Last Post of Year

It has been by all accounts an extremely miserable year for President Bush. I've been highly critical of his policies--even more so of late.

So for the final post I'm goinig to end on a positive and a compliment to the President. Story here from WashingtonPost on how Bush has tripled aid to Africa.

Good story diminished by stupid a-- subtitle: Increase in Funding to Impoverished Continent Is Viewed as Altruistic or Pragmatic. What is the deal with this stupidly unnecessarily binary commentary--as if altruism wasn't the most pragmatic option of all.

Anyway, that ignorance aside, key quote:

To many longtime Africa supporters, all of this is surprising for a president who is often criticized as lacking curiosity about much of the world and who heads a political party traditionally skeptical of the efficacy of foreign aid. But attacking African poverty has become a growing priority of some of the religious groups at the core of Bush's political base, and some lawmakers credit them with stoking the president's interest in the subject. "The evangelical community raised the awareness of HIV and AIDS to the president," said Rep. Donald M. Payne (N.J.), the top-ranking Democrat on the House International Relations subcommittee on Africa. "When the Bush administration came in, HIV and AIDS were not an overwhelming priority. Now we have seen a total metamorphosis."

Africa is also where the next (and last) major phase of globalization and cultural push back--in the form of jihadism and/or some new to be formed anti-global ideology to spring from the mother continent. There are other fringe areas--Caribbean which whose push will begin as soon as Castro dies and Andean South America which is already seeing anger with Morales from business sector Ecuadorians--but the two major disconnected blocks are ME and SubSah. Africa.

It is a good thing that evangelicals are pushing the White House on human rights, religious freedom, and interventions in Africa. Now if they would only push for a Dept. of Reconstruction. Call it my New Year's Wish.