President Bush begins five nation Africa tours...

Bush began a six-day, five-nation tour of Africa on Friday, hoping to showcase progress on AIDS and malaria and his commitment to economic development on the world’s poorest continent.Bush and first lady Laura Bush will visit Benin, Ghana and Tanzania — three of Africa’s most stable countries — as well as Liberia and Rwanda, which have emerged from civil wars. By all accounts, Bush has done more to combat the AIDS pandemic that has devastated Africa than any other president, and even his harshest critics usually credit him for paying attention to a region often neglected by Washington. His five-year, $15 billion AIDS relief plan is the largest-ever international health initiative devoted to one disease, raising the number of people on anti-retroviral treatments from 50,000 to 1.3 million. And while Much of the world has soured on the United States, a surveys by the Pew Global Attitudes Project show that Africa is one place where it is held in high regard.

The White House says the trip is an opportunity to demonstrate US commitment to these countries and to Africa in general.

Liberia might be choosen as location for Africom...

President Bush, embarking on his second trip to Africa on Friday said that Liberia might be chosen to be a new location of U.S. military command for Africa, local mass media reported Friday.President Bush said the possible shift of the U.S. military command for Africa to the continent from its current home in Germany will be on the agenda as he meets with leaders of five African countries.
"If there is going to be a physical presence on the continent of Africa in the forms of a headquarters ... obviously we would seriously consider Liberia," Bush said in an interview with foreign media on Thursday and released on Friday. The U.S. attention to Africa has been growing in recently years amid concerns that some African countries could become safe havens for militants seeking to base operations and plan attacks on the United States.Liberia has publicly offered to host a headquarters, while other African powers like Nigeria, and South Africa, have reservations about where the command would be based and whether it would give the U.S. too much influence.
Mainwhile back in Liberia, the Government has accelerated a major clean-up of the capital, Monrovia, ahead of President Bush's visit to Liberia on February 21,The main streets are being swept and makeshift structures on the roadside are being demolished.
While America's standing in much of the world has diminished because of the Iraq war and other Bush administration policies, A recent Pew poll of 47 nations found that America's popularity is exceptionally high in Africa, where some hold the U.S. in higher regard than Americans do themselves, America's popularity verges on exuberance especially in Liberia,a nation founded in 1847 by freed U.S. slaves, many Liberians remember the sight of U.S. warships off the Liberian coast and Bush's call for former President Charles Taylor, accused of orchestrating war crimes, to leave, they believe that president bush was very instrumental in helping to end the the Liberian civil war. Liberians are also grateful to Bush for the recent cancellation of the country's debt.

So funny.....

I found this funny video of comedy central's Jon Stewart making fun of Liberia and former dictator Charles Taylor, and i just had to share it.



enjoy folks.