Man, I Love Those Aussies!

One thing I did in the early days of my blog that I have largely, but not totally, abandoned, was the 'in praise of' idea, where I would basically pay tribute to things that didn't necessarily fit into the news flow. I'm going to have to bring it back soon for the folks down under: really cool accents, great allies, Tim Blair, Arthur Chrenkoff, and newspapers that publish editorials like this one in the Melbourne Herald Sun.

Now, I defended Live8, somewhat, though I agree with the principle that far more important than monetary aid is the reformation of Africa's economic models and the elimination of corruption (even Bono says that's far and away the biggest problem in Africa, even bigger than AIDS!). God knows I have no use for Kyoto...Bush is being pressed on both issues, of course, as the G8 meetings progress, and Terry McCrann has nothing but praise for our President:

US PRESIDENT George W. Bush has brilliantly nailed the feel-good politically correct worthlessness of both the Kyoto global 'warming' treaty and Live 8's make poverty 'history' in a stunning double play.

He has done so not by attacking them directly, easy enough as that would be to do. Like a relative asked to comment on kindergarten artwork, he's too polite to so embarrass British PM Tony Blair, who's embraced them both.

But by offering alternatives that would actually work. And especially in helping Africa work, immediately and dramatically.

That finger-clicking stunt of the various celebrities -- every three-second click, a child dies -- captures the contrast with exquisite inadvertence.

They want to embrace continued global finger-clicking as the policy solution. Bush in contrast has demanded the one thing that has worked for everyone else: trade and economic growth.

The key to why the developed Western world is not still mired in the Middle Ages; why most of Asia is now following fast. Why China is no Congo and Malaysia no Mali.

Further and most exquisitely, Bush has done so by striking at the very heart of European hypocrisy and failure...

Bush has just as devastatingly skewered European failure and hypocrisy on Kyoto. He's also done so in a way consistent with how to best help Africa, and by suggesting something that would actually work...

Highly recommended...