Cuba's Future

“WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. should have assistance in Cuba within weeks of President Fidel Castro's death to support a transitional government and help move the country toward democracy, a government report recommends.

President Bush created the commission in 2003 to "help hasten and ease Cuba's democratic transition," according to its Web site.”

In theory, this transition should be a slam dunk. But knowing the Bush administration, they will find a heavy-handed way to screw it up and turn the Cubans against them.

Saddam was a nasty dictator, and most Iraqis, I believe, were happy to see him gone. And yet the Bush League, with their simpled-minded assumptions, failed miserably in planning for Iraq’s future after Saddam. Why should we expect them to be any smarter on this side of the world?

This plan seems to call for slow transition and assistance over two years or more. Do they really expect the nuts in Florida to wait that long? They’ll be screaming for immediate regime change. And total meddling in Cuba's internal affairs.

Assuming this happens between now and 2008, an American election could be at stake. I predict a mess.