Fidel Castro wakes up for a few minutes - unfortunately

The American humorist Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) once said, "The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated." The same might apply to the Old Man in Havana.

Fidel Castro regularly pens a "Column" -- I use the term cautiously -- for the official government newspaper in town, Granma (named for a small vessel in which Castro, Che Guevara and fellow travelers sailed from Veracruz to Cuba in 1956, nearly losing their lives in the process). Castro's column is entitled "Reflections," and consists of his personal theories and opinions on just about everything under the sun. When he doesn't write something for awhile, inevitably rumors circulate that he has expired. That happened recently, since his last article was published July 3. But now the man who has managed to survive every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has once again stirred to life.

El Comandante waxes and wanes with minimal eloquence and in all directions in his latest posting -- very much his characteristic style. Or maybe I should say the style of whoever is responsible for drafting these occasional pieces. Fidel looks like his primary focus each day should be on another glass of Ensure, and not forgetting that all important Metamucil.

Castro mainly takes aim at Barack Obama, characterizing his address last week to the U.N. General Assembly (re: Palestine and Middle East affairs) a "monument to cynicism." Hey, wait a minute, aren't those exactly the same words Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez used when he arrived home in Caracas Thursday evening?! What a bizarre coincidence! Castro then segways over to Libya (really, despite his age the man is quite adept at such sidesteps), and calls the deposing of Muammar Gaddafi a "monstrous crime" and "genocide." Shall I continue?

Enough already. Back to bed, Jefe. Sweet dreams.

If you want to treat yourself to an example of the Great Leader's work, read here: http://www.granma.cu/espanol/reflexiones/26septiem-reflexiones.html