In an unusual move, Fidel Castro, 83, recently used his column in Granma, the state-run newspaper of Cuba, to defend President Obama.

Declaring that the right-wingers who oppose Obama's policy hate the president because he is black, Castro said, "I don't have the slightest doubt that the racist right will do everything possible to wear him down, blocking his program to get him out of the game one way or another."

Castro seemed puzzled by the fact that there is such fierce opposition to President Obama, even though he is doing nothing that would fundamentally change the political and economic systems of the United States. "In spite of that, the extreme right hates him for being African-American and fights what the president does to improve the deteriorated image of that country," Castro wrote.

Castro also conceded that although he may not agree with the Obama's policies, he believes the President inherited most of the current problems our country faces from George W. Bush, and was honestly trying to find a resolution. But, Castro notes, the "powerful extreme right won't be happy with anything that diminishes their prerogatives in the slightest way."

Fidel regularly contributes commentary to Granma and has used the space in the past to criticize Obama and question his sincerity as far as changing U.S. policy towards the communist island nation.

Since Fidel Castro stepped down last year, his brother Raul Castro, has been in charge. After falling sick and undergoing intestinal surgery in June of 2006, Fidel was rarely spotted by the media, but he appeared on Cuban television last weekend for the first time in over a year during a meeting with Venezuelan students.