selective reasoning, but castro never lost faith in the revolution. his intelligence and shrewdness continued to command fear and respect. he would eventually outlive many of his critics and outlast ten u.s. administrations. in the end it was illness, not washington, that forced him to retire. passing cuba's leadership to his younger brother raul. in his last years, castro appeared only occasionally, mostly in photos, looking frail. at times he tried to play the role of elder statesman. but more and more he simply seemed inconsequential. >> interpreter: the cuban government has been very agile. it slowly removed him from the scene. it would have been one thing if he abruptly died back in 1986. instead his importance has slowly faded. >> reporter: castro insisted death is not something he