Raul Castro becomes Cuba's leader

AP on Yahoo ^ | 2/24/08 | AP

[NormsRevenge]

HAVANA — Nearly 50 years of rule by Fidel Castro ended in Cuba on Sunday as parliament chose his brother Raul to replace him — a transition that leaves the island's communist system unshaken.

The new president proposed consulting with the ailing 81-year-old Fidel on all major decisions of state, and parliament approved the proposal.

The vote came five days after Fidel said he was retiring, capping a career in which he frustrated efforts by 10 U.S. presidents to oust him.

The transition was not likely to bring a major shift in policies of the communist government that have put it at odds with the United States. But many Cubans were hoping it would open the door to modest economic reforms and improvement in their daily lives

[gondramB]

>>Good grief! Jay got Jerry Maren to play Raul, didn’t he? I love it<<

Jay also said this makes Raul the most powerful Socialist in the world.... outside of California.

[skr]

May the Cuban people know freedom and soon.

[NormsRevenge]

uncharismatic.. lol

looks like a young al pacino or donald sutherland behind fidel. ;-)

Raul Castro, left, stands next to his brother and then rebel leader Fidel Castro, bottom, and an unidentified fighter, as they operate against dictator Fulgencio Batista from Cuba's eastern mountains in this March 14, 1957 file photo. Fidel officially designated Raul as his successor at a Communist Party congress in October 1997. On Tuesday Feb. 19, Fidel Castro said he will not accept a new term when the newly elected parliament meets on Sunday. (AP Photo/Andrew St. George, File)

[NormsRevenge]

Time to get Cuba out of the 50s? we'll see.

A taxi driver picks up passengers in his classic antique car in Havana, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008. Cuba's communist government controls well over 90 percent of the island's economy, but acting President Raul Castro has raised expectations for tiny pockets of private initiative. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

[Truth29]

"Good grief! Jay got Jerry Maren to play Raul, didn't he? I love it<<

Jay also said this makes Raul the most powerful Socialist in the world.... outside of California."

Chavez is in the running, as well.

[G8 Diplomat]

The Castro dynasty in Cuba, the Bhutto dynasty in Pakistan, the Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia, and the Bush, Clinton, and Kennedy dynasties in the US...

[gondramB]

>>Jay also said this makes Raul the most powerful Socialist in the world.... outside of California.”

Chavez is in the running, as well.<<

Unfortunately Chavez is strong and getting worse... but why mess up a good joke?

[toddlintown]

Wow! I never saw that coming.

[2ndClassCitizen]

Death to Raoul-The-Red.

May he suffer for a lengthy period.

And the same to all his supporters at home and abroad.

[Nextrush]

Is he giving up military uniforms now.

We’ve gone from tweedledum to tweedledede.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Let actor and director Andy Garcia lead Cuba instead, and Cuba would truly be a better country for it! BTW, “The Lost City”, directed by Andy Garcia, is a good movie all about what happened to one family in Cuba both before Castro took over and after Castro took over if anybody hasn’t seen it yet.

[We Dare Defend Our Rights]

May Raul and his brother soon be swinging from a lamp post

[fweingart]

Upside down, ala Benito Mussolini.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

LOL!

[glock rocks]

woo.

Let’s kick it up now, Raul.

Isn’t this a lot like your older brother giving you his eighteen year old Dodge with a broken head gasket?

woo.

[katiedidit1]

Castro’s younger brother? ha ha ha ha ha and we are worried about McCain’s age?

[RightWhale]

Raul has a much better speaking voice than Fidel. Debates with Obama might at least sound mature and authoritative.

[Preston Manning]

Out with the old. It with the slightly less old.

[DPMD]

No debates? No caucuses? No primaries? No convention? No lobbyists? No Hollywood “get-togethers?” And a one-day campaign season, to boot.

And to top it all off, he’s probably a conservative in more ways than any of our candidates.

God does have a sense of humor.

[NormsRevenge]

I wish I had all the old cars my brother blew up when he was young and lead of foot, we had a little graveyard of 50ish cars ,, straight 6s , convertibles