Castro Backtracks on Statement - Updated

Almost immediately after voicing that communism doesn't work, Fidel Castro made a statement indicating that he was misinterpreted regarding Cuba's economic model.

Speaking Friday in Havana, Mr. Castro said he meant "the exact opposite" of the quote contained in an Internet posting by Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic magazine.

Didn't take long, eh?

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Castro: Communism Doesn't Work
[Previous 9/9/10 post]
(Havana, Cuba) In an interview with Jeff Goldberg for The Atlantic magazine, Fidel Castro called on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to cool his rhetoric toward the Jews.

Castro reportedly said "the Iranian government must understand the consequences of anti-Semitic theology" while urging Ahmadinejad "to abandon Holocaust denial and refrain from slandering Jews."

The reporter asked him if he would be prepared to say that to the Iranian president and Castro responded: “I am saying this so you can communicate it.”

So, Fidel is sending a message to Mahmoud to quit picking on the Jews.

Meanwhile, Castro took the opportunity to tell Israel that its security would only be possible when it "renounces its nuclear arsenal." Security through disarmament, eh? You'll only be safe when you have no weapons. He asserted the same for other nations also.

And, there's more. Castro also said that communism doesn't work.

That Cuba's economy is flailing is no state secret. Fidel's brother, Cuban President Raul Castro, has repeatedly said that the communist economic model is badly frayed and in need of reform.

He has told Cubans to work harder and expect less from the state, which controls more than 90 percent of the economy. But the Castros have also insisted they have no desire to embrace capitalism.

Still, Fidel's candor caught many by surprise.

Former Brit Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had it right when she said socialism/communism will work until you run out of other people's money. For decades, Castro was propped up by massive infusions of foreign aid from the USSR but that's gone now as Cuba trends toward abject national poverty.

Regarding Castro calling out Ahmadinejad, there will probably be a response, given the sensitive nature of Mahmoud. Expect a blast of words from the Iranian President.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.