It was not long ago that a cigar became the subject of discussion in Washington (enough said!). Today, Karen Tumulty reports for Time that another cigar is entering the political fray.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes, according to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a cigar is an economic prop to a brutal totalitarian regime. Arguing against loosening sanctions against Cuba last year, DeLay warned that Fidel Castro "will take the money. Every dime that finds its way into Cuba first finds its way into Fidel Castro's blood-thirsty hands.... American consumers will get their fine cigars and their cheap sugar, but at the cost of our national honor."

DeLay has long been one of Congress' most vocal critics of what he calls Castro's "thugocracy," which is why some sharp-eyed TIME readers were surprised last week to see a photo of the Majority Leader smoking one of Cuba's best—a Hoyo de Monterrey double corona, which generally costs about $25 when purchased overseas and is not available in this country. The cigar's label clearly states that it was made in "Habana." The photo was taken in Jerusalem on July 28, 2003, during a meeting between DeLay and the Republican Jewish Coalition at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.

[...]

Asked about the Majority Leader's consumption of a Cuban cigar, his spokesman Dan Allen replied there has been "no change in our Cuban policy."

The Majority Leader is having a tough time these days. More and more Americans are coming to know him by face, and more and more of them are coming to disapprove of him. The last thing Tom DeLay needs to do now is provide the late night shows with more fodder for jokes.

[Update 4:46 PM Pacific]: Judd over at Think Progress notes that DeLay has previously proclaimed "[e]very dime that finds its way into Cuba first finds its way into Fidel Castro’s blood-thirsty hands." To this, Judd says,

To be fair, Tom DeLay may not have put any money “into Fidel Castro’s blood-thirsty hands.” There’s always a chance Jack Abramoff bought the cigar for him.

Zing.