Having It Both Ways

Condi in Africa: She acknowledges the importance of US-Africa oil trade and says things could get better for Africa if other areas of trade would expand. (source)

That's too much for the misnamed America Blog, where Chris goes on the attack:

Condi is clueless about trade
by Chris in Paris - 7/20/2005 02:57:00 AM

And this is who some in the GOP want to see run for president in 2008? Besides being a liar, she has absolutely no idea what she's talking about when she repeats her little canned messages about African trade. The bottom line is that oil dominates African trade (85% of all exports) and agricultural products will stumble along with limited success overseas until the rich nations decide that free trade actually means free trade and not just free trade when they can crush poor farmers or poor countries.

Of course, the assumption that modernizing agriculture would crush farmers is false. In China, it took until the late 1980s for the first farmer to afford to buy a truck; now they are common. Modernization means a better standard of living, and it does not come from the back of a UN truck, but with capitalism.

What gets in my craw more, though, is its own cluelessness regarding oil. What does he want? Were Condi to say we should expand oil trade with Africa (which of course we should), it would be to Chris nothing but more evidence of Bush/Oil cronyism. And, it would be a damnable offense to the greenies on the left anyway:

Environmentalists on Monday protested
World Bank funding for a controversial African pipeline that would transport crude oil from landlocked Chad to a port on the Cameroon coast. The 650-mile pipeline, which is expected to cost $3.5 billion, would be built by a consortium of international oil companies, led by Exxon Corp. ....

ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION/ FRIENDS OF THE EARTH
PROTEST AGAINST WEST AFRICA GAS PIPELINE PROJECT SHIFTS TO THE LAW COURT

Indigenes and residents of Nigerian communities affected by the proposed West African Gas Pipeline have instituted an action at the Federal High Court in Lagos to challenge the project. The citizens from Badagry communities, Lagos State and communities from the Escravos area in Delta State are asking the court to stop the project, which is being implemented without respect for Nigerian laws and in total disregard of environmental and livelihood concerns of Nigerian communities.

Chad's pipeline is being threatened by some environmental groups. Environmental groups are critical of lending by U.S.-subsidized banks, which include the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank. The groups contend these public agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S. AID), back projects -- oil and gas wells, dams, pipelines and logging -- that accelerate the destruction of fragile, diverse and dwindling ecosystems.

Which proves the old adage: It's impossible to be sane and please a Leftist at the same time.