Everywhere he went in Africa, President Barack Obama was competing with history. There was the heroic leadership of former South African President Nelson Mandela, whose deteriorating health has captured the world's attention; the legacy in Africa of Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, who created a widely praised program to fight HIV and AIDS on the continent; and Against that backdrop, the initiatives Obama promoted on food security, improved health care and expanded access to electricity appeared to pale in comparison. "I know that millet and maize and fertilizer
Is that the half who pay taxes, or should the takers be proud of sending my money there, too?
The president at times seemed to be trying to will the traveling press corps and the American public back home to grasp the importance of the ventures. He took jabs at the U.S. media for only covering poverty or war in Africa and made a rare on-the-record appearance before reporters on Air Force One to give an extra boost to his program for reducing hunger.
Don't you people love him anymore? You tellin' me the thrill is gone?
The president's frustration underscored the challenges he faced during his three-country trip, which wrapped up Tuesday in Tanzania. While his Africa policies have the potential to improve the lives of millions of people on the continent, he lacks a signature initiative like Bush's anti-AIDS program, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. [PEPFAR] But with deep family ties to the continent and inevitable comparisons to Mandela's racial barrier-breaking, the expectations for him among Africans remain exceedingly high.
Yeah. Obama breaking down the barriers. Sure. Dudes with clubs at polling places come to mind.
"Your success is our success. Your failure, whether you like it or not, is our failure," Archbishop Desmond Tutu told Obama during his weekend stop in South Africa.But it's not racial unless a white dud - or dudette - says that.
Despite his policy differences with Bush, Obama
While also saying Obama made it better.
Obama also announced during the trip an ambitious new venture, dubbed "Power Africa," aimed at doubling access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. In an effort to try to shore up the sustainability of the programs, Obama focused on pressing African leaders to make government reforms and stem corruption.
"Sustainable" usually means "green", or wind-or-solar-powered. My irony meter is twitching...
It's a component of his Africa policy inspired in part by his father,
My poor irony meter just vaporized.