Right On The Right

John McCain's vast foreign policy experience has become his major way of launching assaults on Barack Obama. He schooled Obama on US-Iran relations and now a GOP ad is going after Obama for wanting to negotiate with Cuba. If only both of them would get tougher with the Communist Chinese...

Cuba's Under-23 national soccer team has lost a few members recently, showing that Cuba's sports teams still face a unique problem, defections. Back in 1996, two Cuban boxers defected to the United States. The newest case as I mentioned, is with Cuba's soccer team. The Miami Herald reports:

Five members of the Cuban Under-23 national soccer team defected to the United States after an Olympic qualifier earlier this week, and two more players have reportedly left the team.

Cuba tied the U.S., 1-1, on Tuesday in its first Olympic qualifier and five of the players left the team afterward.

Although the players have not officially been identified, Jose Manuel Miranda, Erlys Garcia Baro, Yenier Bermudez, Yordany Alvarez and Loanni Prieto were not at practice Wednesday.

ESPN also reported that Yendry Diaz and Eder Roldan had left the team.

ESPN's article includes some more information, including some information about our "Wet Foot, Dry Foot" policy. Essentially, because they are Cuban nationals in the United States, they can pursue asylum and eventually citizenship. If the men do not return to the Cuban team, they may be forced to forfeit one or more of their upcoming matches. Communism punishes productivity and skill, so it's no surprise that these men wanted out.

The big news today is that Fidel Castro is going to resign from his post at the top of the Cuban Government by not pursuing another term. Unfortunately, this is only a small step towards Cuban Democracy because he's likely going to be replaced by his brother Raul. Still, this is a step, and the Cuban community in the United States is rather celebratory today. Yahoo has the news:

HAVANA - Fidel Castro, ailing and 81, announced Tuesday he was resigning as Cuba's president, ending a half-century of autocratic rule which made him a communist icon and a relentless opponent of U.S. policy around the globe.

The end of Castro's rule — the longest in the world for a head of government — frees his 76-year-old brother Raul Castro to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel fell ill in July 2006.

President Bush said he hopes the resignation signals the beginning of a democratic transition, though he doubts that would come about under the rule of another Castro. The State Department denigrated the change as a "transfer of authority and power from dictator to dictator light."

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. The State Department is absolutely right on this issue, and it's going to take some serious pressure for any real change to be made. The blockade on Cuban goods remains, as it should, and now we wait for Raul to make changes, or better, for him and his brother to die.

The backstory for this little feud, via FOX News. I have to say, this is pretty interesting for a potential '08 candidate:

WASHINGTON — TV star and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson declined Tuesday to meet with Michael Moore, suggesting the filmmaker instead might want to check himself into a mental hospital after Moore challenged Thompson to a one-on-one debate on health care.

The response follows a letter by Moore in which he scolded the Law & Order actor. Noting Thompson's fondness for Cuban cigars, Moore wrote that Thompson is in no position to criticize Moore for traveling to Cuba with several ailing Sept. 11 emergency responders to make the argument that Cuba's health care system is superior to the United States'.

Now, Thompson isn't about to demean himself by giving credence to Moore's idiocy by actually wasting his time on him. Instead, Thompson has responded in his favorite forum, online, and it's awesome:

I have to say, that if Thompson continues this type of confrontation and thorough smackdown of liberalism, he has a good chance of energizing the base and making the '08 elections interesting. I love it.