Nasty Little Man

We already made that mistake once

In a televised message beamed into Cuba, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice offered the full support of the United States in a transition to democracy while promising to respect the sovereignty of the Cuban people.

Carried on TV Martí, the government-financed service that broadcasts to Cuba from the United States, Ms. Rice tried to calm fears that Washington planned to intervene directly in Cuba in the wake of President Fidel Castro's illness and his decision to hand off power provisionally to his brother Raúl, who is 75.

"The United States respects your aspirations as sovereign citizens," Ms. Rice said. "And we will stand with you to secure your rights - to speak as you choose, to think as you please, to worship as you wish and to choose your leaders, freely and fairly, in democratic elections."

posted by Kinder Gentler Little Man @ 9:06 PM