A lot of people from all sides of the political spectrum have pointed out Bob Geldof's apparent apostasy, in which he praised George Bush, and said that when it came to aiding Africa, Bill Clinton did, errmmm...nothing. Actually he used a much cruder phrase than that, but this is a family blog. Follow the link, and you can read it yourself.

What I found surprising is that no one has pointed out the most egregious example of Clinton being all hat and no cattle when it comes to Africa. President Bush is being praised by Mr. Geldof for pledging fifteen million dollars to AIDS relief. Remember Bill Clinton's trip to Africa in the spring of 1998, on which he took seemingly half of his administration, including Betty Currie (after pressuring her to perjure herself on his behalf)? The GAO estimated that it cost over forty million dollars.

Imagine how much more usefully that money could have been spent for Africans than on an African junket for his staff and photo ops for a man who was in the process of trying to distract the country from his intern and perjury problems. But apparently poor Mr. Geldof hasn't learned that Mr. Clinton is above criticism, particularly when it comes to Africa--he is, after all, the first "black President."

[Update at 8:15 PM PDT]

D'oh!!!!

A commenter points out that Bush pledged fifteen billion dollars, not fifteen million. Big deal--I was within three orders of magnitude.

My point still stands. Clinton was all show, and no go. Geldof was right.

I thought Bush pledged $15 Billion dollars, not $15 million?

Richard Swan

And it's "apostasy." ;)

Now, if George Bush can return the favor and tell Bob Geldof exactly why he don't like Mondays, we'd all be better off.

Who could have ever guessed that Slick Willy would do nothing and spend a pot load of money doing it. It seems odd that the several of the African countries he visited are the ones known for very potent hemp based products. Coincidence? I think not!

Africa existed to serve the needs of Bill Clinton and not the other way around. Just like the rest of creation as well.

Even Dick Morris referred to him as a sociopath on Hannity's radio show last week. I have diagnosed him as a sociopath as long as one year after he was first in the office of the presidency.

Also, very little money is in fiscal years 2003 & 2004. This puts off the big spending till after the next election.

Sociopath? I'd say he exhibits classic narcissistic personality disorder, myself... here's one money quote:

"The narcissist is forced to use other people in order to feel that he exists. It is trough [sic] their eyes and through their behaviour that he obtains proof of his uniqueness and grandeur. He is a habitual "people-junkie". With time, he comes to regard those around him as mere instruments for his satisfaction, as two-dimensional cartoon figures with negligible lines in the script of his magnificent life. He becomes unscrupulous and suppresses all the discomfort that he might have felt in the past concerning his conduct. He seems never to be bothered by the constant use he makes of his milieu. He seems not to mind the consequences of his acts: the damage and the pain that he inflicts on others and even the social condemnation and sanctions that he often has to endure."

Therefore it's the response to his "benevolence" that's the goal, not what actually happens to the people in Africa.