to myself and it september me on an improbable journey that finds me here today. and while i will always fall short of madiba s example, he makes me want to be a better man. madiba being the clan name for nelson mandela. so this is the first african-american president of the united states paying prib beauty to the first black president of south africa. who he said inspired him personally to get into politics. i think it was quite a moment. i don t think it was lost on anybody in that stadium or around the world, wolf. s in a president very good at giving speeches. we ve heard many of them. but we hear few of them in which he speaks really from his soul about himself. and i think this is barack obama that kind of opened up to the spirit nelson mandela who, after all, was one of the most
johannesburg, the same location where nelson mandela delivered his first major speech after his release from prison back in 1990. during the program, world leaders praised mandela for his courage, for his dignity in the fight against apartheid. press obama says he showed the world what s possible. nelson mandela reminds us that it always seems impossible until it is done. south africa shows that is true. south africa shows we can change. that we can choose a world defined not by our differences but by our common hopes. we can choose a world defined not by conflict but by peace and justice. and opportunity. president obama s speech paid tribute to mandela s life and legacy and also a message about the political challenges he and other leaders face today. he says mandela s death should cause each of us he says, to
now. have a good afternoon. now. captions by vitac www.vitac.com right now, secretary of state john kerry about to testify about a deal to curb iran s nuclear program. we ll explain. highlights of the agreement, why secretary kerry may face a very tough sell up on capitol hill. also right now, federal offices here in washington, they are closed thanks to the weather the northeast is getting hit with another round of snow, sleet, rain and ice. and right now, world leaders are heading home after a moving memorial service for nelson mandela. we re going to bring you highlights from the service and from president obama s remarks honoring mandela s life and his legacy. hello, i m wolf blitzer reporting from washington. the goal is to prevent iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
[ female announcer ] we eased your back pain, you turned up the fun. tylenol® provides strong pain relief while being gentle on your stomach. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol®. president obama praising nelson mandela as a giant of history, but the president s encounter with another world leader is generating some serious discussion.
nelson mandela but also in terms of the challenge that these leaders face and that leaders of all nations face. wolf, what struck me also was that it was such a personal speech for this president. he didn t know mandela well personally. he met him when he was a united states senator. but he talked about that moment 30 years ago when he first heard mandela and heard about what he was doing in south africa, and he said in his speech that it stirred something in his soul. and that is why he got into politics. let me play a clip because that gets right to the point you re making. listen to this. over 30 years ago, while still a tuned, i learned of nelson mandela and the struggles taking place in this beautiful land. and it stirred something in me. it will woke me up to my responsibilities to others and