Castro Lives?…

Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is reportedly alive and well at this hour…or, is he? Photos released today by the AP show Castro holding what appears to be a current newspaper.
From the Associated Press…

This is one of four photographs published Sunday Aug. 13, 2006 by Cuba’s Communist Youth newspaper’s online edition Juventud Rebelde proporting to show The first photographs of Fidel Castro since his illness two weeks ago. Castro holds a copy of the Saturday Aug. 12, 2006 edition of Granma, the Communist Party newspaper. The headline reads “Absolved by history.” The Associated Press cannot verify the authenticity or the date when these photographs were shot. (AP Photo/HO)

Some observations:
–Fidel is wearing a red, white and blue jogging suit. Message, perhaps?
–The commie newspaper is holding has what looks to be three inches of white space at the bottom of the front page. Granted, it looks like a special supplement (evidenced by what appears to be the word “supplemento especial” in the upper right-hand corner), but between the white space and the fact that it doesn’t look like news print, I’m already suspicious.
–There is no discernable date on the photo. Sure he’s holding a supplement to Granma, but when was that supplement printed and was it in advance of the surgery?
Like Little Green Footballs, I don’t think the photo was edited using Photoshop, but I’m also not convinced that the photo was taken recently at all.
William Smith
ConservativeBlogger.com