Mandela No Saint

We honor Nelson Mandela for what he did and, more importantly, what he did not do in South Africa. He managed the transition from white minority rule to black majority rule without excessive bloodshed and rancor - a huge achievement.

On the other hand, eulogies of Mandela make him out to be very nearly a saint ... which he was not. He rarely met a Communist with whom he didn't feel an instinctive bond of comradeship and solidarity.

Andrew Kacyznski has assembled for BuzzFeed seven Mandela quotes that show him to be a not-friend of the United States. Here are four egregious examples:

If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don’t care for human beings. (cbsnews.com)

All that (Mr. Bush) wants is Iraqi oil. (cbsnews.com)

We admire the sacrifices of the Cuban people in maintaining their independence and sovereignty in the face of the vicious imperialist-orquestrated (sic) campaign to destroy the impressive gain made in the Cuban Revolution. … Long live the Cuban Revolution. Long live comrade Fidel Castro. (lanic.utexas.edu)

The attitude of the United States of America is a threat to world peace. (newsweek.com)