Bush Cuts Funding For Democracy Initiative, One Week After Touting Program In SOTU Speech
Bush Cuts Funding For Democracy Initiative, One Week After Touting Program In SOTU Speech
In 2002, President Bush announced the creation of the Millennium Challenge Account to “expand our fight against AIDS” and aid democracy in developing nations. He promised that the program would receive $5 billion a year beginning in FY 2006 and beyond.
Since 2002, Bush has consistently touted this program, most recently in his State of the Union address:
America is leading the fight against global poverty, with strong education initiatives and humanitarian assistance. We’ve also changed the way we deliver aid by launching the Millennium Challenge Account. This program strengthens democracy, transparency, and the rule of law in developing nations, and I ask you to fully fund this important initiative.
Yet just a week after this speech, Bush released his FY 2009 budget that requests a funding cut for the program. Although Congress has repeatedly underfunded the program, Bush’s requests for the program have never come close to $5 billion. Funding levels for FY 2009, however, fall to a new low:
| Fiscal Year | Budget Request |
| FY 2006 | $3 billion |
| FY 2007 | $3 billion |
| FY 2008 | $3 billion |
| FY 2009 | $2.225 billion |
The Wall Street Journal notes that Bush’s $2.225 billion request is enough to just “provide packages to Ukraine, Moldova, Jordan, Timor-Leste and Malawi.”
Not only has Bush backtracked on his the Millennium Challenge Account, but he largely ignored democracy promotion on his recent Middle East trip. In Saudi Arabia, Bush spent time with King Abdullah, but never met with “one Saudi dissident or political activist, much less a democrat.”
Not surprisingly, democracy activists in the Middle East say they feel “disappointed” by Bush.
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54 Responses to “Bush Cuts Funding For Democracy Initiative, One Week After Touting Program In SOTU Speech”
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Disappointed.
Welcome to the club, take a number and go to the back of the seventy eight mile line...
February 5th, 2008 at 6:02 pmWait, this is at least the second program that Bush touted in the SOTU only to slash within days afterward. I may be wrong, but are you guys insinuating that Bush is less than honest? I'm verklempt.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:02 pmNo surprise here. Bush's M.O. from the get go in 2001 is is crow about his support for one program or another in a photo op, then, when the cameras are off, quietly slash that support.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:05 pmBut keep in mind by the end of 2008 Bush will have spent 900 billion dollars on "spreading democracy" in the Middle East. Money well spent..
February 5th, 2008 at 6:05 pmPerhaps Boosh has become schtuppified?
February 5th, 2008 at 6:05 pmUncle Ho, didn't the generators used for Bush's Katrina photo-op get pulled out as he left in AF1?
February 5th, 2008 at 6:06 pmGee, our resident chimp lies? Hmmm, maybe that explains many things. How can the idiot right side still hang onto this failure? What possible reason could they have for their worship of an incompentent imbecile?
February 5th, 2008 at 6:07 pmHow can he present a SOTU speech one week and the next do just the opposite? Pathological lying has reached a new description in the annals of psychiatry now. This will be W's legacy - poster boy for pathological lying.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:08 pm#5 It's beyond stupification; it's mental illness.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:09 pm#9, Actually schtuppification is just a little different that stupification...
February 5th, 2008 at 6:13 pmGoogle schtupp...
comment by RU @ 6:06 pm
Ru; he did indeed.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:15 pmKing George does as he pleases, it's not for you to question, only to do your duty and buy more stuff and watch more TV.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:16 pmWe’ve also changed the way we deliver aid by launching the Millennium Challenge Account.
We've underfunded it. That's change isn't it?
February 5th, 2008 at 6:19 pmInteresting that TP never mentions the three times that bush didn't lie....
February 5th, 2008 at 6:23 pmThere, now gigi won't have to suffer the slings and arrows of logic.
bobbo, that's because there aren't any times he doesn't hasn't won't lie.
Read his lips.
Lies.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:25 pmThis program strengthens democracy, transparency, and the rule of law in developing nations???
Too bad we're not a developing nation or Bush the Dictator would be impeached and in prison.
Buck Fush
February 5th, 2008 at 6:26 pmThe shrub only cared to make his speech look good; and like a textbook half-wit, he expects nobody to take his budget and tell the differences, unless he doesn't care. (In that case, what's a sociopath, again?)
February 5th, 2008 at 6:27 pmThis administration's motto should be stated as "Watch what we do, not what we say."
