U.S. aid for Africa is up, but short of Bush claim

In the debates during the 2004 Presidential campaign, Mr. Bush made a number of factual errors.  Now his command of information is being challenged again.  Likewise, during the presidential campaign, polls showed that many Americans were misinformed about crucial political topics; this has become apparent once more.  In this post, I review two recent articles on Reuters Alertnet (which is a great source of news regarding international crises).  One article shows that the claim that US aid to Africa has tripled, is false.   The second highlights the misperceptions on this issue among the US population.  I also provide some background information that substantiates the points in the articles.  Naturally, I conclude with a little commentary.  Continue reading here.