Fidel castro Makes Comments on Obama

HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro criticized President Obama for expanding the war effort in Afghanistan, but Castro also mildly praised Obama's domestic initiatives, such as health care reform.

Fidel Castro says taking on the Taliban is a mistake, noting that the Taliban "sank the Soviet Union."

In an essay published Tuesday in Cuba's state-run newspaper, Granma, Castro said drawing American troops away from Iraq to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan is a mistake, saying the Taliban in Afghanistan "sank the Soviet Union."

Still, Castro said he was astonished by U.S. news reports of declining popularity for Obama. Castro blamed "traditional [U.S.] racism" for dampening reform efforts, including health care revisions.

The former Cuban leader commonly writes "reflections" in state media, using them to comment on international issues, and he often condemns U.S. foreign policy.

This weeks' commentary coincides with the visit of former U.S. presidential candidate New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

Richardson, who was nominated for commerce secretary in the Obama administration but withdrew, is in the Cuban capital this week on a trade mission "designed to capitalise on potential agricultural and cultural partnerships between Cuba and New Mexico," according to the governor's Web site.

Despite the near half-century trade embargo, the U.S. Treasury Department permits U.S. states to sell agricultural, medical and IT products in Cuba on a cash basis, it said.