Castro's friend

We've discussed Jimmy Carter's legacy of friendship and warm support for the world's dictators many times already, notably on Venezuela,  but a return to Carter's Cuba legacy may be an even worse experience, because of an unmistakable whiff of treason.
 
Where do we start? Remember Jimmy Carter's cabinet appointments? People like Andrew Young,  who hung out with the hate—America crowd over at the United Nations and denounced America and Israel with the gamiest dictators on earth? Carter had a lot of these rabid blame—America—firsters on his coattails, and some are more active than ever.
 
One is named Wayne Smith, who was appointed by Carter to head the first U.S. Cuba interest section in Havana in 1978. Carter never had the guts to establish diplomatic ties with El Barbudo, so this was the equivalent he went for some 25 years ago, and he found the perfect dictator's friend in Smith.
 
Now, since the controversy over the U.S. Mission in Havana's Christmas light display remembering Cuba's 75 imprisoned dissidents, a mainstream media reporter asked Wayne Smith a couple days ago what he thought of it. The Carter—man's response? That Cuba should retaliate by putting up pictures of U.S. prison abuses at Abu Ghraib. 

Castro was impressed with Smith's advice, and in less than 24 hours put up a wall of glossy ad—style large—scale photos of Abu Ghraib abuses that look like a Benetton ad, across the street from the U.S. Mission's Christmas display.  It's exactly what Wayne Smith publicly urged Castro to do. And there's a big red swastika in Castro's Wayne—Smith Christmas display for good measure, too.
 
Smith's response since then is unbelievable. Taking a vintage Carter stance, he insists that there is no moral difference between the U.S. and Cuba, given Abu Ghraib. Therefore, the U.S. should do nothing about dissidents imprisoned in Cuba.  What a neat little symmetrical world he lives in that is so helpful to Castro!
 
USA Today reports:
Wayne Smith ... said he thought the images of prisoner abuse in Iraq were an appropriate response by Castro's regime.

"If I were in their shoes, this is what I would do — call attention to the fact that the United States is now guilty of torture, of massive violations of human rights," Smith said by telephone from Washington.

"Yes, I'd like to see the 75 all released, but we're in no position now to criticize anyone," he said.

It's noteworthy that the mainstream media hasn't noticed the cause—effect relationship between this traitor's advice to Castro and Castro's willingness to take his advice to advance his propaganda case. Blogger Hog On Ice was much quicker, and has a much harsher, (and earthier) assessment of this treasonous acolyte in the service of the odious Castro.  Val at Babalublog  is also on top of the story.

Meanwhile, given Smith's effort to undermine U.S. foreign policy as a propaganda tool worthy of Tokyo Rose, I am going to assume Smith is properly registered as foreign agent because Castro has found his man in this Carter coat—tailler.  
 
A.M. Mora y Leon  12 19 04