Who's really in charge in Cuba?

Here's an interesting article from the AP via MSNBC:

Raul Castro seems ready to discuss improving relations with Washington. Brother Fidel is clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

Do the mixed messages from Cuba's current and former presidents reflect the communist leadership's resistance to moving too quickly? Or are they a ploy for leverage ahead of any talks?

As the White House ponders its next move, the question of who calls the shots in Cuba is less clear than ever.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the delicate situation in comments
to Congress on Wednesday, saying the Obama administration needs to be ready to
engage with Cuba, even though its government "is one that is very difficult to move."

Noting Fidel "contradicted" his brother in an essay published earlier Wednesday, she said, "I think you can see there is beginning to be a debate."

Some Cuban dissidents put a more negative spin on the brothers' messages.

"Raul Castro says one thing and Fidel comes out in subsequent days and says the opposite," said Miriam Leiva, founder of a Havana-based support group for the wives and mothers of Cuban political prisoners. "It's no way to run a government."

Fidel, 82, clearly sought to diminish expectations of a thaw in Cuba-U.S. relations with his latest column, which asserted that President Barack Obama misinterpreted" Raul's seemingly conciliatory statements last week.

At issue was Raul's declaration that his government is ready to discuss "everything, everything, everything" with U.S. negotiators, including human rights and freedom of the press in Cuba and the 205 dissidents its government is accused of jailing.