GEORGE W., COMPASSION, AND AFRICA

GABORONE, Botswana, July 7 -- Former U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, announced a $3 million initiative in Botswana to promote cervical cancer detection.

The Bushes just completed a weeklong tour of Africa and though counter to the stereotyping by liberals, Bush continues to be one of the most committed Presidents in our nation’s history to the suffering in Africa. Political pundits have ridiculed the “compassionate conservatism” Bush promoted and they continue to blame Bush for economic troubles that are attached to the 911 terrorists attack and Democrats pushing affordable housing to the point of collapsing the housing market and damaging financial institutions involved with derivatives.

Cervical cancer is the second-most-common cancer in Botswana and the leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the country, experts say.

Also on their Africa trip, the Bushes spent much of their week in Kabwe, Zambia, where they helped renovate a clinic to diagnose and treat women with cervical cancer.

Bush started an initiative as President that initially funded $15 billion worth of anti-retroviral drugs and treatment to extend the lives of millions of Africans with HIV and AIDS.

VOA said Bush's humanitarian work after his presidency has received widespread praise in sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 23 million people have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.