Fidel Castro resigns as Cuba's president

[Canuck_Buck]

HAVANA - An ailing, 81-year-old Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba's president Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he will not accept a new term when parliament meets Sunday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080219/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/fidel_castro

The end of Castro's rule "” the longest in the world for a head of government "” frees his 76-year-old brother Raul to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel Castro fell ill in July 2006. President Bush said he hopes the resignation signals the beginning of a democratic transition.

.....soon the USA will be able to exploit ( errr I mean enjoy ) the beaches of Cuba again...!

[Lanse couche couche]

Raul will probably just do the same old thing. But expect a lot of change once he heads off to that big sugarcane field in the sky. I would count on trips to havana to hit the casinos in 15 to 20 years. Not gonna be fun for the America sugar planters.

[shepdogwv]

man, I'd kinda like to hit Cuba up before all of the U.S. people get there. I mean what's a 50,000 fine on top of all of my college loans!!!! haha

[Canuck_Buck]

you'd have to fly up to canada first then use the buddy system...cuban customs will stamp your passport with a grin.

[shepdogwv]

haha, that's the problem, I don't want my passport stamped......I guess I could hurry up and drive up there to the airport before we have to have passports to drive back into the U.S. Then I can just say I lost mine and get a new one.