HUD's Exhibitionist

Embargo 1, Fidel 0

Hah! We were right! All those who favored armed intervention, maybe even invasion of Cuba, those who said the embargo would never work, should just check the headlines: "Castro Resigns as President." Into the dustbin he goes and nary a shot fired, at least not recently.

We always knew the embargo would topple the 49-year-old regime of the 81-year-old Fidel Castro someday. Patience is finally being rewarded. Of course, there's still Castro's commie brother Ra¿l, a relatively youthful 76, only five years older than John McCain, but he won't be able to counter the embargo for long.

And just to make sure Ra¿l's tenure is brief, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said yesterday that the embargo, having worked so well, albeit slowly, will remain in place.

N.H. in February? No.

Calendar alert for anyone planning to attend the trial of former Hillary Clinton campaign adviser Sidney Blumenthal in Nashua, N.H., tomorrow on charges of aggravated DWI. The trial has been postponed until April 7.

Loop Fans may recall that Blumenthal was arrested the day before the New Hampshire primary last month, allegedly going about 70 mph in a 30-mph zone. The alleged speed raised the charge to a misdemeanor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three days in jail and seven days in an alcohol treatment center, according to the Nashua Telegraph.

The date was postponed yesterday at Blumenthal's lawyer's request, the Telegraph reported, but it was not clear on what grounds the continuance was granted.

Weather should be better in April.

General Contempt

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said yesterday that he will hold former USA Today reporter Toni Locy in contempt unless she identifies her sources for stories about former Army scientist Steven J. Hatfill, who's been investigated in the 2001 anthrax attacks.

Walton said Locy, a former Post colleague and now a journalism professor in West Virginia, had defied his August order to reveal her sources to Hatfill, who's suing the Justice Department for violating the Privacy Act by leaking information about the FBI's investigation of him.

Walton indicated that he would impose a fine until she complied with his order, but that he would wait a few days to decide whether to postpone any penalty as she appeals, the Associated Press reported.

Open a Spot at HUD!

Loop Photo of the Decade. That's Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) in a white wig, holding up his winning effort in the Alaska-themed cereal box competition, a fundraiser for the Temple Beth Sholom preschool in Anchorage.

Stevens won first prize, television station KTUU-NBC reported, in the third annual Crafters Smackdown, with a blueberry-flavored Gold Rush Crunch cereal box. There were no rules at the contest, and the judges encouraged bribes, the station reported.