"Gunny" Bob scorned Democrats but not GOP, administration figures who back removing Mandela from terrorist lists

Summary: Host "Gunny" Bob Newman of Newsradio 850 KOA scorned Democrats for "leading the charge" to remove "admitted terrorist" Nelson Mandela from U.S. government terrorist watch lists. But Newman omitted that Bush administration figures such as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and Republican U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg (NH), also support the move, with Rice calling Mandela's inclusion on the lists "rather embarrassing."

On his June 19 broadcast, Newsradio 850 KOA host "Gunny" Bob Newman declared that "Democrats are leading the charge" to remove Nelson Mandela -- whom Newman characterized as an "admitted terrorist" -- from U.S. government terrorist watch lists "[b]ecause his birthday's coming up, and they want to give him a birthday present." Newman failed to state that, as USA Today reported on May 1, Republican Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called it "rather embarrassing" that "the great leader Nelson Mandela," who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, requires a State Department waiver to enter the United States. Similarly, USA Today reported, "Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says 'common sense' suggests Mandela should be removed" from the watch lists.

Moreover, Republican U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg (NH), in introducing a measure to authorize the State Department to issue visas to Mandela and other African National Congress (ANC) personnel without having to grant a special waiver, declared, "Everyone agrees that Nelson Mandela and other ANC members who courageously struggled against apartheid rule should be allowed to visit the United States without embarrassing delays caused by visa waivers."

Other than his "birthday present" remark, Newman did not explain to listeners why proponents want Mandela removed from terrorist watch lists. Newman later suggested that "25 or 30 years from now," Democrats would seek to remove Osama bin Laden's name from such lists because "he only gave the order to kill on 9-11 and conduct all those other terrorist acts. He never really led any of them himself."

From the June 19 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's The Gunny Bob Show:

NEWMAN: And then we have the Democrats leading the charge to get admitted terrorist Nelson Mandela -- read his book, he admits it in his book -- off of the U.S. government's official terrorist list. Why do the Democrats want him off? Because his birthday's coming up, and they want to give him a birthday present.

I'm not makin' it up. The Democrats are leading the charge to have this done. He's gonna be turning 90 soon, and the Democrats said, "Well, you know, all right, so he blew up all those people, he burned those people alive. He scattered their body parts all over South Africa. You know, these things happen. He's an old guy now. Let's let him off the hook."

So 25 or 30 years from now, Osama bin Laden, his name will come up with the Democrats, and they'll try to say, well, you know, "Well, you know, he's really old now; let's let bygones be bygones. You know, he only gave the order to kill on 9-11 and conduct all those other terrorist acts. He never really led any of them himself. He was simply the figurehead, the guy who ordered it, who helped organize things; you know, helped with the recruiting with the terrorists. So let 'im off the hook."

As USA Today reported, the inclusion of ANC members on United States terrorist watch lists dates to South Africa's apartheid era:

WASHINGTON -- Nobel Peace Prize winner and international symbol of freedom Nelson Mandela is flagged on U.S. terrorist watch lists and needs special permission to visit the USA. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls the situation "embarrassing," and some members of Congress vow to fix it.

The requirement applies to former South African leader Mandela and other members of South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC), the once-banned anti-Apartheid organization. In the 1970s and '80s, the ANC was officially designated a terrorist group by the country's ruling white minority. Other countries, including the United States, followed suit.

Because of this, Rice told a Senate committee recently, her department has to issue waivers for ANC members to travel to the USA.

"This is a country with which we now have excellent relations, South Africa, but it's frankly a rather embarrassing matter that I still have to waive in my own counterpart, the foreign minister of South Africa, not to mention the great leader Nelson Mandela," Rice said.

[...]

In 1990, Mandela was freed after 27 years in prison for crimes committed during the struggle against Apartheid, a repressive regime that subjugated black South Africans. In 1994, he was elected South Africa's first black president.

Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., called ANC members' inclusion on watch lists a "bureaucratic snafu" and pledged to fix the problem.

Members of other groups deemed a terrorist threat, such as Hamas, also are on the watch lists.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says "common sense" suggests Mandela should be removed. He says the issue "raises a troubling and difficult debate about what groups are considered terrorists and which are not." [emphasis added]

On April 3, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced H.R. 5690, legislation titled "To remove the African National Congress from treatment as a terrorist organization for certain acts or events, provide relief for certain members of the African National Congress regarding admissibility, and for other purposes." The House passed the bill by voice vote on May 8. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) introduced companion legislation, S. 2979, on May 6.

Gregg, who is the ranking Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, introduced an amendment to an appropriations bill "to provide the U.S. Department of State with the necessary authority to issue visas to members of the African National Congress (ANC) without obtaining waivers." A May 15 press release from Gregg's office announcing the amendment stated:

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (S/FOPS), today offered an amendment to the fiscal years 2008 and 2009 Supplemental Appropriations bill to provide the U.S. Department of State with the necessary authority to issue visas to members of the African National Congress (ANC) without obtaining waivers.

During the apartheid regime in South Africa (1948-1994), members of the ANC were found guilty of "terrorist acts" by the government, yet the ANC was never designated a terrorist organization by the United States. Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has been a democratic government led by the ANC. However, convictions of ANC members under the apartheid government trigger the United States Immigration and Nationalization Act, which automatically denies visa applications of ANC members and requires a waiver to be issued each time an application is made to enter the country.

Senator Gregg stated, "Everyone agrees that Nelson Mandela and other ANC members who courageously struggled against apartheid rule should be allowed to visit the United States without embarrassing delays caused by visa waivers. While relations between the United States and South Africa are good, the visa hassles and delays for ANC members are unnecessary irritants. Imagine the outrage if similar restrictions were imposed by our friends and allies abroad on those who struggled for civil rights in the United States."

In a recent S/FOPS Subcommittee hearing, Senator Gregg brought this matter before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who expressed her support for fixing this problem expediently. [emphasis added]

—E.B. & J.F.B.