Bush meets Africa

The public spin on George W Bush’s 5-nation trip in Africa starting today through the middle of next week is ‘development assistance’ as well as checking up on American-induced ‘success’ stories in a range of African countries (including Rwanda and Liberia where the official US policy does not have a great reputation). However, the New York Times printed the private (and at the same very transparent) reasoning behind the trip midway through a preview piece today though:

…. By putting the spotlight on American soft power, especially his initiatives to combat AIDS and malaria, the White House had hoped to burnish Mr. Bush’s legacy — and by extension, the United States.

“The focus of this trip is legacy, legacy, legacy,” said J. Anthony Holmes, an Africa expert at the Council on Foreign Relations and former ambassador to the West African nation of Burkina Faso under Mr. Bush. “They clearly want to highlight and enshrine what the president has accomplished, as well as to get some political points.”

The rest of the article here.