US programs in Africa helping millions. Who knew?

President Bush has been vilified and criticized for years about his apparent disinterest in the poor and downtrodden of Africa. I say "apparent" because to all appearances, the US has done little to help the sick and poor of Africa. And who presents that appearance? Why, the US media. The same media that trumpets any less than stellar achievement as a disaster, IF the person to benefit is President Bush.
(emphasis mine)

President Bush and Sir Geldof

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. It was, for example, Bush who initiated the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with cross-party support led by Senators John Kerry and Bill Frist. In 2003, only 50,000 Africans were on HIV antiretroviral drugs — and they had to pay for their own medicine. Today, 1.3 million are receiving medicines free of charge. The U.S. also — whcontributes one-third of the money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria which treats another 1.5 million. It contributes 50% of all food aid (though some critics find the mechanism of contribution controversial). On a seven-day trip through Africa, Bush announced a fantastic new $350 million fund for other neglected tropical diseases that can be easily eradicated; a program to distribute 5.2 million mosquito nets to Tanzanian kids; and contracts worth around $1.2 billion in Tanzania and Ghana from the Millennium Challenge Account, another initiative of the Bush Administration.

So why doesn't America know about this? "I tried to tell them. But the press weren't much interested," says Bush.

Sir Bob Geldof, being British, misses this part of the equation when he scolds the President for his lack of knowledge about marketing. Its not that the press isn't interested. Its that the press is not interested in Bush getting ANY credit about ANYTHING. President Bush could cure cancer and he would not get good press. If Bill Clinton had achieved this, he would have been made a saint....