RUSH: Let me give you what is, I think, one of the most amazing things I ever heard Nelson Mandela say. We had fun with Mandela when he was in New York, when he came to New York and went to Yankees Stadium.

But I’ll tell you, there are very few people that could have undergone what he went through and maintained any sense of dignity or optimism. Most people who had been through what Mandela went through would have spent the rest of their life enraged and bitter and angry and would have tried to get even. In fact, you might almost be able to make the point that there are people in this country who have not lived through horrible times who want to act like they have in order to occupy victim status, but Mandela really did it.

One of the most amazing things that he said — I love profundities, and I particularly love short, pointed philosophy. Listen to this. “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Is that not great? And it’s great because it’s exactly right. Resentment doesn’t do anybody any good. It is a poison unto itself, and you’ve seen people like this. You know people, you’ve seen ’em, who run around constantly filled with resentment or anger over the way they’ve been disrespected or mistreated, and they can’t let go of it.

You don’t want to be around them. You lose patience and you want to shout, “Let it go, it’s over with, move on,” and those who can’t literally poison themselves to death. They figuratively poison themselves to death. So here’s Nelson Mandela. “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Nelson Mandela actually lived through the indignities, the punishment, the discrimination, the horrors of the South African apartheid system and came out of it.

Do you realize, when he was inaugurated president, he invited as his special guests the white jailers from his Robben Island prison? He literally did forgive everybody. Twenty-seven years of the prime of his life, and he said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Nelson Mandela would not qualify as a civil rights leader in this country, with that philosophy. They can’t let it go. It’s become too big a business. They will not let it go.

Mandela let it go.

It’s just amazing.

So Nelson Mandela: “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Now, who said this: “If they bring a knife into the fight, we bring a gun”? That’s Obama. Who said, “It’s very rare that I come to an event where I’m like the fifth or sixth most interesting person”? That’s the head of the Regime. That’s Obama. Who said, “We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us”?

That was Barack Obama. Who said, “We don’t mind the Republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back?” No, Bull Connor didn’t say that. No. That was Barack Obama. Who said, “I want you to argue with ’em and get in their face”? It would be the president of the United States. That would be Barack Obama, leader of the Regime. Nelson Mandela: “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”