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When President Obama and the United States delegation depart for South Africa for the Mandela memorial, former President George W. Bush will be a part of that entourage.

     But did you know Nelson Mandela opposed much of Bush's policies in the middle east and in the United Nations.

     I have to be clear here as I continue this commentary, former President George W. Bush respected Mandela immensely, it was some of the people around Bush that did not.

     Former President G.W. Bush during his term as president surrounded himself with men who opposed most things this African leader stood for.

     Did you know Vice-President Dick Cheney, when he was Congressman Cheney voted against a house bill (Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act) that opposed South Africa's treatment of its countrymen.   

     When the bill got to the White House (President Reagan) vetoed it saying Mandela was a terrorist.  The veto was subsequently overridden by both chambers and it became law. (WOW)

     I am going to mention this up until 2008 Mandela was on the U.S.'s  watch list for terrorist activities.

     Nelson Mandela was opposed the United States invading Iraq and said it to the world. 

     He said this because their

was no evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

     Mandela in an inteveiw with Newsweek said "Neither Bush nor [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair has provided any evidence that such weapons exist. But what we know is that Israel has weapons of mass destruction. Nobody talks about that. Why should there be one standard for one country, especially because it is black, and another one for another country, Israel, that is white."

Mandela even called out the racial divide of the United Nations before the election of the United States' first African-America president,

     ". . .many people say quietly, but they don’t have the courage to stand up and say publicly, that when there were white secretary generals you didn’t find this question of the United States and Britain going out of the United Nations. But now that you’ve had black secretary generals like Boutros Boutros Ghali, like Kofi Annan, they do not respect the United Nations. They have contempt for it. This is not my view, but that is what is being said by many people.

     Mandela was liked by the world community for his ability to "forgive".

     How does anyone stay imprisoned for 27-years, labled a "terrorist" eventually  democratically elected to lead the nation that imprisoned him and after five years just walk away. 

     Hum. Why are we memorializing him?

     Enjoy your weekends everybody, check out our listings below and Happy Holidays, don't for get to

look at the shopping mall as you browse for gifts on-line.

I'm Jeff Menendez

Weekend America Networks Managing Editor , I like this more than working at a

newspaper, television or radio station.

Fellow me on Twitter

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