Over time, presidents have chosen locations to give important speeches.  I remember that then-governor Ronald Reagan started his 1980 campaign in an area impacted by the bad economy.  In 2008, then-senator Obama announced his campaign in Springfield, Illinois. Why South Africa? I understand that President Obama spoke on the Mandela anniversary.  However, South Africa has serious challenges, from basic human rights to high levels of poverty and violence against women and children. In fact, I saw this article about what's also going on in South Africa: In South Africa, ownership of the land has emerged as the most explosive issue faced by the country's leaders. The government has pledged to redistribute land from white farmers to millions of black people who work on it. But groups representing white farmers say the dispute is inflaming violence in rural areas. Well, what can you say?  We can say two...(Read Full Post)