He understands, as many here do not, that if the RAT candidate is held under 85% of the black vote in a statewide or national race, he loses.
AIDS in Africa is, #1, a huge humanitarian issue which can and will appeal to Christians.
It is also an attempt to broaded traditional "3-i" ethnic politics (Italy, Ireland, Israel) to a "3-i+A" strategy, which is very smart.
And remember, Bush doesn't need blacks to vote for him or for a GOP candidate. He just needs them to stay home.
Wonder working power, indeed.
That, and more! There are SO many aspects of this move that are smart:
-- Blacks have to see that Bush MEANS it when he talks about compassion
-- Liberals have had the rug pulled out from under them on two fronts, blacks and AIDS
-- Bush has taken the AIDS issue, removed it from the American Gay agenda, and directed it toward a people worthy of help. Gays would look like chumps to complain.
-- A poster here noted the national security aspects of this, i.e., someone dying of AIDS might feel, why not die as a suicide bomber, I'll die anyway.
-- A poster here also noted that this is a good way to stay on the good side of nations rich in natural resources
-- Someone noted that may provide stimulus to pharmaceutical companies
-- Depending on how it is administrated, this program will help show, once more, the uselessness of the UN.
I thought this was brilliant strategy by Bush. In a perfect world, the government wouldn't tax us to use money for such things, but this is not a perfect world. I think Bush is way ahead of the curve here and dealing with the REAL world.