Bob Geldof in Rwanda gives Bush his props

[BobbyVan]

Source: Washington Times

Mr. Geldof praised Mr. Bush for his work in delivering billions to fight disease and poverty in Africa, and blasted the U.S. press for ignoring the achievement.

Mr. Bush, said Mr. Geldof, "has done more than any other president so far."

"This is the triumph of American policy really," he said. "It was probably unexpected of the man. It was expected of the nation, but not of the man, but both rose to the occasion."

"What's in it for ? Absolutely nothing," Mr. Geldof said.

Read more: http://video1.washingtontimes.com/fishwrap/2008/02/bob_geldof_in_rwanda.html

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VOMIT ALERT!!!

[underpants]

1. This is the correct way for him to handle this

Well sniping at the press excuse me pointing out how little coverage thsi has gotten may be pushing it (can't upset the press now can we) but in terms of praising the contact to the purse strings this is the smart move. You don't yell at the people who just started giving you money.

[Arkansas Granny]

3. Yes, this was about the only response he could make. If you

truly support a cause, you don't trash the person who has given you a large amount of money. Even so, he qualified it by saying that it was unexpected of the man.

[whistle]

2. I've read only what you posted and here is my reaction

:puke:

I don't think I read to go any further...:puke:

[babylonsister]

4. Bush decreases funds for AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2886220&mesg_id=2886220

Bush decreases funds for AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/18/bush-decreases-fund... /

Bush decreases funds for AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria.

As President Bush tours Africa this week, the White House is touting its record fighting disease. “The president is requesting an increase for our contribution to the Global Fund {to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria}, an increase above his last year request from $300 million to $500 million,” Mark Dybul, the president’s global AIDS coordinator, asserted. This figure, however, is misleading. The Washington Post reports:

Bush did request $300 million for the Global Fund for the current fiscal year, but Congress decided to go further and approved $841 million. So even though Bush’s request for $500 million for the next fiscal year is higher than he requested the year before, in reality it would cut the contribution back from the $841 million it is getting in cold hard cash this year.

Dybul “acknowledged that when pressed,” but added, “You don’t want to pile up money.”

[tanyev]

5. Bush Overstates Africa Aid Increase

David Bryden | July 20, 2005

Now that the dust has settled from the rush of media reports about Africa brought on by the Group of Eight summit, it’s worth taking a closer look at what the United States has actually committed to, in terms of aid for programs to address poverty and disease in Africa.

Just prior to the Summit, President George W. Bush said he would double U.S. assistance to Africa, and announced several new programs totaling $1.65 billion. The largest component is for malaria prevention and treatment ($1.2 billion), with smaller portions for education ($400 million) and programs to combat sexual violence and abuse against women ($55 million).

Unfortunately, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s claim that the world has committed to a massive increase in new aid to Africa relies on a very rosy interpretation of U.S. spending proposals. Make Poverty History, the U.K. counterpart to the U.S.-based One Campaign, correctly noted less than half of the aid increase pledged by the G8 was new funding and called the G8 deal “too little and too late.”

A closer look at Bush’s actual spending proposal shows that only 9% of it consists of new money ($800 million of the $8.8 billion committed between 2004 and 2010). Bush did announce $674 million in what he said was “additional” spending for humanitarian emergencies in Africa, but the fine print showed this was not actually new spending. In fact, the vast majority of the so-called “doubling” of U.S. assistance Bush promised is actually funding that was slated to be provided anyway, for the most part through the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) as well as the President’s global AIDS initiative. The MCA has been notably slow-paced, and Congress may well continue denying the increases that form a large part of the Bush pledge.

http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/171



And how much of the HIV/AIDS money is old money that has now been tied to abstinence only programs?

:grr:

[boilinmad]

6. 500 Million....

.....2 DAYS of funding the war in Iraq. Sad statistic.

[Virginia Dare]

7. Oh yes, shrubya the great humanitarian of our time..

I wish there was a way to calculate how many deaths he's responsible for as opposed to how many he's managed to save. I bet he's well into the deficit area.

Well that's great that he's helping to fight disease and poverty in Africa, how about the massive humanitarian crisis that he's caused in Iraq?

[monktonman]

8. Tell me why?....

I dont like mondays,
I dont like mondays.
B. Geldof

[LynnTheDem]

9. Mr. Geldof is under some serious delusions as to the actual facts.

That, or he knows the actual facts and is lying.


Always a tough call...Stupid? Liar? Or both?

[The Stranger]

10. Geldof's mind must have been obliterated by drugs.

He and Bono need to get together and worship the GOP together.

Imbeciles.

[superconnected]

11. I think Geldolf is calling it like he sees it.

Bush isn't the anti-christ. he's not 100% bad. Even Gotti had some nice points... a wife, kids...

Yes it's easy to consider that this was an f-up on bush's part and the money was meant to go to his cronies, but still, it landed where it should. So hats off to that.

Now let's put this man in prison and try him for war crimes because his other polices ARE killing people.

[CBHagman]

12. However, the costs of tax cuts and war run to trillions.

I don't have a figure in front of me, but obviously the Iraq war, which was entered into not by necessity but by choice, has already cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Remember how the GOP pooh-poohed the notion that it could be that expensive?

And I've also read that the tax cuts of the past few years, which of course disproportinately favor the wealthiest, cost above a trillion.

And let's not forget that both debt and deficit increased under Bush. That is the dirty little morning-after surprise that Bush is leaving the country. And conveniently, Bush will leave office with a pension and probable access to an income beyond our wildest dreams -- and leave the mess for the next president to clean up.

Members of the media, spare me the cooing about how wonderful Bush's Africa policy has been. He's done far more harm to the world than he has good, and his spending priorities provide ample evidence. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."