Mandela's No Friend to America

I'm really pissed!

Nelson Mandela recently criticized America's policy toward Iraq in a speech "Former South African President Nelson Mandela made some very strong criticisms of U.S. policy toward Iraq in a speech delivered to the International Women's Forum meeting in Sandton, South Africa. The speech, on the theme of Courageous Leadership for Global Transformation, was recorded by SABC. What follows are excerpts from that speech."

Here are quotes from that speech reported on the All Africa website:

"If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America [APPLAUSE]. They don't care for human beings. Fifty-seven years ago, when Japan was retreating on all fronts, they decided to drop the atom bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; killed a lot of innocent people, who are still suffering the effects of those bombs.

Those bombs were not aimed against the Japanese, they were aimed against the Soviet Union to say, 'look, this is the power that we have. If you dare oppose what we do, this is what is going to happen to you'. Because they are so arrogant, they decided to kill innocent people in Japan, who are still suffering from that.

Who are they, now, to pretend that they are the policemen of the world? [APPLAUSE] To want to decide for the people in Iraq what they should do with their government and with their leadership?

If this is done by the United Nations, if the United Nations says that 'Saddam Hussein is not carrying out the resolutions of the United Nations, therefore we the United Nations are going to take action,' I will support that without reservation. [APPLAUSE]

What I am condemning is that one power, with a president who has no Foresight, who cannot think properly, [LAUGHTER] is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust. I am happy that the people of the world - especially those of the United States of America - are standing up and opposing their own president.

I hope that that opposition will one day make him understand that he has made the greatest mistake of his life in trying to bring about carnage and to police the world, without any authority of the international body. It is something we have to condemn without reservation."

Nelson Mandela has shown himself with these remarks to be no friend of the US. Where is the US media's reporting of this 'hero" of South Africa's views? Where is the condemnation of these comments? His country is awash with AIDS, yet he condemns the president who, in his State of the Union address, recommends billions in AIDS help for Africa's epidemic.

I have lost all respect for Mr. Mandela. He is unworthy to be South Africa's leader.