"It's a pure miracle Obama hasn't been assassinated," says Castro

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro's bold comments toward US presidential hopeful Barack Obama are causing much controversy across the country. Castro wrote in a commentary that appeared on the website Cubadebate on Saturday “Profound racism exists in the United States,” as he weighed in on the US presidential race ahead of the November 4 election.

“Millions of whites cannot reconcile in their minds with the idea that a black man with his wife and children would move into the White House, which is called just like that — White,” he wrote. He added that it was a “pure miracle” the Illinois senator, who became the first black politician to win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, had not been assassinated thus far.

The ailing Cuban communist leader, who handed power to his brother Raul earlier this year, described Obama as a politician who “has the habit of looking at his opponent with serenity and laughing at his rhetorical attacks.” Castro’s comments came as a war of words with racial undertones marked the US White House race after civil rights icon John Lewis accused Republican candidate John McCain of sowing “hatred” against Obama, who is developing a commanding lead in opinion polls (53%-39% at last check). Castro also mocked McCain’s poor grades at the naval academy, and said Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin “knows nothing at all about anything.”