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I had the distinct honor of being given a few minutes out of Senator Sam Brownback's busy schedule to sit down and discuss Africa. It was the day before CPAC, and after telling him it was also my birthday and asking him to go easy on me, we got down to business.

You may be unaware that Senator Brownback traveled to Africa back in late 2005 and co-authored a report with Senator Durbin titled "Hope for Africa's Forgotten".

Senator Brownback recently returned to Africa and regions of Asia and the Middle East in light of recent events on the ground in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Iraq. I can tell you the good Senator's first attempts at live-blogging such an event did not go unnoticed by me, and I assured him he had great potential as a blogger...with the expected snorts and follow-on chuckles.

In this context then, knowing the depth of faith this man has, and his commitment to family, I first share this quote from Senator Brownback's campaign '08 website:

At the end of the day, it comes back to the basics: faith, family, and freedom. America is great because she is good. That goodness is not based in Washington, or New York, or even Topeka. It is based in the hearts of the American people. This is a goodness whose Author is the Divine. A goodness that doesn't let us rest until our neighbor is at peace. A goodness that feels the chains of another rub on our own skin. A goodness from God that demands our vigilant action.

How much better we will be as we seek to live the Great Commandment to love God and one another.

and invite you over to the other side of the fold, for a look at what the Senator has come to learn about Africa from first-hand experience, and what he hopes and prays we can bring ourselves to someday understand and work together as a Nation to fix on the forgotten continent.

More below the fold...

My first question:

Your Senate website has a page that covers your two day tour in December of 2005 through several areas of Rwanda, and the Congo. I was struck by the contrast between your experience at the DOCS (Doctors on Call for Services) Hospital meeting with victims of Rape and Sexual Violence in the war-torn region of the Congo, and the displays of hope and optimism you saw through the dancing, music, and gymnastics show the kids at the Nyundo Orphanage in Rwanda performed for you.

From your observations, what do YOU think inspires this hope and optimism in these orphans, victims, and displaced families? What keeps them going in the face of all the horrific experiences they have had to endure?

Senator Brownback observed that:

Rwanda is more stable than the Congo. They have a deep faith orientation, without a doubt. In fact, for a "tighter slice", I also saw children with mental and physical disabilities. Africans see these children as a gift from God; as special gifts. This permeates African society. I think their deep religious faith, and how deeply committed they are to their families and their children drives much of their hope and optimism.

As a follow on, I asked him what WE, in the US and the rest of the world could learn from THEM. He offered these thoughts:

Love, Family, and Community. The deep care they have for each other and their strength of family and community is inspiring. This is a big part of their lives, and a big issue in the AIDS crisis. The parents die, the older kids take over the care of the younger siblings. They often find themselves living in more rural areas, and this makes it especially difficult. Everyone tries to work together to care and provide for the children.

My next question had several parts. I asked them in pieces, but his collective answer will follow:

How would you grade the US, UN, and the rest of the International Community on how well we are REALLY doing in addressing the true needs of the Peoples in this part of Africa?

What are we, collectively, doing wrong and what, given your fist-hand observations, do we need to do differently?

Brownback's response was measured. He was honest, but I got the feeling he would like to have been a little MORE negative in his response. As a polished statesman, however, he was a little more kind than I would have been.

Not well. But, we are at a moment where we "COULD" do much better. Especially in areas such as Malaria. There is a 60% affected rate. Six zero. We KNOW what to do about it. We know what we CAN do. We know that DDT is and has been effective and we know where and how it can be safely applied. We are starting to implement programs such as localized dusting, and we're sure this will go a long way in helping fight this terrible killer among the African people.

It is commendable what the US has done regarding AIDS, and the African people recognize and appreciate our efforts.

A bigger problem is that we waste so much money in so many of these foreign aid programs. We give out SO much, but then it just disappears. At least the AIDS model is working, and so our Malaria model is "starting" to work.

I believe, and have offered legislation in the past, that we should change our Foreign Aid model to require 50% of the funds be attached to Food, Agriculture, Health, Education, and Water programs in these African countries.

We have found instances where some governments have spent some of their aid funds on anti-witchcraft programs. Now, I happen to be against witchcraft myself, but I believe the priority in spending should start with Food, Agriculture, Health, Education, and Water programs, and we should require that from the countries we provide this aid to.

Editorial comment reluctantly withheld by haystack! None is required here, methinks.

In my closing question for the Senator on this December 2005 trip, I asked this question:

If you could define them, what top three priorities would you place on any "new way forward" strategy for Africa?

With almost no hesitation, he gave me this:

1-Force a full 50% of all aid we provide to be focused on Food, Agriculture, Health, Education, and Water programs with full verification.

