Sunday, President George W. Bush gave Tanzania’s president a pair of Shaquille O’Neal’s size 32 basketball shoes, along with millions of dollars in an effort to help fight poverty and disease in East Africa, according to CNN.com.
CNN reported that the U.S. signed a contract with Tanzania for a $698 million grant. Some of the money will go toward funding mosquito nets and insecticide to help prevent the spread of malaria.
Bush’s African tour will see him visiting Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will also be in Kenya today to help aid in political conciliation there.
The Bush administration is obviously trying to leave with a bang. The visit to Africa, the grant to aid in alleviating poverty and the representational support for the genocide epidemic in Africa is an honorable step toward world cooperation.
As black history month lingers on, Bush’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. But it seems unimportant to the countless people who’ve lost trust in Bush during his second term.
This sentiment has been echoed by democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who have been promising a change from the Bush administration. With debates about an unnecesary Iraq war, a poor economy, and faulty Homeland security, these candidates have placed the blame on Bush for America’s problems .
American citizens shouldn’t judge Bush on his past, because next year the country will have a brand new president to put their trust in.
We may never have to see the likes of the Bush dynasty again. Even though he has made poor executive decisions in the past, it seems that he is trying to create a positive future for the country.
We should learn to give credit where credit is due. We applaud Bush for his efforts and only hope that our next president carries the torch to end world poverty and genocide.
However, we also hope that whoever it is does a better job than his or her predecessor.
Candice Montgomery for the Editorial Board.