On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:51:12 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"jps" wrote in message
.. .

Not so sure about that Eisboch. Africa loves GW Bush for his courage
in helping address the aids epidemic. It took Bono and a number of
others but GW stepped up.

The rest of the world can't stand Bush, Africa loves him.

Is that instructive in any way?



Watch what happens when we stop giving money to address the aids epidemic.
One of our biggest problems is that we buy our friends.

Not to say it isn't a worthwhile and good thing to do, but the reality is
that we
have a lot of fair weather friends in this world and most of them are
friendly only if
there's something in it for them.

Hard, cruel lesson number 2.

Eisboch

Saddam thought we were friends until we invaded. Thought the whole
thing was unbelievable based on our previous partnership.

We'll need to continue to buy our friends. Sometimes that can come in
the form of eradicating a disease, building a school, lending
technology for clean water.

I expect we could have bought a lot of friends for a small percentage
of what we spent in Iraq, leaving aside the value of all the lives we
squandered in that stupid war.