Bush's Legacy - Hero for Africa

[DeWayneTN]

Just read a great blog by Cameron Strang (of Relevant magazine) regarding the recent event with Rick Warren and President Bush. Thought several of you would like it.

http://relevantmagazine.com/releblog/ca ... ed-legacy/

[MacUser]

Rick Warren hosted a Civil Forum on Global Health in Washington, D.C. The event was an hour-long interview between Warren and President George W. Bush to discuss the unprecedented work being done in Africa through his President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). As Warren said when introducing the president, “No man in history, no world leader, has done more for global health than President George W. Bush.” Not exactly something you hear much about in the media.

.. Twenty years from now, how will history remember him? Economies ebb and flow, but his administration championing an agenda that has literally saved millions of lives will likely be something history only truly acknowledges with time and perspective.

****

Amazing. Thanks for Sharing this link.

Shame other Bush Bashers are unable to digest / factor correctly because this very reporting forum is biased.. based on the liberal "tolerance" of all positions outlook.

[Tim Elston]

Shame other Bush Bashers are unable to digest / factor correctly because this very reporting forum is biased.. based on the liberal "tolerance" of all positions outlook.

I don't quite follow that sentence, but I, for one, appreciate what Bush has done in Africa. He's given a lot of aid there, tied it to abstinence encouragement, hasn't started any proxy wars there, has pressured China to help Darfurians, and has put pressure on Mugabe to share power. To my knowledge, his Africa policy has been pretty good, as it has been on the Korean pennisula.

As far as media coverage of this, I saw these on a first glance of a simple Google search:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2262217/Analysis-How-George-W-Bush-became-an-African-hero.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSL17797120080217?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&rpc=22&sp=true
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19053773
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/15/georgebush.usa
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/12/01/world.aids.day/index.html

[MacUser]

Sure right up there with about as much positive coverage as Sara Palin gets.

[Full Quiver]

And when Bill O'Reilly pointed all this out to Ted Turner he (Ted) was for once speechless.

[Tim Elston]

Sure right up there with about as much positive coverage as Sara Palin gets.

You don't like it that, in your estimation, the media don't give Bush credit for what he does, but you don't give the media credit for what they do. They covered the story, but you deflect that as being insufficient. Maybe the media deflect your standard of only praise for Bush because they think that standard is insufficient.

[MacUser]

you don't give the media credit for what they do. They covered the story, but you deflect that as being insufficient.

Insufficient coverage? Absolutely. I do deflect the liberal media as being insufficient. I have that right. What about just fair coverage and not an action line or agenda driven event? An obscure link dropped into the media cycle isn't enough. This isn't supernatural.. surely you can see this at least?

Let us compare a hypothetical insufficiently covered media driven event. Hummm.. let's again take Palin again for example.


Topic: Church Burning - Enter Two Action Lines below..

1) United Trinity Church of Christ in Chicago. ( Obama's Home Church ). If it were attacked and burned while people were on the inside practicing for a Christmas play.. the Media Cycle would have had a FEST. Such a prominent event so close to a huge election would be headline news. The news coverage would have been 24/7 round the clock.. taking about hate crimes and right wing zealots. Almost every Liberal and Conservative Senator would be having airtime denouncing this type of activity. It would nothing short of a circus.

2) Wasilla Bible Church. ( Sara Palin's Church ) - If it were attacked and burned while people were on the inside practicing for a Christmas play.. the Media Cycle would have had a FEST. Such a prominent event so close to a huge election would be headline news. The news coverage would have been 24/7 round the clock.. taking about hate crimes and left wing wackos. Almost every Conservative and Liberal Senator would be having airtime denouncing this type of activity. It would nothing short of a circus.



Uhhhh.. wait a second here! The Wasilla Bible Church WAS attacked! The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the accelerant was poured at several locations around the church, including entrances. Wow... but wait.. we DIDN'T get the 24/7 news cycle as mentioned above? Have you seen the pictures? The burned windows? Video clips of the Pastor speaking to the congregation?

Why I wonder? Do you think that United Trinity Church of Christ in Chicago would have had the same level of media coverage (even if Obama lost the election?)

People SEE this and people UNDERSTAND the bias. You see it also.. yet defend instead of condemn. It exists. Yes, it is Insufficient.

