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Good to know our president plans a ‘happy trip’ to African countries

What it the world is a "happy trip" in regard to the president's visit to five African countries?

With all the grief, all the warfare, and all the general suffering and crises plaguing most of the continent, how could anyone associate the phrase "happy trip" with a visit by President and Mrs. Bush? Isn't that sort of making light of a horrible situation?

It turns out, that's just an odd phrase, probably misspoken. I'm not making this stuff up, though. Their upcoming trip, which they were due to start today, was publicly called a "happy trip." I quote from the Associated Press report:

Fighting disease and poverty and promoting growth, development and security will be Bush's main themes as he travels with his wife, Laura, to Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia.

" 'There's a preference in these trips ... to put the emphasis on things that make you happy and to avoid talking about things that make you sad,' said Stephen Morrison, the co-director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Africa program. 'This is not a conflict-resolution trip.' "

I've never heard of Stephen Morrison or the Center for Strategic and International Studies -- but wouldn't you think someone could suggest the guy makes the president seem like an idiot when the trip will be dealing with serious issues -- yet he characterizes it as a "happy trip"? Does the guy think at all about the words coming out of his mouth when he's speaking about the president and first lady?

Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]African trip, President Bush, Laura Bush, "happy trip," just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]