In his press conference yesterday, President Bush inartfully gave the impression that Saddam Hussein had killed former South African President Nelson Mandela, saying “Somebody said to me, I heard somebody say, ‘Now, where’s Mandela?’ Well, Mandela’s dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.” Watch it:
[flv http://video.thinkprogress.org/2007/09/mandelabush2.320.240.flv]
Apparently, Bush’s awkward phrasing led enough people to worry about the former president’s well-being that the Nelson Mandela Foundation needed to “reassure” people that he is still alive. “It’s out there. All we can do is reassure people, especially South Africans, that President Mandela is alive,” Achmat Dangor, chief executive officer of the foundation, told Reuters.