Obama "Salutes" Bush as he Receives "International Medal of PEACE"

Bush awarded International Medal of PEACE

Published: Tuesday December 2, 2008

Pastor Rick Warren awarded President George W. Bush the International Medal of P.E.A.C.E. for his AIDS relief program. The PEACE acronym stands for promotion of reconciliation, equipping servant leaders, assisting the poor, caring for the sick and educating the next generation.

The Bush program to fight the world AIDS pandemic is known as The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PEPFAR has spent $18 million to fight AIDS across the world. Another $48 million has been authorized by Congress.

Ezra Klein of The American Prospect found it somewhat odd to award a "PEACE" medal to a president who presided over two wars.

"There's no argument that Bush has done some genuine good in pushing America's HIV/AIDS policy forward, but giving Bush the International Medal of PEACE is like giving the Dalai Lama the International Medal of WAR. You can find a rationale, but it demonstrates a genuinely insufficient sensitivity to irony," wrote Klein.

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See the second video on the page for Obama's remarks (I know it's tough to stomach).

Related: Bush to Receive First-ever International Medal of Peace