February 5th, 2008 at 6:30 pmIt is just too close to my boiling point to have other countries disappointed in US spending. We get to be disappointed first.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:31 pm#14, Bob- 3 times??? You're very generous.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:32 pmwell so much for promoting democracy. I think his reasoning went a little somthing like this: How should I aid the growth of democracy around the world. should I give money to fight AIDS, famine and maleria. Should I stop propping up dictatorships around the world. should we stop the import and sale of conflict resources. No, there is only one way I can bring democracy to the world, I'll invade a country that has not posed a threat to America in 13 years, spend $1.8 Trillion ans drop more bombs than all the wars combined.
But seriously what else should we expect, the Millennium Challenge Account was never seen by the Bush administration as a serious effort to fight poverty and democracy promotion. If they were really wanting to bring democracy to the world they WOULD stop propping up dictators. They would insist on corporate responsability around the world, and they would uphold international law and prosicute american war criminals. The very same war criminals that are now advising the presidential candidates. If you would like to read more about the secret histories of the presidential candidates advisors, then you can read my post called "The Puppet Masters: Who’s pulling the strings behind the Presidential contenders?"
February 5th, 2008 at 6:32 pmWe would be better served to work on getting Palosi and Reid out...Neither of them are fun to watch by the reich or us and it might be a lot easier.No one like's to watch enabeling, spinless parasite's kiss king george's butt..Blessings
February 5th, 2008 at 6:33 pmBob- 3 times??? You’re very generous.
Comment by WaltinTexas
No 1-"If this were a dictatorship it would be a heck of a lot easier, as long as I'm the Dictator, hehehehhe."
No 2-"I'm happy to be here with my base, the haves and have mores, hehehehe."
no 3-"We both use Colgate toothpaste." (he wasn't trying to be funny here)
February 5th, 2008 at 6:42 pmAs everyone knows, the way to promote democracy is to accuse a nation of having WMD, then invading them when they aren't allowed to prove they don't, then imposing democracy at the barrel of your rifle.
That's the American Way!
February 5th, 2008 at 6:43 pmso, has anyone done a study to find out if it's true that
every time duby touts a program or benefit in the SOTU
it is cut or de/underfunded soon after?
wonder what the stats are on that...
February 5th, 2008 at 6:47 pmJust in ~ breaking news!
The LPP factor for the SOTU has officially been shattered!
(LPP- Lies Per Paragraph)...
February 5th, 2008 at 6:48 pm#7 Comment by StratRat — February 5, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
How can the idiot right side still hang onto this failure? What possible reason could they have for their worship of an incompentent imbecile?
Like the two headed freak, "he is them." How can they NOT like themselves? To them he is not a failure! He is a resounding success. Just listen to our resident troll O Bigmouth! He owns the truth. Which is that Bush is great.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:50 pmIt is pitiful that we live in a country ruled by such fools. The contempt with which bush holds the citizens of this country truly knows no bounds.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:55 pmDid you expect anything else? This is business as usual for Bush.
He doesn't seem too concerned about our own economy either. There is softness all over the place and the best he can do is to come up a day late and a dollar short. As a result the Dow dropped almost 400 points today. It is getting ugly fast.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:59 pmNot surprisingly, democracy activists in the Middle East say they feel “disappointed†by Bush.
Since when has BushCo been interested in Democracy? Either here or in foreign nations? The really sad part of this is that "foreign activists" could get hurt believing in Bush's pronouncements. In their fantasy they want to believe, and do so whether it is true or not.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:04 pmJMOHR; We are fools to be led by fools.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:06 pmCan we get Monica to give this moron a BJ so we can impeach his arse? Although I think he and darth could eat babys and puppies live on the white house lawn and get away with it,since there is no room for impeachment on Nan-Nans table.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:06 pm#23, Bob- OK, 3 times it is. My favorite is the, "haves and have mores" comment. Of course, he's a representative of 'middle America' according to Karl.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:10 pmRepublicans don't believe in Democracy in THIS COUNTRY (remember folks, Bush LOST HIS FIRST ELECTION BY A HALF MILLION VOTES AND STILL SUED TO BE APPOINTED PRESIDENT), so why should they believe in promoting it abroad? ;)
February 5th, 2008 at 7:15 pmso, has anyone done a study to find out if it’s true that
every time duby touts a program or benefit in the SOTU
it is cut or de/underfunded soon after?
wonder what the stats are on that…
Comment by katy — February 5, 2008 @ 6:47 pm
good point katy. in "bushwhacked" molly ivins wrote that bush's m.o. as governor of texas was to do exactly that.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:21 pmYes, the only bush pieces of truth were that he loves baseball, he is a sports fan, and ummmm "Thanks for having me," Bush told the chancellor. "I'm looking forward to that pig tonight."
