Mandela's Message

There are already those who have described Barack Obama's election to the presidency as America's "Mandela moment."

It certainly felt like that, not merely in Chicago where the candidate accepted his victory at an emotional celebration, but in cities and towns across the country where the streets filled with cheering throngs.

And Nelson Mandela, the man who battled South Africa's apartheid system and then became that country's first black president, recognized the significance of the selection of a young African-American senator to lead a country that has itself struggled to overcome the legacy of an apartheid different only in name.

On Wednesday, Mandela's aides released a letter from the first black president of South Africa to the first black president-elect of the United States.

"Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place," wrote Mandela, who hailed Obama's commitment to altering America's foreign policies.

"We wish you strength and fortitude in the challenging days and years that lie ahead," continued Mandela. "We are sure you will ultimately achieve your dream (of) making the United States of America a full partner in a community of nations committed to peace and prosperity for all."

Mandela's letter was the continuation of a unique dialogue with Obama, who last summer celebrated South African's 90th birthday by embracing his faith that "we do not have to accept the world as it is."

"When I visited South Africa a few years ago," Obama said in a video message to Mandela in July. "I had a chance to go to Robben Island and stand in your cell, and I reflected on your courage, your foresight and conviction, and on your fundamental belief that we do not have to accept the world as it is; that we can remake the world as it should be."

Imagine the possibility that Mandela might make one more trip to Washington, this coming January, to join in the celebration of the American Mandela moment that will be realized when Obama is inaugurated.

Comments (25)

1. YAH HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

   Posted by Truthman at 11/05/2008 @ 07:14am

2. Obama to Mandela:

   "I am the world."

   Posted by bleedingheart at 11/05/2008 @ 07:14am

3. Here's where bleeding further reveals himself by acting like a pissy loser like HAPPY has been doing.

   Posted by Mask at 11/05/2008 @ 07:18am

4. The world just breathed a giant sigh of relief.

   Posted by crabwalk at 11/05/2008 @ 07:24am

5. Obama to bleedingheart

   "I am the president and Commander in Chief."

   ouch!

   Posted by crabwalk at 11/05/2008 @ 07:34am

6. oooohhhh HAPPYRACIST!

   Barak Hussein Obama, aka the Magic Negro, is YOUR president now. Remember: "YOu are either for us or against us."- George W. Bush. I would hate to see you end up in the hands of the Syrians for daring to speak against the rightful resident of the White House.

   As you and your ilk have taught us over the last few years, there is NOTHING Obama cannot do while we are at war, and you should just shut up!! Your rules. Now does it sound asinine?

   Posted by crabwalk at 11/05/2008 @ 07:39am

7. I will need a good contractor, including a LICENSED plumber. It seems my house, like my country, has lurched back to the left. 8 years of structural damage needs to be fixed.

   Anybody know a good licensed plumber that is up to date with his bills?

   Posted by crabwalk at 11/05/2008 @ 07:44am

8. I've been to Robben Island. I've stood in that same cell.

   No one can consider Nelson Mandela & not reflect on the immensity of his accomplishments.

   No one, that is, except Dick Cheney, who only a few m0nths ago steadfastly maintained that Mandela had been a terrorist and therefore the ban on his entering the US without a waiver from the State Dept should be maintained.

   Posted by sloper at 11/05/2008 @ 07:56am

9. My congratulations go out to Obama on his historic election. I hope he remembers that roughly 230 million Americans didn't vote for him.

   Posted by abell12ct at 11/05/2008 @ 08:24am

10. No one can consider Nelson Mandela & not reflect on the immensity of his accomplishments.

    Posted by sloper at 11/05/2008 @ 07:56am

    Yeah, like when he handed South Africa over to Thabo Mbeki.

    Posted by ACook at 11/05/2008 @ 08:46am

11. Yeah, like when he handed South Africa over to Thabo Mbeki.

    Posted by ACook at 11/05/2008 @ 08:46am

    To quote Donald Sutherland in Kelly's Hero's, "Too many negative waves, man."

    Stop the internal seething before it's too late! That small voice inside is happy for Obama, listen to it!

    Posted by Truthman at 11/05/2008 @ 08:56am

12. TESTING....TESTING....just checking to see if the old nic is working again...

    Can anybody read this?

    (heheh to PONTI, BTW)

    Posted by Maskdelta at 08/20/2008 @ 3:13pm

    "2. Just to be clear, you're predicting a McCain victory....NOT that Republicans will win back control of Congress, right? You still have some grip on reality?"

    That's right. The Republicans will not win back Congress, but WILL win the Presidency. That's my prediction. You will recall, I have a pretty track record with predictions. I predicted that impeachment would go nowhere, Plame would go nowhere, the Iraq war would be a non-issue by election time...all things the things that you, Nichols, CRABBIE, and the rest of the moonbats have been wasting time here all year and last year haven't worked out to amount to more than a hill of beans; all have, I believe, worked out about like I expected. Go ahead, run one of those nifty little searches you like to do.-------Posted by pontificus at 08/20/2008 @ 3:44pm

    Posted by Mask at 11/05/2008 @ 09:04am

13. Posted by abell12ct at 11/05/2008 @ 08:24am

    How many Americans DIDN'T vote for Dubya?

