Well, some more good news. The Sudan/ Darfur envoy is going to be announced as early as today and the choice is Gen. Scott Gration, a former air-force pilot and Africa specialist. He advised candidate Obama on Africa policy and traveled with him to the continent in 2006. A Darfur activist noted the following from Gration’s DNC speech:

“In 2006, I went with Senator Obama to Africa, and experienced firsthand the leadership that America needs. In the shadow of Nelson Mandela’s prison cell, I saw a leader with the understanding to build new bridges over old divides. That leader is Barack Obama. In Nairobi, I saw a leader with the courage to confront corruption directly with the president of Kenya. In Chad, I saw a leader who listened to the stories of refugees from Darfur – a leader committed to end that genocide…..”

As I said earlier, the President has outlined a vision for Africa, let’s hope that the appointment of Gration is the start of a rapid push to build out the Africa team so that the people are in place to develop and execute policies based on that vision.

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