# Has Nelson Mandela Completely Lost His Mind? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 30, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694 "2003-01-30T20:01:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/1 "2003-01-30T20:01:31Z")
[Nelson Mandela: US Wants Holocaust](http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/01/30/sprj.irq.mandela/index.html). Some, errr, _interesting_ excerpts: > [@](#): > > Mandela said U.S. President George W. Bush covets the oil in Iraq “because Iraq produces 64 percent of the oil in the world. What Bush wants is to get hold of that oil.” In fact Iraq contributes to only 5 percent of world oil exports. > [@](#): > > “They do not care. Is it because the secretary-general of the United Nations is now a black man?” said Mandela, referring to Kofi Annan, who is from Ghana. Has this guy gone completely senile? I can understand exxagerating for effect, but where could _anyone_ come up with a number like 64%? How could any sane person come to the conclusion that the US’s relationship with the UN has to do with the color of the secretary general? I’m certainly not a war-hawk, but this seems to be some of the stupidist rhetoric I’ve heard yet regarding this issue. This is the dude who helped pull South Africa out of apartheid? Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/2 "2003-01-30T20:04:38Z")
Yes he has. ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/3 "2003-01-30T20:05:42Z")
I guess weird shit happens to your brain when you’ve been in jail for a long period of time. Does sound pretty bat-shit crazy… ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/4 "2003-01-30T20:18:18Z")
Maybe he and Harry Belafonte are really the same person. I mean, you never see the two of them in a room together. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/5 "2003-01-30T20:19:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*Maybe he and Harry Belafonte are really the same person. I mean, you never see the two of them in a room together. > > 😛 \*\* Bwahaha! ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/6 "2003-01-30T20:29:55Z")
What burns my ass is THIS quote of his: “If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America.” What “unspeakable atrocities” are those, Mr. Mandela? Boycotting the apartheid government that kept YOU in jail? Kicking in hundreds of thousands of tons of food aid for starving Africans _every year_? Bankrolling the invention of the drugs which are the only known source of relief for AIDS? Geez. What a stupid nutbar. ---
**Author:** ![Emperor\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Emperor\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emperor_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/7 "2003-01-30T20:55:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lizard \* > \*\* > What “unspeakable atrocities” are those, Mr. Mandela? \*\* But if he says, then won’t they be speakable atrocities? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/8 "2003-01-30T21:17:26Z")
And didn’t Bush just say in the SOTU that he wants to spend billions to treat AIDS in Africa? Jeez, Louise, Mandela, if that’s the way you feel, maybe we shouldn’t bother. I am so tired of the US getting blamed for the world’s ills, yet we never get any credit for the good stuff we’ve done. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/9 "2003-01-30T21:23:43Z")
Well, he IS 84 years old. I suppose we could cut him a certain amount of slack for that. The BBC is running a different version, leaving out the peculiar “Iraq/64%” mention, but including a slam at Tony Blair, and a remark about Israel. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2710181.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2710181.stm) > [@](#): > > He also said UK Prime Minister Tony Blair - who supports Washington over Iraq - was in fact the “US prime minister”. > > … > > Mr Mandela, 84, accused both the US and UK governments of undermining the United Nations. > > “Why does the United States behave so arrogantly?” Mr Mandela asked. > > "Their friend Israel has got weapons of mass destruction but because it’s their ally they won’t ask the United Nations to get rid of them. > > “They just want the oil,” Mr Mandela went on. “We must expose this as much as possible.” Maybe this will be a signal to his handlers not to let him speak in public too much anymore… ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/10 "2003-01-30T21:29:47Z")
Hmm. Not sure what to think. For you context-hungry people, the article also says\*\* “Mandela said he would support without reservation any action agreed upon by the United Nations against Iraq.”\*\* My guess is that he believes the UN must be the entity that enforces “due process” in international law. He probably sees _unilateral_ US action as destructive to the UN’s credibility. He thinks that if the US goes it alone, it undermines the grand principle of solving global problems through democracy and international cooperation. I don’t know where he got that 64% figure, though. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/11 "2003-01-30T21:34:40Z")
