Dannemeyer Scorns Mandela Visit

Rep. William E. Dannemeyer on Monday denounced Nelson Mandela’s scheduled appearance before Congress today as “a national disgrace.”

Mandela’s “longstanding support for such luminaries of freedom as Fidel Castro, Yasser Arafat and the Libyan loony Moammar Kadafi” makes him an inappropriate guest to speak before a joint meeting of Congress, Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) said in a one-minute speech on the House floor before business hours Monday.

“The invitation alone heaps shame on this body (Congress),” Dannemeyer said. “Nelson Mandela is no Martin Luther King. . . . Mandela should be condemned.”

During a television appearance on ABC-TV’s “Nightline,” aired Thursday, Mandela defended his ties with Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Arafat, Libyan leader Kadafi and Cuban President Castro, all of whom supported his African National Congress “to the hilt.”