Castro Says Arrest of Posada Two Months After Arrival in U.S. Was a 'farce

[cal04]

Castro Says Arrest of Posada Two Months After Arrival in U.S. Was a 'farce'
Fidel Castro said Wednesday the arrest of his old nemesis Luis Posada Carriles two months after his arrival in the United States was a "farce," a face-saving move the U.S. government was finally forced to make after Posada's presence became an embarrassment.

Speaking on a nightly current events show on state TV, Castro said it was impossible for U.S. President George W. Bush's administration to be unaware for so long that Posada, sought in Venezuela for retrial in a deadly plane bombing, was in Miami.

"What has occurred is a big farce, a big lie, an attempt to escape from a difficult situation," the president said of the Tuesday arrest of Posada, a Cuban born militant who has spent much of his life trying to topple Castro and his communist government. The Cuban leader also expressed doubt that his old foe would be returned to Venezuela, which is seeking Posada's extradition, to be retried in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner off the coast of Barbados, killing all 73 people aboard.

"The goal of the United States government is to protect him, to keep protecting him and prevent (him) from going to court," said Castro, who for several weeks had repeatedly decried Posada's presence in Miami and what he said was the U.S. government's failure to arrest him - or even acknowledge he was there.
"They cannot continue to deceive the American people," Castro said of the Bush administration. "They have to say how (Posada) entered" the country, he added. "They have to explain to the American people." Along with the airliner bombing, Posada has been linked to a series of 1997 bombings of hotels and other tourist locales in Cuba, one of which killed an Italian tourist.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBALERBW8E.html

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. well of course they knew he was here, he had to clear the USSS

list to go visit his old friends up in Kennebunkport.

OBL, Prince Bandar and GHWB needed a 4th for bridge.

[Straight Shooter]

2. Figuring out Posada's relationship to the bushes is not rocket science.

People can remain willfully ignorant of the facts and dismiss Fidel as an agitator against bush. The problem is, he is speaking the absolute truth. It is a farce.

I'm waiting to see how bush extricates his buddy from the mess he's in.

[Mika]

3. The Roundable show in Cuba is great.

Mr Castro is a semi regular guest on the show, and he takes questions from the live audience and takes calls from across Cuba. Vey direct questions too. Some are confrontational and critical of Cuban policy, local and foreign, and if they don't act like Freepers they get real responses. Kinda reminds me of Mr Chavez's call-in shows in Venezuela - Ask the President - and the BBC call-in shows with the PM and other elected officials. I have seen many Rountable shows in Cuba.

It is the Cuban equavalent of DU on TV.