London bomb blasts

This is President Bush's statement from the G8 conference after the London explosions:

I spent some time recently with the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and had an opportunity to express our heartfelt condolences to the people of London, people who lost lives. I appreciate Prime Minister Blair’s steadfast determination and his strength. He’s on his way now to London here from the G8 to speak directly to the people of London. He’ll carry a message of solidarity with him.

This morning I have been in contact with our Homeland Security folks. I instructed them to be in touch with local and state officials about the facts of what took place here and in London, and to be extra vigilant, as our folks start heading to work. The contrast between what we’ve seen on the TV screens here, what’s taken place in London and what’s taking place here is incredibly vivid to me. On the one hand, we have people here who are working to alleviate poverty, to help rid the world of the pandemic of AIDS, working on ways to have a clean environment. And on the other hand, you’ve got people killing innocent people. And the contrast couldn’t be clearer between the intentions and the hearts of those of us who care deeply about human rights and human liberty, and those who kill — those who have got such evil in their heart that they will take the lives of innocent folks.

The war on terror goes on. I was most impressed by the resolve of all the leaders in the room. Their resolve is as strong as my resolve. And that is we will not yield to these people, will not yield to the terrorists. We will find them, we will bring them to justice, and at the same time, we will spread an ideology of hope and compassion that will overwhelm their ideology of hate. Thank you very much.

While I agree with many of the sentiments expressed in this statement, and I am glad he is recognising first the human tragedy, I can't help but feel dismayed by the utter hypocrisy of his statements about the "contrast" in intentions. Here he is pointing out that the G8 are trying to deal with poverty, AIDS and the environment.

But which president is resisting aid to african nations on the pretext of insisting on better governance? (Of course we need good governance - that's an issue to deal with strongly, not a condition of offering aid!) Which president puts insane conditions on providing AIDS assistance to countries - insisting on imposing his weird ideas of sexual morality? Which president has rejected all scientific advice on global warming, rejects the Kyoto Protocol and only recently begins to accept there might be a problem with global warming yet still rejects that it has anything to do with human industrialisation? You guessed it. The same man who is indirectly responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people because of his illegal war on Iraq. Terrible events like those in London today are happening almost every day in Baghdad, all triggered by the immoral decisions of this president.

Another interpretation, which I can only hope is true, is that the president is beginning to see the necessity of dealing realisticially with the three issues he outlines - AIDS assistance, debt and the environment. Perhaps the US administration is finally starting to move int he right direction. I can only hope.