ahumbleman's Blog

 Part of the legacy that President Bush hopes to leave is that of a President who worked tirelessly to spread the cause of human freedom across parts of the world that have never tasted the nectar of freedom. Many have disagreed with the methods that the President has pursued (including myself), most particularly in relation to Iraq. Whatever one thinks of the decision to invade Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, the desire to see all human beings enjoy the freedom that they are rightly entitled to by God is an honorable virtue.

 The legacy of President Bush will largely be out of his hands, it will be determined by his successors, and whatever path they choose to take in regards to both Iraq and the larger struggle against extremism. (A struggle against  all forms of extremism, not just Islamic) Sadly, one part of Bush’s legacy that will be largely overlooked, and one that has certainly had a positive impact on the world, is his policy towards Africa, especially in relation to HIV/AIDS and Malaria.  Under the Bush administration, more than fifteen billion dollars has been spent in Africa helping combat the spread of these deadly diseases that devastate so many families in Africa. Under the Bush administration, hundreds of thousands of treated mosquito nets have been distributed to families in Africa. It has been estimated that well over a million lives have been saved from Malaria as a result of President Bush’s policies. U2 singer Bono, one of the great crusaders for the impoverished has called President Bush the best President for African issues in the history of the United States. Much of this was evident in the warm reception that Bush received in African countries he visited several months ago. As I mentioned previously, it is unfortunate that this piece of President Bush’s legacy will go largely unnoticed. His fate will be determined nearly entirely by events in Iraq, and whether or not his successor(s) can ensure a stable, free government.

 If President Bush wants to be remembered as someone who lead the fight for human freedom during his eight years in office, then in my opinion, President Bush simply cannot travel to China during the Olympic games. I do not think the United States should boycott the games, it would be unfair to the athletes who have trained so hard for this competition, and it would blow a tremendous opportunity to allow the athletes to make a statement on the field of competition. (see Jesse Owens, 1936 Berlin games) However, for the leader of the United States government, or of any free and democratic government across the globe to travel to China to commemorate the games would show at a best an attitude of apathy towards China’s numerous human rights abuses. This is not a liberal or conservative issue, this is about human justice and freedom. This is about freedom loving people around the world telling China that if it really wants to be seen as an emerging world power, then its policies of suppression towards the Tibetan people are unacceptable, its insistence that Taiwan is a part of China is unacceptable, its denial of political and religious freedom to its more than 2 billion citizens is unacceptable, its refusal to use its considerable influence with the Sudanese government to put an end to the genocide in Darfur is unacceptable. Freedom loving people and governments across this globe need to send a message to the Chinese government that these types of abuses will not be tolerated. The governments of the United States and all free countries should stand with the Tibetan people, the Taiwanese people, the Chinese people, and the people of Darfur. President Bush, this summer please stay home!