Castro Resigns! Sanctions Work!

In a letter published in Cuba's state-run newspaper Granma Fidel Castro announced that he is resigning as President of Cuba, finally succumbing to the sanctions that have crippled Cuba's economy and steadily weakened his rule for the last 50 years. Although Castro tried to save face by claiming that he was quitting because of his "critical health condition," it is clear that half a century of U.S. pressure has just worn him down. Like Roberto Duran after being pummeled in his second fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, Castro has finally cried out, "No más!"

Let this be a lesson to other dictators around the world, from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran to Kim Jong-il in North Korea, that the United States is a very patient country and if it takes us 50 years to get them out of power, we will not waver. In fact, as John McCain as made it clear to the insurgents in Iraq, we don't mind sticking around there for a 100 years if it takes that long.

All of those liberals who complained that sanctions were not working and said Castro was thumbing his nose at the United States should apologize to the ten Presidents who have methodically plotted Castro's downfall since 1959 now that Castro has finally said, "Tio." While it may have appeared to some that Castro emerged unscathed from the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 638 attempts by the CIA to assassinate him using poison cigars and exploding, mollusks, the embargo, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Mariel Boat Lift, which deprived the country of some of its finest criminals and mental patients, we can now see that each of these incidents chipped away at Castro's power little by little until he had no choice but to surrender.

And let us not forget the hard work of the Cuban exiles in Florida, who resolutely resisted any "reasonable" approach to loosening Castro's grip on power, for all of the hard work they have done in finally forcing him to resign. The pressure they exerted on every Presidential candidate who hoped to win Florida's electoral votes to keep sanctions in place made it unlikely that any President would change the policy without suffering the consequences as Al Gore learned to his dismay. And they stuck to their principles despite the great pain it must have caused them to amass great wealth for themselves while their countrymen in Cuba wallowed in wretched poverty. Finally, their sacrifice has been vindicated.

Unfortunately, the Cuban people won't be able to trade in their classic American cars for shiny new gas-guzzling SUVs just yet. Certainly, no Presidential candidate will dare angering the Cuba lobby and risk those precious Florida votes just yet, at least not while Castro is still breathing. No one wants to do anything that will raise the standard of living for average Cubans and allow Castro to claim credit. Although Barack Obama has hinted that he might consider lifting the travel ban to Cuba and Hillary Clinton has promised a "full policy review" if the situation changed there, I'm sure they will be convinced by their Florida campaign advisors that now is not the time to back away when Castro is on the ropes. His brother Raul is only 76 and who knows what other tricks Castro has up his sleeve? What if he lives another 80 years? And even if Castro dies, we still may need to maintain the embargo. What if Castro has his body cryogenically frozen in hopes of making a comeback and returning to lead Cuba again? We may need to maintain sanctions another 50 years or even 100 years just to make sure he is really dead. So the Cuban people will just have to be patient and endure their poverty a little longer. It may take ten more Presidents before we can say "Hasta la vista, Castro!" with certainty but ultimately the U.S. will be victorious.

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