what we would call corruption is the grease that fuels many (most?) 3rd world gov'ts. The already flimsy political structure would evaporate should glad handing be eradicated overnight which would leave us with more Congos, Rwandas, Somalias, Dafurs, Eritreas, Liberias and Nigerias, to only mention a few!
TB means well and one hopes that the attention he draws will shame the local leaders into transparent rule - that's where trust for a centralized gov't begins.
We can take TB's example and screech (its the only weay to be heard in Washington) that our foreign aid dollars be more than payoffs to the prez of the moment to keep Al-Queda out of town. Because if our money is the only thing keeping out the Islam-o-psychos then we'll end up with another Afghanistan where cut off warlords are now welcoming back the Taliban. the fight for democracy must be vigorous and steady but it must include reality: sharp, efficient, tactical, redundant strategies - not just pie in the sky celebrity visits exploited by shameless politicians to further personal success over that of our country.