Bob Geldof, Fiscal Policy Expert

For a small country, Ireland has a lot of variation in accents. And we draw a lot of conclusions from people's accents. And for that reason, many of us Irish could always tell from Sir (or is that Saint?) Bob Geldof's accent, that he was full of you know what. Here's a quote from him, gleefully being picked up by Andrew Sullivan because of its pro-Bush anti-Clinton slant:

You'll think I'm off my trolley when I say this, but the Bush administration is the most radical - in a positive sense - in its approach to Africa since Kennedy

Bob needs to be told that with this administration, there are some fine speeches, but the fine details are a Great Song of Indifference. Here's the truth about the Bush AIDS package with which Bob is in love (via Eric Alterman via Brad DeLong):

"Bush's budget for next year would devote $2 billion to the AIDS initiative, instead of the $3 billion first installment directed in the law. Similarly, his 2004 budget would channel one-fifth of the $1 billion specified in the law to a fledgling international AIDS fund." Moreover, "the White House has recommended cuts in funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, a major source of payment for HIV/AIDS services, and that federal aid to state programs that subsidize AIDS therapies has not kept pace with the demand."