Castro had a bit of surgery, and has had to turn power over to his brother in the interim. Ye Olde AP has written a glowing piece on him, rife with verbage that portrays him in a beneficent light. All that is missing is the recomendation to hold candlelight vigils and, well, they cannot pray, so at least hope for the best
Little was known of Fidel Castro's condition Tuesday after he underwent an operation and temporarily turned over the Cuban presidency to his brother Raul, ushering in a period of uncertainty at home and celebrations by his enemies abroad.
The surprise announcement that Castro had been operated on to repair a "sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding" stunned Cubans on the island and in exile, and marked the first time that Castro, two weeks away from 80th birthday, had relinquished power in 47 years of absolute rule.
"The operation obligates me to undertake several weeks of rest," Castro's letter read. Extreme stress "had provoked in me a sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding that obligated me to undergo a complicated surgical procedure."
Sounds typical of the chain of succession in the Soviet Union and other Socialist paradises.
But people celebrated the son of a prosperous plantation owner across Cuba and South Florida, and the other darling of the Left, Hugo Chavez, wished Castro the best.
