Fidel Castro has resigned as Cuba's President, turning the position over to his brother Raul.

Here's what President Bush said about it:

The international community should work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions that are necessary for democracy. Eventually, this transition ought to lead to free and fair elections - and I mean free, and I mean fair - not these kind of staged elections that the Castro brothers try to foist off as true democracy. [If Cuba remains much the same], political prisoners will rot in prison and the human condition will remain pathetic in many cases.

Unless he knows something we don't know (and that's entirely possible, of course), I would think this is a giant missed opportunity. Why not invite Raul Castro to Washington, DC on his very first day in office, and then get him in a private meeting and explain to him the untold benefits (financial and otherwise) of forging a strong and lasting alliance with the United States. If he demurs, we're no worse off than we were, except now we have the moral high ground. If not, Americans instantly have better cigars and a new vacation hotspot in the Carribean.

Peter Kornbluh, senior analyst at George Washington University's National Security Archive, believes the next U.S. President will probably take this kind of tack, but "the current U.S. president is unlikely to make any changes in a hostile position towards Cuba." He doesn't say why, but I think if history has taught us anything about George W. Bush, it's that he really doesn't like to change his mind...