Bono was "seeking to close a 'commitment gap' between what President Bush has requested for anti-poverty efforts and what Congress has agreed to spend in the past." However, he got no commitment from Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

The Captain:

Frustrated, Bono lashed out, saying that the million families that would not get mosquito netting to protect them from malaria didn't give a damn which party had control of Congress; all they would know would be that the Americans didn't make good on their promises. Later, he softened that statement, but his anger clearly shone through.

. . .

d rather that Bono focused on the long-term solutions for poverty and suffering in Africa, which is the political structures and dynamics that perpetuate it. Africa for the most part should produce agriculture in such abundance as to be net exporters to the world, and while tariffs do bar some of that from the market (which Bono also fights, to his credit), mostly they don't produce because warlords ravage the land. Under those circumstances, where the West clings to political correctness and bogus environmentalism, avoids the hint of colonialism, and allows the bullies to abuse the weak, aid will make no long-term difference except to make those situations even worse than they are now.

Now I totally understand where the Captain is coming from, but I think Bono does (mostly) good work, and legitimately wants to help poor people in Africa. I wish he's jump on the DDT wagon too, but the Democrats didn't cite the reasons the Captain gave as why they didn't commit, they did the only thing they know how...they claimed the Republicans would block it. Now, we'll never know.

Posted by Ryan S. on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 10:50 PM | Permalink |