A sterling example of the maxim, no good deed goes unpunished.

Former President George W. Bush was booed when he appeared on the video monitor at today’s memorial for Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa, according to the White House pool report, which cited local press outlets.

Meanwhile, when the images President Obama and Michelle popped up, there was a 30-second “deafening roar,” the pooler wrote.

How sad. Bush has done an far greater amount for South Africa than Obama. But Obama is much better at crafting his public image and saying the right things.

Bush personally saved the lives of millions of South Africans with his President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, ensuring AIDS drugs are available to South Africa’s impoverished masses.

From a Washington Post piece describing how Bush’s achievements were haunting Obama’s June trip to South Africa:


In South Africa, the success ( of PEPFAR) was extraordinary. AIDS killed roughly 2.3 million in South Africa — once one of the worst-affected countries in the world — and orphaned about a million children there, according to the United Nations. Today, rates of infection have fallen to 30 percent, and nearly 2 million people are on antiretroviral drugs.

Meanwhile, Obama has cut PEPFAR funding and generally been his customary inattentive self. From the same Post piece:


AIDS advocates on Sunday said that Obama administration budget cuts that have slashed hundreds of millions of dollars from PEPFAR threaten to turn back years of progress in the fight against the AIDS epidemic. Last year, the administration unveiled a budget that reduces AIDS funding globally by roughly $214 million, the first time an American president has reduced the U.S. commitment to fighting the epidemic since it broke out in the 1980s during the Reagan administration.

“Knowing that Africa has many challenges, with fighting AIDS being one of the biggest challenges, we were really expecting President Obama to continue where President Bush had left off,” said Hilary Thulare, country director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit group that works in 26 countries providing medical care to people with AIDS. “But it’s been a disappointment. Obama is retreating on AIDS and, by this, retreating on Africa.”

Thulare said she wished Obama was as inspired by Mandela when it came to fighting AIDS.

I’m sure those desperately in need of AIDS drugs in South Africa would be happy to hear that Mandela’s saga “woke me up to my responsibilities to others and to myself,” as Obama said today.

Meanwhile, Obama today delivered his speech, shared some stirring words, accepted his applause, and went home. I imagine most of those awestruck by Obama and contemptuous of his predecessor are HIV-negative.

Bush is still heavily involved in Africa, turning his focus last year to cervical and breast cancer and traveling repeatedly to the continent.

I assume he knows that even as he was booed in Johannesburg, God was cheering, and millions of South Africans who would be dead are going about their lives.


http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2013/12/10/bush-booed-mandela-memorial/


I don't know how to take this in.
Makes me wonder what kind of information is given on the news in South Arica

Well one of their own became president of the United States so he is a hero of most of the continent.

That's how it seems. It's better to be popular then be someone who has saved millions

Yep, pertty sad that people's biased bites the hand that fed/feeds them.

After all, Kanye West said that Bush hates blacks so it must be true?

Dubya has also been in Africa the last year or so building houses for those idiots!

Goes to show what respect looks like. Bush may have brought the rest of the world to its knees, but Obozo is doing it to America!

Hail the conquering hero!

Meanwhile, back in the US, conservatives are attacking Obama left and right over a handshake and a picture during the memorial. So, we certainly have idiots here, too.

Personally, I think we should have been in negotiations with Cuba long ago, them being so close to the USA and friendly to Russia and other such countries. The Bay of Pigs should have made that a priority, but nobody ever said our politicos were smart, only educated.

However, McCarthy created a fear of Commies that changed the political agenda to this day...... until we elected a sympathizer to our enemies as POTUS..... All his actions deserve closer scrutiny!

Some scrutinize way too much and blow things way out of proportion.

And that has what to to with the OP?

It was just something else that happened during the memorial that conservatives are whining about.

out of loyalty, humans have an ability to want to believe the best about themselves and their country

I don't have a personal incite into what dealings we have with s Africa or our President, and I Cant assume because media reports certain things to us that they report EVERYTHING to us, so though we have information about what Presidents do,,good and bad

I am POSTIVE we also are not privy to a lot of other things they do, good and bad, and Im also Positive that if those other things have affected another country, THEIR MEDIA has informed them of it

and , when you mix that reality with the reality that some people will always hold on to the negatives and mistakes to define and dislike people,

you can face the reality that anyone privy to the media eye is going to have those who develop a personal dislike for them for one reason or another,, and that they wont be applauded and welcomed EVERYWHERE they go


that's really just expected , no surprise, and in my opinion, not a significant or important bit of news

that was just saying ThankYou for the two Cuban Endorsements!

Just more liberal Bush bashing. They still hate him for being a two term conservative president.

So while admitting the media lies, covers up, or spins what they inform the public of, you still don't accept the blatant disregard of this POTUS to our nations Constitution and its people, his contempt of some laws while enforcing others, his lying to a nation and the world on national TV LIVE, and scandals exposed by whistleblowers he then prosecutes instead of admitting his errors and correcting them, you still proclaim the truth as fiction, the lies as misunderstandings,and praise the excellent job he is doing.

Does that mean Madoff was simply misunderstood and his 150 year prison sentence should be repealed? After all, the media lies, so we really must not have a clue of the truth or even knowing what it is, so how can we prosecute based on public opinion?

Madoff didn't go on national TV and lie to his investors. He cooked the books, looked good on paper, so idiots still invested, believing in him, even after all the red flags.

Some might call those kind of people suckers.

???

people lie, humans lie,, anything that involves human beings will involve SOME who lie or cheat or scam

what that has to do with how different nations focus on different stories with their public,,is beyond me,,,,

I Merely stated that anywhere a public figure goes, they are just as prone to have people 'dislke' them as any other human beings,, because of things they have 'heard' or 'read' in media

and media in most nations focuses on those things that are significant to THEIR nation,,, so its hard to know how a public figure is presented to nation not their own as it relates to THAT NATIONS priorities,,,

Liberal doublespeak.

If a politicians lips are moving, their lying...... that's pretty universal

and a pretty irrational clich�,,,

I don't care that he got booed because I doubt that Bush is upset by this, I'm sure he and Laura will continue to do their good work to help people.

He doesn't seem to be vengeful or vindictive when it comes to personal attacks. If he was he would have lambasted many for the way he was treated before and after leaving office.

I agree, Im sure world leaders have bigger fish to fry than whether they are popular everywhere they go

its not about being popular,, its about doing whats best for your country