Posted 8:37 PM by Robert

Mother (Gray Lady) Superior Jumps The Gun, Again

New York Times editorial "Crumbs for Africa" published June 8, 2005:

President Bush kept a remarkably straight face yesterday when he strode to the microphones with Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, and told the world that the United States would now get around to spending $674 million in emergency aid that Congress had already approved for needy countries. That's it. Not a penny more .... It's no surprise that Mr. Bush's offer was greeted with scorn in television broadcasts and newspaper headlines around the world. "Bush Opposes U.K. Africa Debt Plan," blared the headline on the AllAfrica news service, based in Johannesburg...

New York Times front webpage article June 9, 2005:

The United States and Britain have reached an agreement on how the billions of dollars that the world's poorest nations owe to international lenders can be erased, removing the last impediment to an accord long sought by the richest nations, a senior official involved in the negotiations said Thursday. .... The plan would free 18 countries, most of which are in Africa, from any obligation to repay the estimated $16.7 billion they owe the international lenders, said the official, who requested anonymity because a formal announcement of the agreement had not been made. The debts will be written off by the lenders in an effort to allow the debtor countries to start fresh, get their books in order and eventually be able to borrow again for economic development, health, education and social programs, rather than simply to repay existing loans. Mr. Bush had [previously] signaled his willingness to go along with writing off the debts in principle...

So Mr. Bush had signaled his willingness to go along with writing off the estimated $16.7 billion in principle? Yet it was "no surprise" to the Times that "Bush Opposes U.K. Africa Debt Plan" blared from the headlines of the AllAfrica news service? And knowing about that Presidential indication in principle just wasn't enough for the Times' editorialists to wait even one day before asserting that the most the US and the Administration would contribute to Mr. Blair's Africa requests was $674 million in emergency aid that Congress had already approved for needy countries. That's it. Not a penny more.

The Times just can't wait a day to bash Bush, even where their bashing contradicts their actual knowledge of his agreements in principle.