Fidel Castro steps down... and the day after we're done talking about it?

Yesterday Cuban dictator Fidel Castro stepped down as President of Cuba after nearly 50 years in power, citing poor health. His brother Raul will be replacing him, but at 77, my guess is that he won't be ruling as long as his brother.

It seems to me that this should be bigger news than it was. For the better part of five decades, the US has battled against Castro using everything from embargoes to covert assassination squads, and hadn't managed to get rid of him. Now he finally steps down, and our reaction? Not too much.

While I understand that Castro leaving power doesn't mean that Cuba will magically embrace Democracy, it's still a move in the right direction. And regardless of its implications on the world, I think it goes without saying that Castro's giving up power is a major historical event. Shouldn't there be pundits all over TV talking about the future of Cuba? Where's the retired Cold War politicians talking about how this is a great victory for the West? At the very least I'd hoped there'd be some coverage of the various Cuban communities here in the US, and their reaction to the news.

I first learned about Castro's stepping down when a friend of mine (who doesn't follow politics much) sent me a text message. She stated that even though she had no relation to anyone Cuban, she still felt that she should be having a party to celebrate. I couldn't agree more. Communism may not get the press that it once did, but it's still one of the world's greatest threats. The fall of another Communist leader, no matter how insignificant, is still grounds for celebration.