U.S. must use its power to help less fortunate, Bush says

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Tuesday that the United States has a responsibility to help "those less fortunate around the world."

"We believe the power to save lives comes with the obligation to use it," he said at the White House Summit on International Development. "And I believe our nation is better when we help people fight hunger and disease and illiteracy."

He insisted that aid programs not be designed simply to make Americans feel good but to have practical results.

"The interesting thing is, it's easy to measure if we're being successful, and results matter a lot. When the United States works with countries, we expect a well-defined strategy to measure whether our money is working," he said.

Bush also touted the value of free trade, which he called "the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known."

He said trade was worth nearly 40 times more than aid to poor countries, saying it boosted the rule of law and transparency.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf introduced Bush at the summit, saying that "when the United States sets its mind to do something, when all parties work together, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished."

Speaking earlier in the day, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged nations of the world not to cut their aid budgets because of the worldwide financial crunch.

"What we must not do is allow our generosity and our concern for others to fall victim to today's crisis," she said as she opened the summit.

"Reneging on our commitments to the world's poor cannot be an austerity measure," she said.

She said the world could not afford to let aid programs wither.

"If we fail to support the neediest members of our international community, and if we stop making investments in the international order that serves all of our strategic and economic interests, we will all be the poorer for it," she said. "And our vision of a just and better world will grow dimmer."

Activist and former rock musician Bob Geldof is among the participants at the day-long summit.

All About George W. Bush • Condoleezza Rice