Chavez Visits Castro

The Cuban government has released pictures of Hugo Chavez visiting a bedridden Fidel Castro. Unfortunately.

The official Granma newspaper posted the six photographs on its online edition, one day after the Communist Youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde published the first images of Castro since the Cuban leader announced two weeks ago he had undergone intestinal surgery and was temporarily ceding power to Raul, the defense minister and No. 2 in the government.

Chavez's visit came the same day Castro sent a message to the Cuban people, warning them that he faces a long and difficult recovery after his surgery.

In all of the most recent pictures, Castro is in bed, wearing what looks like a red sweatshirt. In a seventh photograph, Raul Castro is shown embracing Chavez when he arrived in Havana on Sunday. It was the younger Castro's debut appearance as acting Cuban president.

"An Unforgettable Afternoon Among Brothers," Granma said of the afternoon visit by Chavez, who is Castro's closest friend and political ally in Latin America.

The lead photo shows Chavez and Raul Castro standing at Fidel's bedside — all three smiling — next to a large portrait of the Cuban leader on an easel. The newspaper said Raul Castro gave Chavez the portrait, which formerly hung in his office and was painted in 1959 by famed Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros.

Castro and Chavez shared "more than three hours of emotional exchange, anecdotes, laughs, photos, gifts, a frugal snack and the happiness of close friendship," Granma said.

The newspaper quoting Chavez as saying, "This is the best visit I've ever had in my life." Expressing surprise at his recovery, Chavez reportedly commented: "What kind of human being is this? What material is it made of?

We'd all like to know what it is made of. We have our suspicions. Interestingly, the AP photo again carries a disclaimer that the authenticity and the date the pictures were taken cannot be confirmed. I noted that recent development yesterday as well. It appears that the AP is becoming a lot more careful about how it presents photos all of a sudden.