Bush Has Quietly Tripled Aid to Africa

Washington Post ^ | 31 December 2006 | Michael Fletcher

[shrinkermd]

President Bush's legacy is sure to be defined by his wielding of U.S. military power in Afghanistan and Iraq, but there is another, much softer and less-noticed effort by his administration in foreign affairs: a dramatic increase in U.S. aid to Africa.

[lonestar67]

I think he is awesome.

I am glad I voted for him.

[baseballmom]

I'm glad too.

God bless him.

[Lancey Howard]

The president has tripled direct humanitarian and development aid to the world's most impoverished continent since taking office and recently vowed to double that increased amount by 2010 -- to nearly $9 billion.

$9 billion here, $9 billion there....

[Black Republican for Bush]

As conservatives, we shouldn't lack compassion for the plight of others. We can carefully and intelligently give foreign aid. Uncaring people give conservatives a bad name. The president has clearly shown that he has a heart. One day the world will come to acknowledge this.

[norton]

"Comments are missing the point. President Bush did what he thought was right full well knowing that many in his party would be disappointed or angry."

...knowing that the new majority in congress will not recognize or laud the action despite their liberalness.
...knowing that the money will be wasted on an African elite long before a nickle gets to the masses.
...knowing that he will still be rated as 'worse than Saddam' by the majority of Africans.
...knowing that the next UN 'study' on any related subject will denounce the US for not sharing its wealth.

Great investment George but at least it didn't go to mexico.

PS: I KNOW I've read this same article before this posting. (?)

[ßuddaßudd]

Buying friends is not a good idea until they get here.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

And all of the money goes to corrupt tin-pot dictators. Foreign aid never goes to the people who need it.

And the funny thing is Bush will still get blamed for one thing or another anyway.

[Democratshavenobrains]

If this administration was smart, they would start allying with Ethiopia for PR purposes. I'm not saying that the country should be treated like Great Britain, but we have more in common with them than we do typical third world places.

[July 4th]

And we still haven't found what we're looking for.

[Dante3]

Money wasted. I wonder in whose pockets most of it goes. Bush spends our money like a Democrat. This and other spending, along with amnesty for foreign criminals and support of CFR, speaks for itself.

[hedgetrimmer]

The AIDs money is a bribe so that African countries will allow Direct Foreign Investment and so that their economies can be regionalized into the trading blocs the soviets, er internationalists are slavering for.

See the Doha round negotitations for details.

[JasonC]

Completely unsurprising and most welcome.

The narrow minded types who want their $30 back haven't got a clue.

[ClarenceThomasfan]

Good for President Bush. As an evangelical, I am very pleased.

Sadly his good efforts will not be applauded by the liberal blacks or by the extreme conservatives.

He did the right thing but with no hope of any kind of payback. Now there is someone with character!

[Toggameid]

I'm with you on this. All foreign aid should be stopped and that money returned to US, the taxpayers.

We should not be forced into paying for other people's and country's lack of self-sustaining capabilities.

You want to feed the Africans, shelter the poor Asians? Then donate to charity and left my money alone!

[A. Pole]

And the funny thing is Bush will still get blamed for one thing or another anyway.

Why? We can always blame Clinton!

[Centurion2000]

Comments are missing the point. President Bush did what he thought was right

When I see him using his OWN money for this pet project I'd agree.

Spending other people's money on what they think is right is a DEMOCRAT perspective.

[PeterPrinciple]

"...We can carefully and intelligently give foreign aid...."

Explain how to do this? My experience is that giving people things and solving their problems only prolongs the inevitable.

[hedgetrimmer]

Good for President Bush. As an evangelical, I am very pleased.

Evangelicals don't want the president to protect the rights of US citizens as guaranteed by the Constitution?

I think Clarence Thomas would disagree with your position.

If you look up the WTO, Doha and TRIPS and Africa, you'll see that Mr. Bush is doing this EXACTLY for the 'payback' US taxpayers will fund, for the globalists to collect. He never does ANYTHING that defends the rights of American citziens, that I can tell.

[Plains Drifter]

As a white conservative I'm tired of paying the world's bills. The infrastructure of this country is in need. Our seniors in this country are in dire need of help. Our military is in need of this money. In this country alone in the last three decades we have given three trillion dollars and what has it got us, nothing. The same goes for Africa. Africa is a bottomless pit that can never be fixed, and if it can, why can't the people there fix it. This conservative remembers back to 35 years ago when I got out of the United States Air Force and applied for government jobs and was told to step aside for less qualified minorities. My coffers and my compassion have run empty for minorities.

[A_perfect_lady]

I do think that is a worthy cause. It is also self-serving since epidemics don't respect national borders.

It's a lovely cause. For charity. Not tax dollars.