ABC’s Jim Avila: Castro Considered the ‘George Washington of His Country Among Those Who Remain in Cuba’

Early Saturday on the news that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro has passed, ABC’s Jim Avila offered his thoughts on Castro, categorizing him as the “George Washington” of his country and “the conscience Cuba.”

ABC’s Jonathan Betz, who was anchoring the network’s breaking news coverage of the Castro’s death, asked Avila how the death might shape changes in U.S.-Cuba relations.

“I think that it will continue on the same course at this point,” Avila said. “I think the changes in the United States, actually, might have more effect on what’s going on in Cuba today than the change with Fidel Castro because while Fidel Castro was considered, even to this day, the George Washington of his country among those who remain in Cuba, he was also a very divisive figure. And he has recently sort of faded into the woodwork, Raul Castro has taken over, and he really is, Raul Castro really has been running the day-to-day government. And Fidel has not. Fidel has been doing really his writing, trying to be the conscience of Cuba more than the ruler of Cuba. But he remains, to his death, a very important figure. While he was — because of his nationalism, because of what he meant to the people, he meant that Cuba would not be dominated by the United States even though the United States is so big and so close.”

(h/t Newsbusters)

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