    Did YOU care?

    Posted by Mask at 11/05/2008 @ 09:04am

14. @crabwalk,

    A recent Salon article noted that "Commander in Chief" seemed to militaristic for Obama.

    @Mask,

    Wrong. I think it's great that Obama won. I knew there was a chance my guy would lose when I voted for Nader.

    Lastly. One thing that makes this country great is it's voices of opposition. Iraq had nearly 100% "unity" under Saddam and look what they got for it. Attack by crusaders.

    Posted by bleedingheart at 11/05/2008 @ 09:11am

15. Stop the internal seething before it's too late! That small voice inside is happy for Obama, listen to it!

    Posted by Truthman at 11/05/2008 @ 08:56am

    Who me seeth? Not on your life! I'm going to get a lot of enjoyment out of watching you libs relive the Carter years.

    Posted by ACook at 11/05/2008 @ 09:28am

16. Mandela visited someone in our street, about 6 years ago - the whole block (about ten of us) had heard about ten minutes in advance and stood waiting to glimpse them. When he arrived, he spotted my twins, then aged 6. He broke from his entourage and went to talk to them. He asked them their names and chatted about their plans for the future. In all, he gave them perhaps two minutes of focused attention. When he had quite finished, he looked up, saw the parents, shook hands briefly and moved on.

    Mandela is genuinely moved by all manifestations of the family, especially children - having spent all those years in prison without them.

    (Cape Town, South Africa)

    Posted by mikecope at 11/05/2008 @ 09:39am

17. Did YOU care? Posted by Mask

    Wellll..... ya got me there.

    Posted by abell12ct at 11/05/2008 @ 09:53am

18. For the last few weeks I kept hearing this in my head:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e1cKOVV2sI

    Or was it the somewhat eerie update:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r_5l7f21xY&feature=related

    Posted by hsuBfools at 11/05/2008 @ 09:53am

19. Posted by abell12ct at 11/05/2008 @ 09:53am

    No problem...actually just wanted to make sure the old nick was back up and running.

    Posted by Mask at 11/05/2008 @ 10:12am

20. [My congratulations go out to Obama on his historic election. I hope he remembers that roughly 230 million Americans didn't vote for him.]

    Posted by abell12ct at 11/05/2008 @ 08:24am

    yeah... yer numbers are all screwy. there are about 300 m people in the US. but since children are a quarter of that, and u have to be 18 to vote, that means the actual electorate is probably around 220+ m. and that's not counting those who can't vote (felons, non-citizens, etc). in this election, even with record turnout, only about 120+m Americans decided to vote. 60+m voted for Obama; some 50+m voted for McCain. so Obama will have to remember the 50+m who voted for the other guy. and ALL of us will have to wonder why the remaining 100 m (who were eligible) were either discouraged or apathetic about voting.

    Sin

    Posted by sincere1906 at 11/05/2008 @ 12:35pm

21. Posted by sincere1906 at 11/05/2008 @ 12:35pm

    I think he already admitted it was a dumb talking point, given the guy HE supported as President for the last 8 years, got even LESS votes.

    Posted by Mask at 11/05/2008 @ 1:27pm

22. It had to happen, it is not hard to forget why the world think you yanks are arrogant.

    Let me make this clear: Obama is no Madiba.

    He may be compared to Nelson Mandela after his term as president of the US if he has had an extremely exceptional presidency.

    Just because he is black he is not in "Madiba League"

    Whoever got the idea to coin this is a presumptuous hick - comparing a guy who is not in office yet with a man who managed to serve 27years in jail, get elected as President when older than Mccain, built a lasting friendship with his political rival FW de Klerk and who divorced his wife because of how she treated his fellow South Africans.

    Let's see Obama win the Nobel Peace prize and then we can start making comparisons, okay?

    Posted by INSouthAfrica at 11/05/2008 @ 7:32pm

23. Posted by INSouthAfrica at 11/05/2008 @ 7:32pm

    exactly.

    Posted by mikecope at 11/06/2008 @ 01:00am

24. Posted by RedRiver_. at 11/05/2008 @ 10:49pm

    Care to elaborate, Rio, on the reason you find the statement "ignorant"? Do you dispute that George Bush has spent 8 years in violation of established international law by waging a war of aggression and authorizing torture? Rio, whether or not you choose to acknowledge the reality of the situation, Bush has turned this country into a virtual pariah state, one committed to aggression, not peace, and one committed to oligarchy, not prosperity for all. Bush has rejected partnership in the community of nations. President-elect Obama has quite likely already begun the healing process. There is nothing remotely presumptuous or ignorant in President Mandela's statement. On theother hand, your own statement...

    Posted by jmusolino at 11/06/2008 @ 01:54am

25. Bush has rejected partnership in the community of nations.

    Posted by jmusolino

    Thats why he insisted on the six party talks with North Korea and having the European countries involved with talking to Iran.

    Posted by abell12ct at 11/07/2008 @ 07:57am