The White House issued a press statement yesterday that it planned to send vehicles and equipment to Darfur to support peacekeeping mission there. No U.S. troops will be sent. The statement says the airlift has been in planning for months. But many human rights activist question the timing. Bush also waived the requirement that he give congress at least a 15 day notice.
Jerry Fowler believes that Bush might be looking to build his legacy at the last minute. He’s quoted in the New York Times saying, “[this] might be a little bit of last-minute legacy shopping by the administration.” Our partners at the Enough Project had similar things to say.
While we’re glad that the Bush administration has decided to take some action on Darfur, the timing does seem suspicious.
What do you think? Too little, too late? Legacy shopping? Or finally doing what he should have done years ago?
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
dnewman8 says:
Hmmm. So the current administration decides to go over the heads of Congress to, as you say “do what should have been done,” and there is no credit to be given to them? Are you saying you’d prefer that we wait another two weeks to help so that someone else could “take credit” for doing the right thing?
Regardless of the timing, this is the right thing for the people of Darfur. It’s a shame that some people can’t be thankful for positive acts without making it negative for the giver. Bush has the least to gain of anyone on earth. He’s not going to recover his “legacy” in the last two weeks of office and why would he try? This amounts to paranoid ranting.