead for Cuba.

The revolution will not die.

Castro does not have cancer and is in good spirits, says surgeon


Dale Fuchs in Madrid
Wednesday December 27, 2006
The Guardian


A Spanish surgeon has curbed months of speculation on the health of Fidel Castro, announcing yesterday the Cuban leader does not have cancer and is in "fantastic" spirits as he slowly recovers from surgery.
At the request of Havana, Madrid surgeon José Luis García Sabrido travelled to Cuba last week to examine the 80-year-old leader, who has not been seen in public since July, when emergency surgery for intestinal bleeding forced him to temporarily cede power to his brother, Raúl.
Mr Castro's condition has since remained a state secret, fuelling rumours that he was dying - as well as much speculation about the future of post-Castro Cuba. The US intelligence chief, John Negroponte, told the Washington Post recently that Mr Castro would die within a few months.
"Without breaching confidentiality, I can tell you that President Castro does not suffer any malignancy," García Sabrido, a specialist in gastrointestinal cancer, told a press conference in Madrid upon his return. "It is a benign condition that has had a series of complications."

Dr García Sabrido added that Castro's mental health was "excellent" as he recovered "slowly but steadily" from the intestinal bleeding. "His intellectual activity is intact - I'd say fantastic - given the recovery from the previous surgery. He asks to return to work every day, but the doctors order rest."

Cuban officials have repeatedly denied rumours Mr Castro had a terminal illness such as stomach cancer, and they have maintained he would eventually return to public life. But his conspicuous absence from the limelight - including his 80th birthday celebration - have undercut those assurances. The most recent televised images, from October, depicted Mr Castro as a frail, elderly man, shuffling about his room, leafing through Granma.

The Castro check-up has ignited controversy in Spain as to whether it is proper for Dr García Sabrido, chief surgeon of a public hospital in Madrid, to treat an ailing dictator.

"Dictators and criminals have human rights," said Gustavo de Artístegui, a spokesman on foreign affairs for the conservative Popular Party, defending the unusual Cuban house call. According to a poll by the radio station Cadena Ser, the majority of Spaniards agree.

The conservative regional government of Madrid said it had been sending Mr Castro medicine and other supplies for the past five months at the request of the Cuban government.

"We give humanitarian aid to everyone who asks for it, but it is regrettable that this request comes from a dictator," said the head of the regional government, Esperanza Aguirre.

i guess politicians just don't like giving up power .
while there seem to be plenty of things in american politics that make me uneasy , the rule that presidents can serve no more than two terms is one that i find very laudable .
i think the united nations should pass a rule making it mandatory for heads of state - and similar office holders - to retire after eight years - maximum !
i foresee a great deal of turmoil in cuba when castro eventually goes - one way or the other .
the smart thing would be to go NOW !
hbg