Cuba

The Cuban state paper Granma has a message from Fidel and some photos. He looks quite chipper, really, for an 80 year old who recently had major intestinal surgery. Much of the message defended all the secrecy, though without really giving any reasons for it:

We should all understand that it is not convenient to systematically offer information, or to provide images of my health process.

Meanwhile, The New Republic has an article claiming that the Bush administration’s policy toward Cuba is more moderate than it appears. My impression, though, is that the article offers little evidence for it. Rather, it seems a call for moderation rather than proof that moderation already exists. It would take more to convince me that the U.S. government doesn’t plan to get deeply involved in a transition.