What is Fidel doing?

If former president Fidel Ramos is not chomping on his unlit cigar, he is keeping his tongue in his cheek. Which of the two is his favorite preoccupation, we do not know. Whatever it is, both are not as harmless as he makes them out to be.

We are not, however, as interested in his gustatory calisthenics with his cigar as we are with that hard-to-contain wagging piece of slimy salivating flesh that he, as of late, keeps reposed in his cheek.

So what is it really, Fidel? Why can you not practise the fidelity suggested by your name? You say you still support President Arroyo but that support is waning. You say you are not joining the opposition but have taken up their call for her to resign.

We do not believe Fidel has lost his marbles, unlike that other sorry excuse of a former military general who, incidentally, used to be one of his good friends. But maybe it would have been far better if he did. In the case of his pal, it seized him with a sudden fit of bravado.

In the case of Fidel, this other former general prefers to play it coy. For one who basks in flattering media descriptions, as in senior statesman, he certainly does not appear to fit that role to a tee.

Where is the statesmanship in asking a sitting president to resign? Why, he is even giving her a 2007 deadline. Ultimatums have no place in statesmanship. Only strong-arm politics take up the big stick.

And yet, in a clear attempt to forestall betraying his hand this early, Fidel, unworthy of his name, prefers to be ambiguous. He still supports Arroyo but is no longer about to. He is not with the opposition but he wants her out pronto. What a wimp.

Fidel, who was one of the chief enforcers of martial law during the reign of terror of Ferdinand Marcos but who deserted his dictator cousin when it became too hot to be by his side, is now foretelling of good and bad things to come.

If Fidel has the uncanny ability to divine the future, then why does he not come out with it now, instead of using it as a leverage to keep everyone on tenterhooks. In fact, it is like holding the entire country hostage.

What is "Tabako" trying to tell us? That good things will come if we all drop to our knees in supplication and intone "Fidel blah blah blah, Fidel blah blah blah?" On the other hand, is he predicting fire and brimstone for those who refuse to heed his voice?

If he went so far as to give us a choice between good and bad, then he must be deep into certain things that can create situations for this country, and all his bitching about not being involved in any destabilization is all bull.

The old man has given himself away. He is just as into it as the others, only that, as a master of psy-ops refined under hands-on conditions during martial law, he is more subtle in the application.

But it appears that Arroyo is proving to be a tough nut to crack, sending Fidel into a situation wherein he is forced to reveal his hand. And what else is Fidel's involvement in this except that he has grand designs for a grand comeback?

Fidel can no longer invoke love of country as reason for his ultimatum to Arroyo for her to step down. How can one invoke love of country while threatening to plunge the nation into turmoil?