Associated With Whom?

The Associated Press was still waiting for the results of the Cuba’s election to come in on Monday although they were willing to go out on a limb and proclaim yet another electoral triumph for the Cuban totalitarian, Fidel Castro Ruz:

As results came in Monday, there was no doubt that voters in Castro's home district had re-elected him to the National Assembly, where he must hold a seat to be eligible to stay on as chief of the island's governing body, the Council of State.

Anita Snow, the AP correspondent in Cuba, also informs us this morning that it appears that all of the 614 unopposed “candidates” appear to be headed for a landslide win after “a preliminary tally”:

They were voting for 614 candidates, all of whom ran unopposed for the rubber-stamp parliament, and all of whom were elected, according to a preliminary tally released Monday

Interestingly, Ms. Snow describes the newly elected “legislators” as a rubber-stamp parliament. This seems to contradict the premise of the story which is that Castro’s future is in the hands of the newly “elected” rubber-stampers. But if they’re rubber-stampers, that would mean that they just rubber-stamp Castro’s decisions.. Hmm..let’s see..I get confused when I try to understand the complex machinations of Cuban style “democracy”, But the AP tries to clear it up for me:

Cuba maintains that its balloting is more democratic than that of other countries because the candidates are chosen by municipal leaders nominated at neighborhood gatherings.

Critics say the elections do not provide an opportunity for Cubans to decide how and by whom they will be governed.

Critics. Ahh..those pesky critics. Always digging and asking questions and trying to get to the truth and expose it. You know, like the Press should, whether it’s Associated or not.

Oh and one more thing… who is it associated with anyway? Never mind, I’m just a critic.