During the 2012 debate, President Obama mocked Governor Romney over Russia.  

Who remembers the line: “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back, because the Cold War’s been over for 20 years”?

It looks like the 1970s are calling, too, especially after we hear a story that Cuban troops are aiding Russians in the Middle East:

Cuban military operatives reportedly have been spotted in Syria, where sources believe they are advising President Bashar al-Assad’s soldiers and may be preparing to man Russian-made tanks to aid Damascus in fighting rebel forces backed by the U.S.

Gen. Leopoldo Cintra Frias, head of  Cuba's Armed Forces, recently visited Syria to lead a group of Cuban military personnel joining forces with Russia in their support of Assad, according to information received by the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.

On Wednesday, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Cuban paramilitary and special forces units are on the ground in Syria, citing evidence from intelligence reports. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Cuban troops may have been training in Russia and may have arrived in Syria on Russian planes.

On the surface, the story makes no sense.  After all, why would Raúl Castro want to upset the U.S. with such a move?   

We do remember that Cuban troops fought in Africa for much of the 1970s.  At one point, Cuba had 30,000 troops in Angola, a rather sizeable commitment for a small country!

Of course, that was Cuba as a satellite of the USSR, or a country paying back the sizeable Moscow subsidy.  Cuba didn't really have a choice in the 1970s because the USSR was keeping the regime alive.

Why would Raúl Castro do this today?  He is no longer attached to the USSR and needs the U.S. desperately to save his regime.

Perhaps because he does not fear consequences.  He has seen the Obama administration make concessions in order to re-establish diplomatic relations.   

The U.S. has not demanded a single thing in return for a U.S. embassy, the release of convicted spies, and so on.   

My guess is that Raúl Castro is following the strong horse, and his name is Putin!

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