Fidel Castro has more reason than most to believe conspiracy theories involving dark forces in Washington. After all, the CIA tried to blow his head off with an exploding cigar.
But the ageing Cuban revolutionary may have gone too far for all but the most ardent believer in the reach and competence of America's intelligence agency. He has claimed that Osama bin Laden is in the pay of the CIA and that President George Bush summoned up the al-Qaida leader whenever he needed to increase the fear quotient. The former Cuban president said he knows it because he has read WikiLeaks.
The linked article drops all the right words: conspiracy theory, fringe, paranoia, and the more academic support articles debunk away with the ever popular apophenia, catharsis and anti-social personality disorder. All well and good, buuuuut we're also aware of how having a handy-dandy boogie man cut a number of pointed questions off at the pass. It was so sweet of ole boogie to drop his jeremiads in lockstep with the political newscycle.
The sad part, in my opinion, is that we've become so inured to being lied to, that nobody really gives a darn either way. Expecting politicians to lie, assuming a coercion engineer behind every spin cycle, and substituting a boogie simulacra for a messy reality has been re-christened political sophistication. Asking for better from the powers that be qualifies you as a naif. Pity, but you paid your nickle, enjoy the show.
A brief reflection, after I pushed the publish button, made me realize I had left a mispercision in the text. The word I used was re-christen. Even a superficial familiarity with the classics, Thucydides - Machiavelli - Sun Tsu - Bilhana - Gibbons, show that reality based politics is a tried and true tool for gaining and wielding power. Putting a digital gloss on old-dog shenanigans doesn't warrant a new term. A plain vanilla caveat emptor would suffice.
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