Is The Beard Dead?

The Cuban propaganda machine (or as we often call it "CNN") is assuring the world that dictator and "president" Fidel Castro is recovering nicely following "surgery" to stop "internal bleeding." Meanwhile, his brother and fellow gay-hater Raul is in charge.

Cuban President Fidel Castro's recuperation "is advancing positively," Venezuela's government said Tuesday, citing Cuban authorities a day after the communist leader temporarily handed power to his brother due to intestinal surgery.

Cuban television reported the handover Monday night, the first time Castro has ceded control of the island nation in 47 years. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is a close ally of Castro's.

The Cuban leader's secretary, Carlos Valenciaga, read a letter Monday night that he said was from the president announcing the news. In it, the Cuban leader said that stress had forced him into surgery and that he would be in bed for several weeks after the operation.

"The first time Castro has ceded control" ... that should tell us all we need to know. Through several health trials over the years, Fidel has never taken such a step. This leads me (as well as others) to believe he is either dead -- or in his last hours.

Many Cuban expatriates in Miami believe that, as in the Old Soviet Union, the announcement of sudden illness and immediate surgery for the 79 year old Cuban dictator is a cover story to prepare the population -- and the military -- for his passing. Its purpose is to give Fidel's brother, Raul, time to consolidate his position as the next leader of communist Cuba and ensure a smooth transition of power.

That belief was typified by 34 year old Isabel Aguero Kling. "They are preparing to tell the people slowly," she said.

Arturo Cobo, a Cuban exile activist, said it seemed strange that the secretive Cuban government had disclosed Castro's operation.

"Either he is dead or this is an elaborate practice for the Cuban government to test the reaction of its military, its ministry, its people and the American government," Cobo said.

Some are questioning the signature on the transfer of dictatorship document.

Babalu asks: "Does that even look like castro's chicken scratch signature?"

Here's an old autographed photo from 1976 for comparison. Close. I'm sure someone on the CIA desk is already on this. Would someone who is almost 80 still have such a strong signature -- and one so close to his signature of 30 years ago?

Check out Babalu's blog for all-Castro, all-day. The Miami Herald is also a good source for updates, including last night's celebrations in South Florida.

Minutes after the announcement from Havana, news spread like electronic wildfire, with countless hands reaching simultaneously for telephones and television remotes. Nostalgia clashed with disbelief in an electrified Miami.

''We just wish [Castro] a slow and painful death,'' said Lourdes Cambo, outside Versailles restaurant in Little Havana.

Amen to that. Bastard.