Political Skullduggery

It was bad enough when Rev. Pat Robertson called for Hugo Chavez' assassination, but he is just a charlatan taking advantage of other religious kooks.

It is worse when an elected member of congress spews something like that.

A congresswoman says a video showing her calling for Fidel Castro's assassination is fake, a charge denied Sunday by the film's director.

The congresswoman, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican of Florida, appears in the 28-second clip made available on the Internet by the makers of a new British documentary, "638 Ways to Kill Castro."

In it, she says: "I welcome the opportunity of having anyone assassinate Fidel Castro and any leader who is oppressing the people."

But Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, a Havana-born lawmaker recently selected to become the top Republican on the House International Relations Committee, says the filmmakers spliced clips together to make the sound bite.

"It's twisted in a way that gives the viewer a totally wrong impression," she told The Miami Herald. "I've said the community has moved on, that those strategies are not being used today, but apparently the filmmakers think we're still in a '60s mentality."

Still, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen said it was possible she had, at some point, mentioned Mr. Castro’s potential assassination.

"If someone were to do it, I wouldn't be crying," she said.

The film's director, Dollan Cannell, stood by the authenticity of the video.

"I can assure you categorically and completely that there has been no distortion of what she said," Mr. Cannell told The Associated Press on Sunday.