The Bush Disconnect

In a telling and witty article by Bob Geldolf in Time Magazine last month, Geldolf brings attention to President Bush's successes in Africa but in doing so shows the tragic disconnect between Bush's wisdom on Africa and his policies both at home and abroad and his understanding of himself.

Bush states things in the article like,

• "One thing I will say: Human suffering should preempt commercial interest."
• "Stop coming to Africa feeling guilty. Come with love and feeling confident for its future."
• "When we see hunger we feed them. Not to spread our influence, but because they're hungry."
• "U.S. solutions should not be imposed on African leaders."
• "Africa has changed since I've become President. Not because of me, but because of African leaders."
• "[Evil] people prey on the hopeless. Hopelessness breeds terrorism. That's why this trip is a mission undertaken with the deepest sense of humanity, because those other folks will just use vulnerable people for evil."

Why these thoughts never bled into his actions in the rest of the world, we may never know. Bush's legacy will not be remembered for his aid to Africa but rather for his pride, mismanagement, co-opted religious messaging, Constitutional violations, destruction of America's moral platform in the world, and all-out crimes against humanity.

Part of me wants to celebrate Bush's successes in aiding Africa more so than any other US President in the past, but I end up more distressed because it makes me unable to write him off as insane. He's not, (no more than anyone else at least). But why the leader of the free world can't see the disconnect in his actions is mind-blowing. It makes the sins of his presidency all the more tragic.


Geldof and Bush: Diary From the Road
By BOB GELDOF
Time Magazine - Feb. 28th 2008

I gave the President my book. He raised an eyebrow. "Who wrote this for ya, Geldof?" he said without looking up from the cover. Very dry. "Who will you get to read it for you, Mr. President?" I replied. No response.

The Most Powerful Man in the World studied the front cover. Geldof in Africa — " 'The international best seller.' You write that bit yourself?"

"That's right. It's called marketing. Something you obviously have no clue about or else I wouldn't have to be here telling people your Africa story."

It is some story. And I have always wondered why it was never told properly to the American people, who were paying for it.

Continue reading the rest of the article here.