2-Drive corruption issues. Monitor the use of these funds, and ensure that as much as possible, these funds are distributed appropriately.

3-There are huge numbers of groups of people and organizations out there looking for effective ways to help these suffering countries, but they just don't know HOW to do so or who, exactly, they should trust or be assured by that their donations and contributions are going where they are needed most.

We, the US, should sponsor Donor conferences and connect these donors to those groups and organizations in Africa trying to apply this assistance.

There are Churches, Private groups, Businesses, and others out there and we should bring them together in big donor conferences. Introduce them to the Programs and organizations in need, and facilitate observation teams and representatives to go TO Africa, and see for themselves what work is being done so they can be assured their support and donations are being put to good use. Then, on an ongoing basis, these representatives can verify what is being done, and report back to the donor organizations so there can be confidence and encouragement to continue the support from the donors back home.

I commented to the Senator at this point that I remembered as a kid taking a UNICEF box around with me when I went trick or treating. We never knew where the money went, we just knew we were trying to do something decent for someone else, far away.

He agreed, and suggested that with reliable verification methods, there were huge numbers of donors and sponsors "out there" begging for an opportunity to help...but they needed some level of confidence that their efforts were going to be put to some good use, this being the best of reasons for suggesting we pool our resources and sponsor these "conferences"as a way to connect the donors with those in need.

Shifting gears at this point, I moved on to his very recent trip BACK to the region and across Asia and the Middle East as well. My next question:

Again, from your Senate website, you "blogged" about your tours through Kuwait, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Qatar, Iraq, and Ethiopia. From one blogger to another, you have great potential! [insert appropriate amounts of snorts and chuckles]

During your two days in Ethiopia, you mention in your "liveblog" all the meetings with the people you HAVE to meet such as diplomats and dignitaries and ranking US Military officers. You go on to suggest the highlight of your tour was visiting a garden in the heart of Addis Ababa which is cultivated by those affected by the AIDS epidemic. As you stated:

"When an AIDS victim dies, family members are often left without income or some means of support. This garden, which receives funding from the United States, helps hundreds of Ethiopians grow food for themselves and their families. It is an urban oasis that not only provides food but is also a source of pride for its beneficiaries. Meeting these people, who are working so hard to care for their families, was a deeply moving experience."

Public officials aside, what was your experiences with the "every-day" folks like? What struck you most about THEIR hope and optimism?

I was impressed by how much HE was impressed by this experience, and the obvious effect it had on him. His response:

What struck me most was their peace. This garden used to be a junkyard, covering about 6 acres. There were only women there, older women generally. Many of them were grandmothers now caring for the children left behind by the deaths of their parents, lost to their fight with AIDS.

They had a serenity about them; a great peace. You knew their life had been tremendously difficult, yet they had this great peace about them. And they were so kind and so proud.

They had a daily coffee ritual, and they shared that with me. They would roast the beans, grind them, and serve their coffee to me. You could see the pride on their faces.

My next question:

I have written pretty extensively about Somalia, the greater Horn, and our presence at Camp Lemonier. Al Qaeda's number 2 has openly suggested Somalia is the next front on the war on terror. Many of us covering the region believe him, and your own writings, seem to suggest you believe him as well. Two part question: Why do you think the UN and much of America do NOT agree with us, and why do you think the Greater Horn is given such little focus and attention from our media and our Congress?

Brownback's response:

We can't see past Blackhawk down. We look at Somalia as "we can't win there-we can't do anything".

But, it needs more focus and we should be more appreciative of what Ethiopia has done. We should be doing a lot more here to help. We have had issues with Ethiopia over the years, but we need to look at the global war on terror and what Ethiopia has done and is doing to help us and Somalia in this fight.

With my time almost up, I got my one last question in:

Al Jazeera reports today that Uganda has sent the first piece of their peace-keeping contingent, under the African Union mandate, to Baidoa. Having met with AU representatives, and having suggested the AU has a tremendous opportunity to assert its legitimacy and effectiveness beginning with Somalia, how do you react to Uganda's move here? Do you support this increased military presence from neighboring AU member countries while the Transitional Government in Somalia re-establishes itself?

We were rushed through this answer, given the time constraints, but here is the good Senator's response:

This move by Uganda is VERY positive, but it is not enough. Commitments have been made by members of the AU, but the recruiting is way behind where it needs to be. It is very disappointing, and progress (while positive) is SO slow.

Ethiopia wants to pull back and they need to. They have a complicated history with Somalia, and they NEED to pull back and allow more of the African Union to share the responsibility of this effort.