Bush Vows Commitment To War-Torn Liberia

President Bush said Thursday that the United States is committed to helping restore lives of "hope and peace" in Liberia as it struggles to rebound from a 14-year civil war that left this West African nation in ruins.

"It is easy to destroy a country," Mr. Bush said at a luncheon served under thatched-roof tents. "It is hard to rebuild a country."

Liberia, founded by freed American slaves, is in depressingly poor shape following the years of civil strife that ended in 2003. Many rotted houses look like they're held together by sheer will. Billboards warn against mob violence, rape, corruption and AIDS.

"I want the people of your beautiful country to know that our help is just beginning," he said here, the last stop on his five-nation trip of Africa.

The U.S. government is pumping in money for education, security, construction and disease prevention. Direct U.S. aid has totaled more than $750 million since the war ended. The president is announcing that the U.S. aid will provide 1 million textbooks to children by the start of the next school year and desks and seating for 10,000 students.

After landing in Monrovia, named after President Monroe, Mr. Bush took a helicopter into the city from the airport, avoiding a long, bone-jarring car ride that reflects the deep dysfunction in this war-shattered country. Though peaceful now, the prevalence of weapons in Liberia coupled with its other problems made this the most nerve-racking for the president's security detail.

Blue-helmeted United Nations peacekeepers with guns and riot-guard shields patrolled the streets.

The centerpiece of Mr. Bush's quick stop here was his meeting with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman ever elected president in Africa. No leader on the continent has warmer relations with the American president, but many Liberians remain nervous about whether their road to recovery is going to last.

Part of Mr. Bush's goal is persuade them they won't be forgotten even when his presidency ends.

"I want the people of Liberia to know, Madame President, the United States stands with you," Mr. Bush told her. "We want to help you recover from a terrible period. We want you to build lives of hope and peace, and under your leadership, that's exactly what's happening."

Sirleaf opened the meal by asking the guests on the lawn of the Executive Mansion to join her in "drinking lustily" to the health and prosperity of the president and the United States, and "to the great friendship that Liberia enjoys with our No. 1 partner."

Sirleaf, a Harvard-educated economist who once fled her own country for survival, won office in 2005. First lady Laura Bush attended her inauguration in Liberia, and Mr. Bush has since given Sirleaf the highest civil honor he can bestow, the Medal of Freedom.
Mr. Bush's first trip as president to Africa in 2003 was overshadowed by talk of the brutal civil war in Liberia, led by then-dictator Charles Taylor. Prodded by international appeals to intervene, Mr. Bush sent in the Marines later that year. It helped drive Taylor into exile.

Mr. Bush also is visiting a training center for Liberia's armed forces and holding an education event before flying back to Washington, ending his trip that also included stops in Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana.

Throughout his trip focused on U.S. assistance to prevent disease and rebuild economies, the president has showered in adulation.

Mr. Bush got a day named in his honor in Benin and a highway named for him in Ghana. Huge crowds of cheering, flag waving Liberians lined Bush's drive to his meeting with Sirleaf.

"I loved all the smiles and the enthusiasm along the route," Mr. Bush said.

All this is a world away from Washington, where Mr. Bush's public approval has been mired around 30 percent for months, and the candidates gunning for his job get more headlines.