- posted on 09/02/2012 09:21:32This entry was posted on Saturday, July 26th, 2008 at 8:17 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Monday, former President Bill Clinton begins his yearly Africa tour. He is expected to travel to four nations: Ethiopia, Senegal, Liberia, and Rwanda. In 1998, Clinton conducted what is still thought of as the most comprehensive tour of Sub-Saharan Africa by any sitting president.
Like in the past, agenda items include poverty, global climate change, Malaria prevention, and treatment and prevention of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Central to the trip is a review of prevention efforts of mother-to-child transmissions of HIV/AIDS. The tour culminates in Mexico City, at the International AIDS Conference. There, he will give remarks on his just concluded trip.
Clinton Foundation sources say the trip could reshape Bill Clinton’s image. They are looking to copy a positive past. Pictures of the trip would show a hands-on Bill Clinton combating social and humanitarian issues world wide. The hope of foundation sources, the trip would distance him from some of his controversial failed attempts to help his wife win the White House. What are your thoughts about former President Clinton’s Africa tour and image?
July 26th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
President Clinton lends his enormous presence to the huge problems endemic to Sub Saharan Africa. Regardless of his many previous ethical lapses you have to give him kudos for bringing the resources of his Foundation and the world’s attention to the region. The campaign he was involved with is over. Everyone needs to move on and figure out how to help do the heavy lifting required to improve the lives many in distress.
July 27th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I am not 100% sure of what is involved with being in charge of the United Nations. However, I think steps are being taken towards that leadership.
July 28th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
What are my thoughts about former President Clinton’s Africa tour and image?
I think that it’s wonderful that President Clinton is going back to Africa for his yearly tour because when he went there in 1998, it was historic in it’s depth and scope and it really did bring attention to all of those issues that exist in the African countries that he visited, focused on and spoke on. That, plus all the love he got in Africa was something to behold. The reception of people everyplace he went was what we call in the radio biz, off the charts!
What are my thoughts about President Clinton’s image in general?
I think that President Clinton’s image is usually regarded as very cool and very smart. Highly intelligent. You name a country, situation or subject in the world, the man can spend two hours telling you all about it.
However! lol!…
I find it interesting that the hope of his foundation’s sources is that the trip would distance him from some of his controversial failed attempts to help his wife win the White House.
What I find even more interesting is that they are even acknowledging and announcing that publically in reference to his image and Senator Clinton.
Is that not a public admittance on his camp’s part that he really did not go to bat for his wife like people thought he would have and should have? Wow.
Or, do they mean it more in the way of, he needs this trip at this time to help reshape his image after a rocky start with Obama through the campaign because he said Obama’s vision for America and hopes to be President were “a fairytale” and that rubbed so many African-Americans the wrong way? Or both? In other words, is he possibly looking out for himself for a spot on Obama’s Team in some way?
Again, as far as the tour - beautiful. As far as his image is concerned, I think it really did rub alot of Black Americans the wrong way about his “fairytale” comments towards Barack. The timing of that was just awful too.
At the same time, Clinton to a certain degree did what I think any self respecting husband would do for his wife - defend her, etc., but did he really go to bat for her like we all know he can and could of being the political machine he is? That’s where a lot of folks I have heard from agree that for whatever reason, he really did not.
I did hear a young lady call into The Power on XM Radio and her thoughts were that she thought President Clinton purposely did not “knock it out the park” for his wife Hillary during the campaing because he is such a political genius, he could see in advance just what were really her chances and how it would play out and possibly even knew she would not get the Demorcatic nomination anyway, so he just went to bat for her “a little bit” instead of a lot. She also suggested that both Hillary and Bill are such competitive people that he was actually looking out for himself the whole time too, once again, possibly to secure himself a spot with the real winner to be Obama in the future.
Since this is his annual tour to Africa, it’s hard for me to say he is doing this just for his image, but in politics, you know the rest! lol! Politics is politics! As the old saying goes, “In politics there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests!”
Peace!
~LT