Funny how there has been complete silence from the left about Bush’s agenda toward Africa…wonder why that is?
Could it be because he has done more to help this continent then Clinton did?
Bush, however, announced that the United States will provide $674 million in additional resources “to respond to humanitarian emergencies in Africa,” specifically the famine in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The United States has already provided $1.4 billion to Africa this year through the United Nations and separately pledged $15 billion to fight AIDS in Africa over the next decade. Bush noted that U.S. aid for Africa has tripled during his presidency.
“Helping those who suffer” in Africa is “a central commitment of my presidency,” Bush said. “We’re committed to doing more in the future.”
For his part, Blair welcomed the gesture, acknowledging part of the problem in accelerating Africa’s progress is making sure aid money is not lost to corruption or squandered on nations that don’t aggressively embrace democratic reforms.
“It’s about making sure that in doing this is not a something-for-nothing deal,” Blair said.
The British prime minister is expected to push for the debt-relief plan when he hosts theG-8 summit of industrial nations in Gleneagles, Scotland next month. Bush was quick to say that the United States supports debt cancellation and is the world leader in terms of African aid.
Who can forget Geldof’s statement a few years ago:
…Former president Bill Clinton had not helped Africa much, despite his high-profile visits and apparent empathy with the downtrodden, the organizer of Live Aid, claimed. “Clinton was a good guy, but he did fuck all.”
…Lord Alli, the aid activist who is accompanying Geldof on the trip organized by the UN children’s aid agency Unicef, echoed his praise of the Bush administration.
“Clinton talked the talk and did diddly squat, whereas Bush doesn’t talk, but does deliver,” Lord Alli said.
Or how about Bono’s recent statements?
Bono has praised US President George W Bush for his quick wits and empathy.
The outspoken rocker was also amazed to find Bush was sympathetic to his fight against poverty and AIDS in Africa.
He says: “He was more amusing than I expected?? quick-witted. I got quickly to the point and the point was an unarguable one – that 6,500 people dying every day of a preventable and treatable disease would not be acceptable anywhere else other than Africa, and that before God and
history this was a kind of racism that was unacceptable.
“He said: ‘In fact, it’s a kind of genocide.’ “
Although I consider Bono a leftist, he is one of the few who will not go along with the crowd and actually make decision’s on his own. He has the guts to tell the left that Bush is not this hitler that your leaders say he is….
Sadly, most of the left will just call him a sell out and go along with the party line. Just sad.
Hopefully someday they too will grow up.
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