In Cuba, the Bush administration’s plan for political intervention has been pushed into the spotlight following this week’s announcement President Fidel Castro is temporarily ceding power to his brother Raoul while he undergoes surgery to stop intestinal bleeding. On Thursday, President Bush made his first public statements since the news of Castro’s health and transfer of power. The President said the US is “actively monitoring the situation in Cuba.” In comments some critics label a tacit call for de-stabilizing Cuba’s government, Bush told Cubans the US will: “support you in your effort to build a transitional government committed to democracy, and we will take note of those, in the current Cuban regime, who obstruct your desire for a free Cuba.” Raoul Castro has yet to make a public appearance since temporarily assuming control. There has been no update on Castro’s condition since Cuban National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon told Democracy Now on Wednesday Castro was “very alive and very alert” while recovering from surgery. In Miami, Fidel Castro’s estranged sister, Juanita Castro, said she’s been told her brother was released from intensive care and that: “He’s very sick.”