Toady brother Raul Castro assumes presidency.

I’ve been watching the Republican Univision debate broadcast from Miami — centro del universo anti-Castro — and he just went there:

We talked to Stalin, Kruschev, and Mao. We’ve talked to the whole world. Actually I believe we’re at a time where we ought to talk to Cuba, open travel with Cuba, trade with Cuba. We create the Castro’s and the [Hugo] Chavez’s of this world by interfering and creating chaos in their countries, and they respond by throwing out their leaders.*

Needless to say he was almost booed out of the building for this Bullworth moment.

The look on John McCain’s face during a cut-away — clenching his jaw to fight back the giggles — was absolutely priceless.

UPDATE: Here’s the clip…

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*The quote’s not quite exact as I’m having to re-translate the voiceover translation that is drowning out the original English answers.

Marc Cooper, has a poetic post about the meaning of Castro’s “monarchic” plan for succession. Go read the whole thing, especially Marc’s tale of beating up Raul’s translator in Santiago in the ’70s. It’s a great read, and as ever some of the best writing in the blogosphere. Here’s a taste:

After a half-century of supposed socialist transformation, after churning out millions of “new socialist men” (and women) there isn’t a single other Cuban who is capable of leading his country? Only Fidel’s brother? That’s quite a striking coincidence, wouldn’t you say?

Snapping into the apple was an exhilirating, liberating experience when a bearded young idealist promised freedom, equality and a new way of life. But how very sour the aftertaste has, indeed, become.

It’s one helluva of a Hobson’s Choice with which the Cubans are now about to be faced: or the heirs of Bautista in Miami. Or the reptilian Stalinist Raul taking over for his agonizing brother. Pobre Cuba.