Obama's Road Trip to Africa Costs $100M

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All so that he and Michelle and the kids can have a photo op on an island where slaves embarked for America and he can pay homage to his hero, Mandela. Doesn't sound like very much bang for the buck to me. Why doesn't he visit Benghazi and pay homage to the Americans that died there because of his bungling.
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I really wish the US and other Western countries would leave Africa alone. Let me explain.

Many of these horrendous regimes we read so much about happen as a result of how the US gives "aid". The money, which is intended for health and economic development, goes to the government who then spends it on weapons and new houses. Even the good the Bush did by sending mosquito nets had a negative affect on some. The short term good was that many more people were able to avoid getting malaria. The long term affect is that many native mosquito net makers were put out of business. Now when repairs are needed or new ones are made, those who would have been there to provide the service aren't able or even there any more. We should just get out of Africa so that we can quit disrupting their society. The one good thing I can see we in the US doing is giving money through microloans, especially if the company is run indigenously.
 
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BI
is it ALWAYS a gotcha with you?
Because Bush did it therefore BO should be able to?
Bush rides mountain bikes 100 miles a day> does BO?

good lord that chit gets old
Look at reality once in awhile
 
To me, the real story here is why does it cost this much? I don't have a problem with our President visiting other countries, including those in Africa. But that is a lot of money.

I guess the issue is in Africa the bulk of security is our responsibility. If this trip were to somewhere in Europe, the countries visited would supply the bulk of security. Is that it? Or, is it more complicated?
 
Yeah, I guess we shoud have our executive branch hunker down in cinder block buildings on some cheap real estate somewhere and conduct foreign policy over the internet. What a waste of money we've had by guys like Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, Ben Frankllin, Thomas Jefferson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan and the Bushes -- actually traveling and meeting world leaders. Penny foolish and pound foolish idiots all.
 
Probably because in the not so distant past, presidents traveled by train with little fanfare, little security and no entourage. Now, they are treated as gods. $100 million could feed 50,000 people for a year.
 
I have felt nothing but elation over the US' improved foreign relations over the last 5 years. Let's hope this continues.

Hook'em!!!
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69 - Russia and China laughingly agree! We command no respect anywhere in the world except Senegal - oh wait they are protesting there too...
 
ii - If Obama had rolled over on everything he'd be criticized for being too soft. In fact, he's been very strict, yet diplomatic, in how he has approached the most volatile situations. If country was in the hands of McCain and Graham right now, we would be in so many wars it would make your head spin.

Hook'em!!!
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It is an interesting take as most of his supporters claim his foreign policy has been a disaster. As an example, we lost 575 US troops in Afghanistan during the Bush presidency yet under Obama we have lost over 1500 US troops. And yet, little in that war-torn country has changed.
 
The only purpose to escalate war in Afghanistan was to a) catch Bin Laden, and b) to ultimately end the war. Hopefully this is on target for getting done. Bush and Cheney had no idea what they were doing - let's hope anyway - when they committed to this war and the one in Iraq.

Hook'em!!!
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I wish he had gone to London to pay respects for an ally, Margaret Thatcher, than spend money to return to South Africa. He just went in 2009. Stared out the same cell bars, etc.
 
The debt when Bush visited Africa was 9 trillion. Indeed in retrospect it was too much.

Unemployment, size of labor force and per cent of working people, all measurements are far far worse than in 08
Think of our deficit alone.
how much bigger is it today than in 2008


so the "gotcha", if Bush did it then it is ok for BO to do it just doesn't work.

It really is sad the know our Pres has so little regard for the citizens here>
If things really are so bad that BO stopped White House visits, denying the people entrance to "OUR house" and saving the taxpayers a whopping 2 million for 2013.

Even if the Africa trip cost only 60 million when that is weighed against the reality of what is happening to every day citizens there isn't any outcome BO could claim for the trip to cancel the negative optics.


It can't always be that if Bush did it or got to do it it is ok for BO too.
 
Hard to believe people here are proposing an isolationist policy for the US President. That's absurd. OBTW, he hooks up with W tomorrow. Guess who's picking up, at least part of, that tab?

Hook'em!!!!
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