Failed leader Castro calls it quits

When Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959, after his forces overthrew the corrupt regime of Fulgencio Batista, Cuba had one of the highest standards of living in the western hemisphere. Now it is next to last in the New World, only sad Haiti is poorer.

One man is responsible: Castro

Via a letter run on state-run Cuban television (there are no private broadcast outlets on the island), Castro announced that he will not accept another term as president, citing poor health. He's gone on Sunday, but his brother Raul is expected to succeed him.

Here is an unfortunate legacy of Castro's 49 years at the helm: Like his Argentine murderer pal Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Castro will remain an iconic hero to the loony left. These same people, who rail about "Bushhitler," have selective memories--they never speak out against the many political prisoners incarerated in Castro's "worker's paradise."

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