Castro Failing

Fidel's days may definitely be numbered.

Reuters:

Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in serious condition after a series of three failed operations on his large intestine for diverticulitis, or inflamed bulge in the intestine, complicated by infection, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Monday.

Castro, who has not been seen in public since last July and whose illness is being treated as a state secret, suffered a serious infection that worsened to peritonitis, the newspaper's Tuesday edition said, citing two medical sources at the Madrid hospital where a surgeon who visited Castro works. The report was posted on the newspaper's Web site on Monday.

The 80-year-old revolutionary's prognosis is "very serious" and he is being fed intravenously, the paper said.

If Castro dies, don't get too excited about big changes in Cuba. Castro's brother Raul has been standing in his place and is widely assumed to take over when Fidel dies. Raul Castro has made overtures to the US, but has been rebuffed (a sign that Raul is already the de facto head). It's likely that Raul, like Fidel, is a true believer in the marxist cause.