Why did George Bush say Nelson Mandela is dead?

Answer 1

At a press conference on September 20, 2007, George Bush said: "I heard somebody say, 'Where's Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas."

Media soundbites that broadcast only the above quote, were misinterpreted by the public as a statement by George Bush that Saddam Hussein had killed Nelson Mandela. Bush was intending to explain that it was necessary for a continued U.S. presence in Iraq, because Saddam Hussein had executed anyone who could have potentially emerged as a leader to unite the country (in the way Nelson Mandela had in South Africa).

Bush's remark was criticized for being inarticulate, insensitive to South Africans (because of Mandela's advancing age and deteriorating health), and for narrow-mindedly assuming that Iraq lacked anyone with leadership potential.