By Anthony Boadle
HAVANA (Reuters) - Three days after stepping down as Cubanleader, Fidel Castro was back in the fray on Friday rebuttingU.S. presidential hopefuls who called for political change inCuba.
Castro said he was "exhausted" by the "days of tension"leading up to his retirement after 49 years in power and neededa holiday, but could not keep silent over the reactions in theUnited States to his departure announcement on Tuesday.
Castro said in a newspaper article that the reactions tohis retirement, including calls for "liberty" in Cuba, forcedhim to "open fire" again on his ideological enemies.
"I enjoyed seeing the embarrassing position of all thepresidential candidates in the United States," he wrote in acolumn published by the Communist Party daily Granma.
"One by one, they felt obliged to proclaim their immediatedemands of Cuba so as not to risking losing a single vote,"Castro said.
"'Change, change, change!'" they cried in chorus. I agree,'change!' but in the United States," he wrote.
Republican presidential front-runner John McCain tookanother shot at Castro on Friday, stating bluntly that he hopedthe leftist Cuban firebrand would die soon.
"I hope he has the opportunity to meet Karl Marx verysoon," McCain, who favours tightened sanctions against Castro'sgovernment, told a town-hall style meeting in Indianapolis.
Castro, 81, has not appeared in public since undergoingstomach surgery and handing power temporarily to his brotherRaul in July 2006. Cuba's rubber-stamp National Assembly isexpected to name Raul Castro as Cuba's new leader on Sunday.
ENDURING LEADER
Fidel Castro, the most enduring political leader of thelast century, turned Cuba into a one-party state and Sovietally on the doorstep of the United States after seizing powerin an armed revolution in 1959.
He survived the Cold War, CIA assassination attempts andwhat he calls the U.S. "blockade" during 10 administrations.
U.S. President George W. Bush has tightened the 45-yeartrade embargo and has rejected easing sanctions or restrictionson travel to Cuba without a transition to democracy. On Tuesdayin Rwanda, Bush said Castro's departure should kick off aperiod of democratic change in Cuba.
McCain said on Tuesday that Washington must keep sanctionson Cuba in place until it allows free elections and releasespolitical prisoners. Democratic presidential candidates HillaryClinton and Barack Obama suggested they might lift the tradeembargo if Fidel Castro's successor moves toward democracy.
The Democratic candidates differed in a debate on Thursdayon how quickly to hold talks with Cuba, with front-runner Obamaexpressing a willingness to move quickly toward a meeting withCastro's replacement. Clinton was more cautious, saying Cubashould first make progress improving human rights.
Castro, who will retain veto power as first secretary ofthe ruling Communist Party, said on Tuesday that he was tooweakened by an undisclosed illness to continue as president butwould soldier on in the "battle of ideas" writing articles.
Castro said he had "slept like never before" since decidingto retire. "My conscience was clear and I promised myself aholiday," he said in the column published on Friday.
"I had planned to stop writing my reflections for at least10 days, but I could not remain silent for so long. I have toopen fire ideologically on them," he wrote.
Castro, who has been the front-page story in Cuba for halfa century, asked that his column be published inside. Itappeared on Granma's page two as a column by "comrade Fidel"and no longer the "Comandante en Jefe."
(Additional reporting by Jason Szep in Indianapolis,editing by Michael Christie and Sandra Maler)
(For special coverage from Reuters on Castro's retirement,see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/cuba)
