By George!

It has become quite fashionable these days to bash the current president. There have been quite a few good presidents that have left the oval office with miserable approval ratings, for example Harry Truman. Recently I have heard many talking heads on TV, and read many opinion pieces that suggest that President George W. Bush will go down as the worst President in history. Seriously, do they know anything about President Buchanan or President Pierce? History will almost surely have a different view of Bush's presidency than the one that the public perceives currently. Public opinion polls, although valid at measuring the current temperament and passions of the people, cannot measure the actual validity and veracity of their views. Hence I go against the current tides and write briefly about a major foreign policy success of President Bush which is close to my heart: Africa.

Americans should be proud of how President Bush has made a continent that has long been ignored by the West a priority. In his first years of office President Bush doubled aid to Africa, and by 2010 the US is on track to double aid once again. However this aid has not just been blindly given to governments, but instead has been carefully targeted.

Bush's PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) is leaving a lasting impact and legacy on the continent by providing life saving medicine. Before Bush enacted PEPFAR the United States helped all of 50,000 Sub-Saharan African's get life saving anti-retroviral drugs to help fight AIDS, now 1.3 million African's are receiving this help. Even the New York Times has sung the praises of PEPFAR's success, even though they could not resist a jab about how condoms should be handed out to African villagers first though.

Bush also enacted PMI, (President's Malaria Initiative) which is combating Malaria across Sub-Saharan Africa and has reached 25 Million people. Something as simple as a mosquito net to sleep under can help stop malaria from spreading.

I could go on about the Millenium Challenge Account, AFRICOM, and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (which has increased trade with Africa), which have all happened under President Bush's direction, but that would make an entirely too long post, entirely too long.

President Bush has shown compassion, but also foresight by investing in the future of Africa. Not only have his policies saved, preserved, and improved life for millions of Africans, but he has invested in a continent that over the coming decades will only grow in importance to the United States. Already the United States imports just as much oil from Africa as it does the Middle East, and by 2015, it is estimated that 25 percent of America's imported oil will originate from Africa, reducing our dependence on oil from the volatile Middle East. The Global War on Terrorism also incorporates Africa, in particular the Horn of Africa. Preventing failed states in Africa denies a breeding ground for radicalism, and terrorism. Furthermore important minerals such as coltan (your cell phone, and computer that you are using right now would not work without it) are found in copious amounts in Africa, in particular in the DRC. Finally, the United States dedication to train and equip professional African military forces will enable African nations, and in particular the AU to be able to devise and enforce African solutions to African conflicts.

So make your Dubya joke, but meanwhile his policies in Africa have provided hope and life to millions. I hope that our next President will continue to build upon the foundation that President Bush has put in place in Africa, doing so will invest in both Africa, and America's future.