POLITICAL CHORONICALS:Raul steps up

Since the absence of his brother,Fidel Castro;Raul Castro is now at the helm of Cuba's government. It seems his least worry is shocking the state of Cuba one-moribund economy.(Moribund means approaching death;about to die,or on the verge of becoming absolute. Since Fidel is in since Monday and Bush's administration calling for a transition to democracy , the heat is on Raul Castro to alleviated in part because Cuba's economy has been recovering with the assistance of the Venezuelan president,He go Chavez. One of the last communist countries today, Cuba's economy is FAR from healthy. It a world away from the destitute and marooned when Cuba's long time ally, the Soviet Union collapsed. That has American officials, long determined to choke off Castro's government, exasperated that Venezuela, whose governments were once close to Washington, has helped turn around the Cuban economy just as policymakers thought dramatic change could take place. "The current regime in Havana is working with like-minded governments, particularly Venezuela, to build a network of political and financial support designed to forestall any external pressure to change," says a 93-page U.S. government report issued last month for President George W. Bush on the likelihood of Cuba's transition to democracy.