Red Slip? Baby

Well, sort of. After starting the coffeemaker and giving politk baby his milk and graham cracker, I flipped on the news, primarily to see if the weather would be bearable to go outside, but also to see how Wisconsin was gearing up today. And there in front of me, for all to see was the announcement that Fidel Castro was officially stepping down. Wow! Wowwy, Wow, Wow.

To say that I was surprised is a bit of an understatement. I have always found Cuba, Castro and the Cuban embargo very interesting, in fact my Master's thesis was a comparison of Reagan, Bush I and the Clinton administration's policies against Cuba and their implantation or lack there of the Cuban embargo. Through the process, I was able to meet with several people who worked on Cuba specifically in each administration along with many policy analysts to get their take on Cuba, Castro, and the next step for Cuba after Castro. The one thing that surprises me is that Castro is still alive, or at least that is what we are led to believe, and has stepped down. This was something that wasn't even an option for anyone I spoke to during my research. This is a man who has out lasted 10 US Presidents, the fall of the Soviet Union, many many assassination attempts, and his illness for the past year. Everyone, even myself, thought the end of Castro as Commandant of Cuba would end with his death, but should anything that Castro does surprise you.

Now, let’s see what Raul can do, as the official “heir” to Cuba and how he will continue the Castro reign in Cuba. My wager is, until his brother dies he will stay with the status quo, then all bets are off!