With the US again cast in the role of the Great Satan in parts of the world, a concerted effort to battle global poverty could soften others' views of America. A new poverty-fighting compact requiring measurable results would allow President Bush a new opportunity to prove to his critics that compassionate conservatism is more than an empty phrase obscuring his belief in market forces as the best solution to all problems. Among those on the Africa trip was someone who did as much as anyone else to cast Bush as a compassionate conservative in the 2000 presidential campaign -- Mark McKinnon, his media and advertising consultant.
Six years ago, Democrats and Republicans haltingly agreed on a new approach to welfare as a way to deal with poverty at home. The next few months could determine whether they will be able to do the same for poverty in the rest of the world.
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