GEORGE WHO?:

Bush encouraged by Africa trip: His five-nation tour emphasized reconciliation, growth and fighting disease. It ends in Liberia, where he focuses on education. (James Gerstenzang, 2/22/08, Los Angeles Times)

For Bush, this visit was all about Africa's economic growth, political reconciliation in many parts after years of violence, and success in fighting the scourges of HIV/AIDS and malaria. Besides Liberia, he visited Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana.

The journey was "one of the most exciting" of his presidency because of its focus, Bush told reporters on the flight home. It offered "a chance to herald courageous people in their efforts to deal with hopelessness," he said.

"I would hope that [the United States] never says, 'Well, it's not worth it over there, what happens over there,' or it says, 'Well, we've got to take care of our own first, exclusively,' " Bush said, seated at a conference table and wearing a blue Air Force One windbreaker, warm-up pants and plastic clogs without socks. "My answer is, we can do both. We're a generous country."

Bush 'at home' with allies in Africa (Jon Ward, February 22, 2008, Washington Times)
President Bush completed his Africa tour yesterday by meeting with one of his strongest allies on the continent and thanking the African people for their wildly enthusiastic reception of him over the past week.

"Though we are 4,500 miles from home, I feel at home here," Mr. Bush said in remarks under a hot sun on a parade grounds in front of more than 600 Liberian soldiers.

Mr. Bush arrived in Liberia early yesterday morning and was greeted, as he was at every stop on this five-country trip, by thousands of onlookers along the motorcade route — many of them waving U.S. flags and cheering.
Wait, that doesn't fit the media narrative....

VIDEO: Bush dances his way into Liberian hearts (guardian.co.uk, February 22 2008)

President's David Brent-style gyrations take US-Liberian relations to a whole new level during a visit to Monrovia

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 22, 2008 7:51 AM