Why So Mealy-Mouthed?

In his Wall Street Journal column James Taranto asks a simple question about the mealy-mouthed reactions from world leaders to Fidel Castro’s death: why?

Most of the public reactions to Castro’s death were true to form: Those on the right rightly mourned his life, not his death; while those on the left offered praise or at best neutrality, in either case playing down the horrors he inflicted on Cuba over more than half a century.

That includes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and our own president. He also gives credit where credit is due:

The most notable exception: Nancy Pelosi, beleaguered leader of the House Democrats. “After decades under Fidel’s doctrine of oppression and antagonism, there is hope that a new path for Cuba is opening,” she said in a statement Saturday. How much hope is an open question: Cuba is still a one-party communist state ruled by the Castro family; Fidel’s younger brother, Raul, has held the title of president since 2008.

What caught my eye were the mocking tweets lampooning some of the leaders’ praise:

Andrew Coyne: “While a controversial figure, even detractors recognize Pol Pot encouraged renewed contact between city and countryside.”

Curtis (@FowlCanuck): “Today we mourn painter and animal rights activist, Adolf Hitler. His death also highlights the need for suicide awareness”

Peggy Noonan: “Booth was a fiery, forceful actor; he once left members of a Washington audience literally standing and screaming.”

Some of the remarks reminded me of nothing so much the famous comments made by Italians after the appointment of Benito Mussolini that he had made the trains run on time.

I tend to adhere to the Latin dictum, de mortuis nil nisi bonum (speak no ill of the dead). Heaping praise goes a step too far.

Why did Justin Trudeau and President Obama make the statements they did after the announcement of Castro’s death? The only explanation I can come up with is that it’s what they would have wanted to be said after their own deaths. The problem with that is that Barack Obama is no Fidel Castro. You can’t even make the claim that Castro was well-intentioned with a straight face.