The Anchoress

President George W. Bush hugs a woman after a visit to Maasai Girls School in Arusha, Tanzania WH Photo by Eric Draper

I didn’t know Bush was still there! There is so little press coverage of Bush’s very well received visit to Africa that we don’t even know he’s there.

Contrast that to the day-to-day coverage (even his rest-stops were covered!) of President Clinton’s trip to Africa a decade ago - which was written about, analyzed, photographed and reported on endlessly and with a fervor bordering on the coverage on might expect to herald the second-coming of Christ.

Irish Rocker Bob Geldorf is insulted on Bush’s behalf at the flimsy coverage:

Mr. Geldof said…he is also “pissed off” at the press for their failure to report on this good news story.
“You guys didn’t pay attention,” Geldof said to a group of reporters from all the major newspapers.
Bush administration officials, incidentally, have also been quite displeased with some of the press coverage on this trip that they have viewed as overly negative and ignoring their achievements.

Well of course the coverage has been negative and ignoring. Good news that reflects well on President Bush is not permitted. As I’ve said before, there will be no good news allowed, anywhere in America, until the ‘08 elections are over, and especially there will be no good news about President Bush.

And why should there be? After all Bush=Hitler.

Today Bush visited a memorial to The Rwanda Horrors of 1994. The American President of that era was afraid to get involved; the polls weren’t in favor; if things had gone badly, it would have been difficult. And if Bush had held the same sort of mindset, Saddam Hussein would still be in power, with his rape rooms and his mass graves still doing business.

He won’t get credit for freeing millions of people in Iraq and helping to form a Democracy there, or for advancing the cause of women in the Middle East, or for helping millions dying in Africa. Not in this historical cycle, anyway.

Love him or hate him, agree with him or not, Bush saw a thing that needed doing and he did it, regardless of how it would affect his poll numbers and his “world love.” And I say again: will will miss him when he is gone from office. There is no one currently running for President who has his nerve or conviction.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” — Teddy Roosevelt

Meanwhile the pictures at the first link are great. (H/T SV)

The Wall Street Journal notices the Quagmire the press finds itself in as regards Bush. Great piece.

My Li’l Bro Thom, who watches this stuff, noted that “Bush in Africa was all over the news this morning…but only because the press was covering Castro and needed to cover Bush’s remarks.” Typical.

Rick at Brutally Honest has noticed the press’ incuriousity, too.