[Tim Elston]

Mac, how did you hear about Palin's church burning? How did you hear about President Bush's aid to Africa? You heard it through the media. I heard about these things first through CNN. And I wasn't even looking for it. They told me about it.

I can give them credit for that. Apparently your bias won't let you.

[MacUser]

Tim,
I actually heard it on Christian Radio first. They were highlighting this very issue that I am now.

Keep on defending Tim...

[Tim Elston]

I actually heard it on Christian Radio first.

Which news service did your Christian radio station get it from?

Keep on defending Tim.

Just giving credit to whom credit is due. I and millions of others heard it first through CNN. Love the truth or deny it.

[MacUser]

Tim,
AFR / American Family Radio via http://www.onenewsnow.com/.

Remember, it's not how you get the news. It's what you do with it when you get the news. It didn't meet the correct action line... based on an agenda.

If you think this event was "dressed correctly" as it would have been if it was Obama's Pastor then you sir are a fop .

[Tim Elston]

AFR / American Family Radio via http://www.onenewsnow.com/.

Good job researching that. It looks like the American Family News Network is doing its job well, too.

Remember, it's not how you get the news. It's what you do with it when you get the news. It didn't meet the correct action line... based on an agenda.

My guess is that if they don't make hay over whatever the right-wing or left-wing thinks they ought to make hey over, the wings cry fowl. Different networks have different biases, I'll give you that, but I know that for me the extreme right-wing bias is not the standard I hold networks up to. If you were able, you would see that it's not as bad as you think it is.

If you think this event was "dressed correctly" as it would have been if it was Obama's Pastor then you sir are a fop .

Obama's pastor got run through the ringer by the media, but, of course, that doesn't qualify for you. Bill Clinton got run through the ringer by the media, too, but we right-wingers (I was one back then) couldn't see that.

Bottom line for me is that I heard about Palin's church and Bush's Africa legacy through CNN. I can give it credit for that. You can't apparently. It would hurt too much.

[MacUser]

Thanks for *finally* acknowledging BIG News has an agenda. My ultimate point proven.



BTW.. These examples you site.. we're unavoidable train wrecks and deserved MORE condemnation / passover than what they got! The associations of Obama were not fully vetted by the BIG news and you know it. They even admit it now. Look at the mess occurring right now as a result of an uninformed agenda driven public.


It's simply called high standards Tim. I just expect more. You apparently don't.

[Tim Elston]

Thanks for *finally* acknowledging BIG News has an agenda. My ultimate point proven.

In Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC, I know that you recall that I acknowledged bias in the news media. What I don't acknowledge is that Fox News is "fair and balanced" or that "journalism" on the extreme right is the standard for how networks should treat news stories, and what I don't expect you to take from the observation that networks are biased is that Fox News or American Family Radio Network is biased.

My argument in this current thread is that media like CNN, NPR, the Guardian, and Rueters covered both Palin's church burning and Bush's good work in Africa, but that you can't acknowledge their coverage of it. So far, you have not acknowledged that. You remind me of people I know who can't bring themselves to acknowledge any good that Bush has done because they are too consumed with the need to find him at fault. You can't acknowledge the good that media networks do because you have too great a need to bash them for not accepting your bias as the standard of journalistic professionalism.

BTW.. These examples you site.. we're unavoidable train wrecks and deserved MORE condemnation / passover than what they got!

And that's why the media have been critical of Bush: his train wrecks.

[MacUser]

Tim,
Again, just plugging the obscure story isn't enough! You keep missing this critical point of agenda driven media news. It's what you DO with the NEWS.

I harken back to this Chicago political mess. To think that everyone else is involved and somehow Obama has come out of this sparking clean is absolutely ridiculous. That insults my intelligence. Now we are finding out that they shut this down to fast as it was pointing to our President Elect?

The agenda driven mass media FAILED to fully vet Obama and his personal associates... and we are paying the price for the agenda driven news choice. What he represented or the action template was much greater than the ugly details .

I easily admitted they ran the blip of copy... on any story.. but like a newspaper they buried the story. It's what they do with the news. UNLIKE the full media assault alternative that would have taken place if it was Obama's personal mentor Rev Wright.

Gotta run
God Bless & Merry Christmas!