February 5th, 2008 at 7:32 pmForked tongue
February 5th, 2008 at 7:47 pmThe United States Historical record on "Democracy promotion" is a disgrace. Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Blovia, Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua, Greece, Philipines and many many more countries had military dictatorships that were financed and supported by the USA. Judging by its record alone, one can centaily say the the US hates democracy! Watch "War on Democracy" a recent documentary by John Pilger. You Tube it!!!!
February 5th, 2008 at 8:08 pmNot only the hypocritical bait and switch
, but if our goal is promote democracy, how come we're torpedoing Taiwan ?
February 5th, 2008 at 8:36 pmYeah he did that with the clean coal plant in Minnesota.
February 5th, 2008 at 8:51 pmBush will dine with Satan and the other Pharisees for an eternity. Oh well.
If for once Bush was a man of his word, I think we would all be shocked.
February 5th, 2008 at 8:53 pmNot only do we hear constant lies but he is so Hitler like while giving these speeches.
Comment by had enough — February 5, 2008 @ 8:53 pm
Hitler made up words that weren't really words as well?
February 5th, 2008 at 8:57 pmHitler made up words that weren’t really words as well?
Comment by dbadass
February 5th, 2008 at 9:09 pmWell no, but could it be Bush fakes stupidity as act while he steals from our treasury, and rapes our democracy? You have to admit he has gotten just about everything he wants except for privatizing social security.
Yeah he did that with the clean coal plant in Minnesota.
Comment by Guido OBGYN Lover — February 5, 2008 @ 8:51 pm
there too?
February 5th, 2008 at 9:18 pmFutureGen had the rug pulled out from under, here in central illinois...
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/30/future-gen/
Sadly, Bush's SOTU speak will most likely go into the history books and the cuts will be a footnote, at best. That's the pattern of a deceitful, lying, despot. Be able to point to what you said as the historical evidence, and not what you did (or did not do). If you read what was said in Germany in the 1930's, it doesn't sound all that bad. What happened was tragic.
Folks, we are in it up to our necks, and Romney-Mc-Huckabee want to keep us there (or dig us in deeper).
February 5th, 2008 at 9:21 pmI notice a very telling absence of trolls from this thread.
I guess there are some things they can't find the stomach to defend.
Naw.
February 5th, 2008 at 9:53 pmThe Talking Point Fax-o-matic line is probably down.
This guy probably didn't evenknow what was in his speech before he read it at the SOTU.
I mean, come on. One of his latest "Bushisms"
"I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be—hold hands." GW Bush—on how he can contribute to the Middle East peace process, Washington, D.C., Jan. 4, 2008
The guy is a drunk. And he has been a puppet, an evil f-king puppet for sure, but a puppet none the less. He's an imbecile.
February 5th, 2008 at 10:03 pmWhat a surprise!
February 5th, 2008 at 10:08 pmThe Talking Point Fax-o-matic line is probably down.
Comment by Wayne — February 5, 2008 @ 9:53 pm
It must really, really, really suck to be a troll these days, having to defend this endless river of BS that flows from the WH .
February 5th, 2008 at 10:21 pmMore LIES from MURDERER Bush the COXUCKER punk TRAITOR to the USA.
YAWN...
February 6th, 2008 at 12:23 amComment by Kilo — February 6, 2008 @ 8:38 am
And who says Republi-trolls are devoid of humor? **rolls eyes **
Too bad you missed the point of this thread and my post.
February 6th, 2008 at 8:55 amI won't bother trying to explain to you.
51 kilo basically embraces the role of TROLL. I guess he thinks he's playing a part in forming some kind of troll alliance....wonder if he's eastern or western division troll brigade.
February 6th, 2008 at 10:32 amThis is no different than when Shrub issues signing statements after praising the benefits of democracy, the rule of law, and checks and balances.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:35 pmshould I give money to fight AIDS, famine and maleria. Should I stop propping up dictatorships around the world. should we stop the import and sale of conflict resources. No, there is only one way I can bring democracy to the world, I’ll invade a country that has not posed a threat to America in 13 years, spend $1.8 Trillion ans drop more bombs than all the wars combined.
But seriously what else should we expect, the Millennium Challenge Account was never seen by the Bush administration as a serious effort to fight poverty and democracy promotion. If they were really wanting to bring democracy to the world they WOULD stop propping up dictators. They would insist on corporate responsability around the world, and they would uphold international law and prosicute acer aspire 2020 battery,acer btp-33a1 battery american war criminals. The very same war criminals that are now advising the presidential candidates.
October 15th, 2008 at 3:23 am