Tanzanian President Kikwete: "Let the new U.S. President be as good a friend of Africa as Bush"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press asked Bush a question about his AIDS relief plan and then turned to Kikwete to note the excitement in Africa about Obama's candidacy and asked the African leader to comment on "what you think it says about America that we might elect a black President with roots in Africa?"

Even though that part of the question was not directed at him, Bush weighed in first with mock exasperation that everyone seemed to be forgetting he was treated like a rock star on the trip. "It seemed like there was a lot of excitement for me, wait a minute," the President said to laughter. "Maybe you missed it."

Then after Bush answered the first part of Loven's question, which was about criticism over the focus on abstinence in his AIDS plan, the President turned to Kikwete and wondered aloud whether he wanted to answer the question about U.S. politics. "See, she didn't ask me it because she knew I wouldn't answer the question," said Bush, who has been trying with mixed success to refrain from opining on the exciting race to succeed him.

But Kikwete ducked any kind of endorsement in the U.S. election, instead heaping some praise on Bush. "Well, I don't think I can venture into that territory, either," said Kikwete. "Of course, people talk with excitement of Obama — well, our excitement is that President Bush is at the end of his term, and the U.S. is going to get a new President, whoever that one is. For us, the most important thing is, let him be as good friend of Africa as President Bush has been."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/17/bush-african-host-deflect-obama-query/

[whistle]

1. Holy shit...did Bush give him a billion dollars in bribes?

[sjdnb]

2. Tanzanian Paper on Bush's Interest in Tanzania and

Tanzania's interest in Bush http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/newz.php?id=3386">Article on visit

"Apart from signing high-profile bilateral contracts, including the $680 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) ... (grant - actually $698 million), President Bush will act as an unofficial goodwill ambassador for Tanzania's fledging tourism sector. He will himself visit the famed Ngorongoro Crater and we can bet many more Americans will feel safe to follow suit long after he leaves the White House later in November."

http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/newe.php?id=2985">Article on corruption

"Among the valid reasons advanced for the hostility towards these two individuals is that they both are great believers in the supposed virtues of neo-liberalism, with its stress on leaving the economies of all the countries, including poor ones like Tanzania, to be run on principles that are euphemistically called market forces.

The "I hate Bush and Ballali" voices claim that running an economy like Tanzania's on neo-liberalist principles invariably means that individuals representing big multinationals are often allowed to make non-transparent decisions on how the natural and human resources of all countries are utilised.

Often, these decisions end up advancing the interests of individuals in the world and within poor countries who happen to have lots of money and property but who hardly ever use the wealth to solve the basic problems relating to the health and education of the majority of the people in those countries.

These individuals are also said to always want to continue accumulating even more money and property no matter who gets hurt in the process.

As Mwalimu Julius Nyerere taught, there are good-hearted capitalists, who are Wajamaa (Social Democrats) in spirit, like the Kennedys in the 1960s and today's America as well as the Rupias and Somaias in the then Tanganyika and the Mengis in today's Tanzania.

There are also greedy hard-hearted capitalists, who are Manyang'au (hyenas) in spirit, like the Bushes in today's US as well as all these capitalists in Tanzania, who have benefited from the fraudulent deals at the Bank of Tanzania, which are now being unearthed.

Dr Ballali is hated because he is alleged to have participated willingly in sordid banking schemes
that resulted in lots of public money being transferred to a few individuals and their companies."

"Mr Bush is alleged to have no permanent friends but, instead, to have the nerve to befriend whoever serves what are considered to be the permanent strategic interests of the US.

It is said that Mr Bush is out to make sure that those who own oil money continue to make more oil money."

[thunder rising]

3. That's setting the bar pretty low. It's a superb statement!

[pitohui]

4. what do you expect him to say,with the toad is standing right there?

you have to be somewhat diplomatic in these kinds of speeches, what do you expect him to say, who cares if some dude from kenya is your next president, in case you haven't noticed, THIS is tanzania! and spell my name right on that check, dammit!

[ileus]

5. does this remind anyone of the movie: Lord of War???

[jwirr]

6. That statement may just come back to bite him in the ass.