The late Nelson Mandela possessed a perceived moral authority in the
eyes of the world that few men have ever known. His terrorist past
notwithstanding, his subsequent commitment to peace and reconciliation
as well as his gracious refusal to give in to despair and hatred made
him an icon of hope to many. Even his enemies came to admire him over
time, as he answered the perfectly reasonable doubts they harbored by
his steadfast adherence to that commitment.
After five years of his occupation of the Oval Office, it is abundantly
clear that wherever Obama’s true sympathies happen to be, they are most
certainly not with America or America’s national symbols.
If there is a better cure for the collection of preening gasbags who
call themselves world leaders and assembled themselves in South Africa
in order to be seen pretending to mourn for the late Nelson Mandela, it
is hard to imagine one.