"Of course the truth is while Obama kept them employed," he continued, "we Americans will pay for it. This whole game is about how much will be announced as aid. In the final analysis when people say it is not about the money they mean it's about THE MONEY! As Ronald Reagan said, 'Foreign aid is taking money from poor people in rich countries and giving it to rich people in poor countries.' "

Did I mention Ray is a Republican?

According to Ray, the president and his family stayed at a Holiday Inn in Accra and security, as you might suspect, was tight.

"There were huge mining trucks surrounding the inn," he wrote. "You couldn't drive anything past them."

He also sent along photos showing the huge fleet of black Suburbans and SUVs that accompany the president wherever he travels — be it Albuquerque or Accra.

Ray wasn't able to give a firsthand report on the president's visit to the former slave castle at Cape Coast some 60 miles from Accra. Jill had work for him to do. But what he saw in Accra was more than enough to convince him that Obama could run for president in Ghana and win there, too.

"I run about one hour per day among the Ghanians," he wrote. "And if I ever say 'Obama,' they respond positively."

His conservative skepticism notwithstanding, Ray gave Obama high marks for delivering a speech that, in addition to pledging more foreign aid, emphasized the importance of personal and national responsibility.

"Hopefully the brilliance of the promised billions won't blind the boldness of the statement that 'Africa's future is up to Africans,' " Ray concluded. "As a statement that placed responsibility directly on each person and each nation for its own welfare — where in my opinion it belongs — his speech was without parallel."

Lee Benson's column runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com