Fidel the Blogger

Maria Ospina, writing in the Daily Beast

Excerpts:

Raúl may be officially in charge. But his brother still makes more noise—posting furiously about the Wall Street meltdown, sports, and his soft spot for Obama’s kids.

As Wall Street was melting down last week, Fidel Castro was busy blogging.

On an island where Internet access is heavily monitored, Castro is Cuba’s only unrestricted blogger. He uses his new cyber perch to dispel rumors about his ailing health and share his views on everything from the conflict in Georgia to Eurocup soccer final. Since his blog is picked by every major Cuban newspaper, Fidel’s voice still manages to overshadow his younger brother Raul, even from retirement.

Never a big fan of capitalism, the financial meltdown has triggered a flurry of self-satisfied blog entries by Castro. At least Cuba’s leaders are not “going crazy searching for solutions amidst depression, inflation, market collapse and unemployment,” he wrote in a post.

The U.S. elections have been another frequent topic on the blog, and Comrade Fidel has been especially tough on John McCain, who he finds arrogant. “More than 2,400 years ago, Socrates wrote…. ‘I only know that I know nothing,’” Castro wrote. “Today, McCain tells his fellow countrymen: 'I only know that I know everything.'"

Castro has been easier on Obama. Though he quibbled with Obama’s foreign policy in a blog entry, he qualified his criticism by adding “I am not questioning Obama’s great intelligence, his debating skills or his work ethic. He is a talented orator and is ahead of his rivals in the electoral race.”

He also has a soft spot for Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha. “I feel sympathy for his wife and little girls, who accompany him and give him encouragement every Tuesday. It is indeed a touching human spectacle.”