_Bad wicked Nelson! I think you should apologize… and then the oral sex._ ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/12 "2003-01-30T21:38:03Z")
Same thing happened to Thomas Jefferson. ---
**Author:** ![litost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@litost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/litost)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/13 "2003-01-30T21:39:14Z")
He said 64% production. You say 5% of exports. Even if 64% is blatantly wrong (and I think it is), you were comparing different things. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/14 "2003-01-30T22:01:25Z")
Here’s some data – I cannot vouch for its accuracy. Iraq contains - 112 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the second largest in the world (behind Saudi Arabia) - plus roughly 215 billion barrels of probable and possible resources. “Iraq’s true resource potential may be understated, as deeper oil-bearing formations located mainly in the Western Desert region could yield additional resources, but have not been explored” [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/iraqfull.html](http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/iraqfull.html) It’s oil that’s also easy to get at, with 30 to 40 per cent of Iraq’s reserves lying just 600 metres beneath Earth’s surface, Mohammad Al-Gailani, managing director of British-based GeoDesign Ltd. Number of potential drilling sites: 526 Number of sites actually drilled: 125 Number of drilled sites with proven potential: 90 Number of proven sites that are developed: 30 “You can imagine the huge potential that lies there for the future,” said Al-Gailani, an Iraqi geologist. [http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2002/1216future.htm](http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2002/1216future.htm) Saudi Arabia crude oil reserves: 261 billion barrels [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/table81.html](http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/table81.html) Iraq possible reserves : 112 (proven) + 215 (potential) = 327 World total reserves : 1004 billion Middle East total reserves: 655 billion So it sounds like Mandela is referring to the entire Middle East’s current oil reserves, which are 65% of world reserves. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/15 "2003-01-30T22:13:05Z")
When one speaks of “producing the world’s oil,” one generally means “producing the oil that is used by the world.” At any rate, whether you are talking about total oil produced or just oil that is exported, Mandela’s number are nowhere near anything close to reality. At its peak in 1988 Iraq was [producing](http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/iraq.html) 3 million barrels of crude per day, about the same as what Canada [produces](http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/canada.html) right now. And about 30% of what what the US [produces](http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/usa.html) on its own. ---
**Author:** ![emarkp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@emarkp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emarkp)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/16 "2003-01-30T22:24:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose \* > Maybe this will be a signal to his handlers not to let him speak in public too much anymore… For the last time they’re called **wranglers** not **handlers**. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![litost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@litost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/litost)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/17 "2003-01-30T22:54:52Z")
Yes, even if you calculate production, Iraq’s share is \< 4%, I think. The only thing he could be remotely referring to is oil reserves but still he would be a ways off. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/18 "2003-01-30T23:59:00Z")
FTR, this isn’t the first time Mandela has made bizarre statements about the US and Iraq. see [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=135002), started by yours truly back in september. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/19 "2003-01-31T00:41:23Z")
The man is as old as dirt. Of course he’s senile. He was a great patriot and is a legitimate hero, but my grandfather was a war hero and flew 36 bombing missions over Germany and we won’t even let him use the Clapper anymore. Cut him some slack. Nelson Mandela, that is. Of course, anyone who BELIEVES his senile nattering without using a little skepticism and checking those “Facts,” now, they’re genuine idiots. And I guarantee you the “64%” figure will be accepted truth among many people within two months. ---
**Author:** ![litost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@litost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/litost)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694/20 "2003-01-31T02:19:43Z")
\*\* RickJay \*\* Much to my utter disappointment, I am slowly learning that that is precisely how the media works. There is so much mis-information and rhetoric… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-nelson-mandela-completely-lost-his-mind/151694.md?page=2)