
President Barack Obama delivered a eulogy to South Africa’s late President Nelson Mandela at First National Bank Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg on Tuesday, before a large crowd that had gathered in the rain for a memorial together with dozens of
by Joel B. Pollak10 Dec 2013, 4:41 AM PST0

Robert Mugabe, the man who has ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist for decades, delayed wishing condolences on the occasion of President Nelson Mandela’s passing in South Africa last week. State-run media in Zimbabwe reported that Mugabe had been consumed
by Joel B. Pollak9 Dec 2013, 3:18 PM PST0
Former Secretary of State told CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday that he was certain that President Ronald Reagan had regretted his veto of sanctions against South Africa, which was overridden. “”I’m sure he did regret it, Bob, in fact,
by Joel B. Pollak9 Dec 2013, 6:48 AM PST0

The State of Israel may not send a senior political figure–either President Shimon Peres or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu–to South Africa for the memorial or funeral of former President Nelson Mandela this week, citing costs and security concerns. Similarly, the
by Joel B. Pollak9 Dec 2013, 5:27 AM PST0

As heads of state from around the world begin arriving in South Africa on Monday for the memorial and funeral to the late President Nelson Mandela, another great South African hero will be buried: Colin Eglin, the leader of parliamentary
by Joel B. Pollak8 Dec 2013, 11:27 PM PST0

Table Mountain, a flat-topped 3,558-foot massif that dominates the skyline over Cape Town, South Africa, was illuminated Sunday evening with a giant laser image of the late President Nelson Mandela, who died last week. The mountain, a sedimentary formation of
by Joel B. Pollak8 Dec 2013, 1:16 PM PST0

Last week, former George W. Bush strategist Matthew Dowd offered up an archetypal example of what Harvard literature scholar Philip Fisher terms “nightmare envy,” calling for the U.S. to face an Arab Spring-style uprising against economic inequality–or, as he called
by Joel B. Pollak8 Dec 2013, 9:53 AM PST0

The only thing more pathetic than the mainstream media focusing on Facebook trolls is conservatives falling for the bait. On Sunday’s edition of CNN’s State of the Union, host Candy Crowley asked Newt Gingrich to respond to comments on his
by Joel B. Pollak8 Dec 2013, 9:16 AM PST0

California’s state-run Obamacare health insurance exchange, Covered California, is touted by the Obama administration as a model of the policy’s success. That was, in fact, the political strategy all along, as Obama’s non-profit organization, Organizing for Action, focused on helping
by Joel B. Pollak8 Dec 2013, 8:17 AM PST0

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the hapless, goalpost-shifting so-called “architect” of Obamacare, told Fox News’ Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday that President Barack Obama’s promise “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor” was absolutely true–with one important caveat: if you
by Joel B. Pollak8 Dec 2013, 7:47 AM PST0

President Barack Obama will be visiting South Africa for the second time this year to attend Nelson Mandela’s memorial services. So, too will all other living past U.S. presidents–including Jimmy Carter, who worked with Mandela after the latter retired from
by Joel B. Pollak8 Dec 2013, 6:47 AM PST0

By far the best tribute to Nelson Mandela that I have read was not made in the past few days but fifteen years ago, when Mandela was about to leave the presidency. It was delivered in the Parliament of South
by Joel B. Pollak8 Dec 2013, 5:07 AM PST0

Agence France-Press, a global news service to which many publications (including Breitbart News) subscribe, whitewashed the crimes of jailed Palestinian activist Marwan Barghouti on Friday, in publishing his tribute to the late South African leader Nelson Mandela. Nowhere in AFP’s article
by Joel B. Pollak7 Dec 2013, 10:55 PM PST0
Secretary of State John Kerry told the Saban Forum in Washington, DC on Saturday that Israel faced two existential threats: a nuclear Iran and the “demographic time bomb” that supposedly awaits Israel if it fails to make peace with the
by Joel B. Pollak7 Dec 2013, 10:33 PM PST0

With the passing of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically-elected president, Americans have tried to understand what he meant for that country, and for the world. While some are drawn to Mandela’s role as a leader in the struggle against
by Joel B. Pollak7 Dec 2013, 9:37 PM PST0

The left media has continued exploiting the death of Nelson Mandela to attack conservatives. The latest version is Sam Kleiner’s attack at Foreign Policy and the Huffington Post, “Apartheid Amnesia: How the GOP conveniently forgot about its role in propping up
by Joel B. Pollak7 Dec 2013, 7:12 PM PST0

Rev. Jesse Jackson appeared on Fox News’ Special Report on Thursday to comment on the passing of Nelson Mandela–and to exploit Mandela’s death for his own campaign against “voter suppression,” i.e. laws requiring photo ID at the voting booth on Election
by Joel B. Pollak6 Dec 2013, 12:02 PM PST0
My friend Lindsey Leveen, who blogs about environmental issues (and green scams) at Green Explored, posted a very moving and interesting tribute to Nelson Mandela today, recalling how hopeless South Africa once was: I left South Africa after joining a
by Joel B. Pollak6 Dec 2013, 11:49 AM PST0

We knew the left would go there, and MSNBC’s Chris “Chicago is racist” Matthews, of course, was among the first, along with his colleague Al Sharpton, who is, of course, an icon of racial reconciliation in his own right. Matthews
by Joel B. Pollak6 Dec 2013, 11:27 AM PST0
In May 2013, President Barack Obama tried to control the damage of the IRS scandal by expressing his outrage–literally. In a statement in the East Room of the White House, he noted that “across the board, everybody believes what happened
by Joel B. Pollak6 Dec 2013, 10:49 AM PST0

Among the many dramatic events that dominated the headlines this week was an event of a private but no less dramatic nature: I survived a major car crash on Monday evening. I was driving through the calm streets of Santa
by Joel B. Pollak6 Dec 2013, 8:11 AM PST0
Some of the most prominent conservative leaders of the 20th century refused to support Nelson Mandela or his political party, the African National Congress. President Ronald Reagan preferred “constructive engagement” with the apartheid regime. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opposed
by Joel B. Pollak6 Dec 2013, 7:06 AM PST0

The comparison is so crude as to be laughable, but given the mainstream media’s immediate linkage of the two, and President Barack Obama’s insistence on talking about himself in his eulogy for Nelson Mandela, it must be said: Obama is
by Joel B. Pollak6 Dec 2013, 5:10 AM PST0

by Joel B. Pollak5 Dec 2013, 1:47 PM PST0

On Thursday evening, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews–a noted Barack Obama fan–will be interviewing the 44th president at one of the lowest points in his presidency. Mockery of Matthews has already ensued, especially after he promised to include some “easy” questions. Yet
by Joel B. Pollak5 Dec 2013, 12:48 PM PST0