[News] Castro: Bush Could Not Debate A Ninth Grader

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Castro: Bush Could Not Debate A Ninth Grader

Cuba's Castro Ridicules Gaffe-Prone Bush

Sat February 14, 2004 07:34 AM ET

By Anthony Boadle HAVANA (Reuters) -

Cuban leader Fidel Castro resorted to humor on Saturday to defend himself 
from U.S. hostility, ridiculing President Bush for his gaffes.

"Bush could not debate a Cuban ninth grader, who knows more than he does," 
Castro said in a speech closing an international conference of economists 
hosted by his communist government.

Castro had his audience of 1,400 economists in stitches when he read out 
some of Bush's more unfortunate statements.

Among other gaffes, Castro quoted Bush as saying: "I will have a 
foreign-handed foreign policy;" "I know how hard it is for you to put food 
on your family;" "More and more of our imports come from overseas;" and 
"The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case."

Looking cheerful and dressed in a dark gray business suit with a 
salmon-colored tie instead of this trademark uniform, Castro laid to rest 
recent rumors that he may have died by delivering a four-hour 20-minute 
speech in which he railed against White House efforts to get rid of him.

Bush on Monday toughened enforcement of a ban on travel to Cuba by 
Americans, while a White House commission drew up plans to speed a 
post-Castro transition on the Caribbean island nation. Havana says Bush is 
catering to Florida's Cuban-Americans to win their votes in the November 
election.

Top Bush administration officials last month accused Castro of trying to 
destabilize Latin America by stirring up anti-American sentiment in the 
region in alliance with Venezuelan populist President Hugo Chavez.

The bearded Cuban leader, aged 77 and in power since a 1959 revolution, 
charged two weeks ago that Bush was plotting to have him assassinated and 
planning to invade Cuba.

Cuban authorities have told the population to get ready to defend their 
country with guerrilla tactics. "Everything is prepared," Castro said to 
the economists, among them Nobel Prize winner Daniel McFadden of the United 
States.

The Cuban leader said Washington would have to invade quickly after his 
death if it wanted to put an end to his revolutionary government.

Castro said he would continue to govern Cuba "until his last breath. ... 
The dead man is not dead yet. They have not killed him," he said.
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