Okay, we didn't see Cuba. We saw a few small slices of Havana. But we saw enough "unofficial" people in the streets and shops to believe we have a fair assessment of Cuban attitudes. They hate our embargo, and they hate the privations they must endure -- particularly the ones whose logic they don't see. They don't see, for instance, why only foreigners and a few favored professionals are able to purchase cars. Ordinary Cubans tell me that if you owned a car before the revolution, you can keep it -- but you can't have another one even as a gift. That explains why the streets are full of vintage American autos -- 1955-57 Chevrolets seem to be a favorite, though Plymouths, Fords and even DeSotos abound. Incredible mechanical genius keeps these antiques in action.

Cubans aren't happy, either, with the limited choices available in government-operated markets or their limited purchasing power anywhere. The government ration cards supply at best the bare minimum of food, and even if you manage to find the money, you can't buy much more than that. We, as foreigners, could eat heartily (if not always appetizingly) both in fancy restaurants and in hotels where locals weren't allowed above the public floors.

But Cubans aren't about to repudiate the revolution. They are proud of its accomplishments, particularly in education and health care. If only the embargo would go away.