This wasn’t said in a pious church. Our man spoke at the Naval Academy in Newport, just as he had done at West Point, where he uttered the famous phrase about what dozens of dark corners of the world could expect. He was answering a question, clearly well thought out, about the situation in Latin America, made by a Colombian graduate of the Academy. What a coincidence!

Immediately, as if he were anxious to say something about Cuba and at the same time complaining with the Good Lord, he added: "There is only one non democratic country in our neighborhood and that's Cuba. I strongly believe that the people of Cuba ought to live in a free society. It’s in our interest that Cuba become free and it’s in the interest of the Cuban people that they don’t live under an antiquated form of government that has just been repressive.

Earlier he had promised: "We shall continue pressing hard for freedom in Cuba."

Then, as bold as you like, the spokesman of the White House National Security Council, Gordon Johndroe, when asked whether Bush was hoping for Castro’s death, replied: "The President was speaking about an inevitable event." It would appear that the brilliant official and his boss are going to live for thousands of years.

Now I understand why I’ve survived the plans laid by Bush and the presidents who ordered my assassination: the Good Lord has protected me.

Fidel Castro Ruz

June 28, 2007