Is Bush on the right track for once?
You know, I have always agreed with President Bush on one point. When we send taxpayer dollars to foreign countries in need, there really does have to be effective oversight. After all, we've been down this road before in the 1980s and we can't let some two-bit dictatorship steal our money.
So as the headlines of starvation in Africa have centered on the small country of Niger over the past few days, I can't help but wonder: Who could we get to help us? We don't want to waste our money.
The UN has asked for $80 million of emergency assistance for Niger, to stop the immediate starvation. And so we should help, right? I mean, of course we should. But we need some assurances.
So I had this idea. If anyone reading this knows the President, maybe you could put a bug in his ear for me. We need to create a post called International Monetary Assessor For Efficient Resources, or "I. M. A. F-ER."
Of course we'll need the right guy to get on this Niger project, and we'll need him to be available quickly. I have a guy in mind. I am not sure of his name. But here's the general idea:
The man for this job should be familiar with the governmant officials in Niger. Now that narrows the field down pretty drastically. After all, most Americans don't even know where Niger is, much less the names of its leaders.
Further, the candidate for this important job should know personally, and be known personally, by Niger's leadership. Wow! Talk about narrowing the field. But, hey, George is right on this one. We can't throw our money away.
Not only should he be known by these leaders, but he should have their respect. Without this mandatory component, Niger's rulers are sure to mislead him. And in the end, the American people won't get the information we need.
The man for this job must not be afraid to speak truth to power. Niger's leaders will undoubtedly try to confuse him with distorted facts, so he must be strong-willed. Above all, he can not take their assertions at face value. He must come with some sense of intellectual curiosity.
He should be smart, and well-schooled in international affairs. Maybe some sort of dignitary, say, or how about a former ambassador? Too narrow, you say? Perhaps you're right. Who could we possibly expect to meet all of these criteria. Hmmm...
What's that you say?? Oh, you found someone? Well what's his name? You can't tell me his name??
All you can say is: "He's Valerie Wilson's husband?"
Oh well, back to square one.
So as the headlines of starvation in Africa have centered on the small country of Niger over the past few days, I can't help but wonder: Who could we get to help us? We don't want to waste our money.
The UN has asked for $80 million of emergency assistance for Niger, to stop the immediate starvation. And so we should help, right? I mean, of course we should. But we need some assurances.
So I had this idea. If anyone reading this knows the President, maybe you could put a bug in his ear for me. We need to create a post called International Monetary Assessor For Efficient Resources, or "I. M. A. F-ER."
Of course we'll need the right guy to get on this Niger project, and we'll need him to be available quickly. I have a guy in mind. I am not sure of his name. But here's the general idea:
The man for this job should be familiar with the governmant officials in Niger. Now that narrows the field down pretty drastically. After all, most Americans don't even know where Niger is, much less the names of its leaders.
Further, the candidate for this important job should know personally, and be known personally, by Niger's leadership. Wow! Talk about narrowing the field. But, hey, George is right on this one. We can't throw our money away.
Not only should he be known by these leaders, but he should have their respect. Without this mandatory component, Niger's rulers are sure to mislead him. And in the end, the American people won't get the information we need.
The man for this job must not be afraid to speak truth to power. Niger's leaders will undoubtedly try to confuse him with distorted facts, so he must be strong-willed. Above all, he can not take their assertions at face value. He must come with some sense of intellectual curiosity.
He should be smart, and well-schooled in international affairs. Maybe some sort of dignitary, say, or how about a former ambassador? Too narrow, you say? Perhaps you're right. Who could we possibly expect to meet all of these criteria. Hmmm...
What's that you say?? Oh, you found someone? Well what's his name? You can't tell me his name??
All you can say is: "He's Valerie Wilson's husband?"
Oh well, back to square one.
posted by Oophless Wonder at 9:07 PM
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