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| Home Front: Politix |
| WaPo: President fails to show compassion |
| 2004-12-29 |
| EFL ... Although U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland yesterday withdrew his earlier comment, domestic criticism of Bush continued to rise. Skeptics said the initial aid sums -- as well as Bush's decision at first to remain cloistered on his Texas ranch for the Christmas holiday rather than speak in person about the tragedy -- showed scant appreciation for the magnitude of suffering and for the rescue and rebuilding work facing such nations as Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Indonesia. After a day of repeated inquiries from reporters about his public absence, Bush late yesterday afternoon announced plans to hold a National Security Council meeting by teleconference to discuss several issues, including the tsunami, followed by a short public statement. Where would those poor Tsunami sufferers be without the assistance of reporters? Bush's deepened public involvement puts him more in line with other world figures. In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cut short his vacation and returned to work in Berlin because of the Indian Ocean crisis, which began with a gigantic underwater earthquake. In Britain, the predominant U.S. voice speaking about the disaster was not Bush but former president Bill Clinton, who in an interview with the BBC said the suffering was like something in a "horror movie," and urged a coordinated international response. Earlier yesterday, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the president was confident he could monitor events effectively without returning to Washington or making public statements in Crawford, where he spent part of the day clearing brush and bicycling. Explaining the about-face, a White House official said: "The president wanted to be fully briefed on our efforts. He didn't want to make a symbolic statement about 'We feel your pain.' " Many Bush aides believe Clinton was too quick to head for the cameras to hold forth on tragedies with his trademark empathy. "Actions speak louder than words," a top Bush aide said, describing the president's view of his appropriate role. Some foreign policy specialists said Bush's actions and words both communicated a lack of urgency about an event that will loom as large in the collective memories of several countries as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks do in the United States. "When that many human beings die -- at the hands of terrorists or nature -- you've got to show that this matters to you, that you care," said Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. There was an international outpouring of support after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and even some administration officials familiar with relief efforts said they were surprised that Bush had not appeared personally to comment on the tsunami tragedy. "It's kind of freaky," a U.S. officials denied that the overnight aid increase was a response to the U.N. complaint Monday that some countries were "stingy" with aid. Usually only about 10 percent of the final aid tally is given in the initial response to a natural disaster, with the bulk of aid provided after an assessment of long-term needs, according to the State Department. "My initial reaction is that it does not seem to be very aggressive," said Morton Abramowitz, a former ambassador to Thailand who has been active in humanitarian relief efforts, of the administration's response to the tsunami. Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who as the military's top European commander helped supervise NATO's efforts to respond to a 1999 earthquake in Turkey, said the United States has unique military capabilities in reconnaissance and logistics management that can be useful in the current crisis. He urged Bush to take a higher profile. "Natural disasters happen," Clark said. "One of the things people look for is a strong response that illustrates America's humanitarian values." Still, the United Nations' Egeland complained on Monday that each of the richest nations gives less than 1 percent of its gross national product for foreign assistance, and many give 0.1 percent. "It is beyond me why we are so stingy, really," he told reporters. Among the world's two dozen wealthiest countries, the United States often is among the lowest in donors per capita for official development assistance worldwide, even though the totals are larger. According to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development of 30 wealthy nations, the United States gives the least -- at 0.14 percent of its gross national product, compared with Norway, which gives the most at 0.92 percent. |
| Posted by:Mrs. Davis |
| #10 I read this early in the AM and just shook my head. Anyone who buys this pure fecal matter has seirous cognitive issues. Telling people they don't give enough is a sure way to get a reaction that is opposite of what is desired. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-12-29 4:22:12 PM |
| #9 What I like is that in the last 24 hours or so, Amazon has raised $2.5 million from 45,000 private Americans. France ponied up for $175,000. So who's the piker? |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-12-29 4:10:37 PM |
| #8 Among the world’s two dozen wealthiest countries, the United States often is among the lowest in donors per capita for official development assistance worldwide, even though the totals are larger. Sounds like class envy to me, but on a global scale. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-29 3:07:16 PM |
| #7 Hey, do you think if I blamed Bush for every little thing I could get a six figure job, or do I have to keep scraping for those one and two figure jobs? |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-12-29 2:47:59 PM |
| #6 You know tu3031 I actually had someone here in San Francisco tell me with a straight face that the tsunami was Bush's fault. He admitted that he hadn't figured out exactly how a natural distaster could be the President's fault, but it probably had something to do with Halliburton and missile defense testing. Oh, this guy has a wife, kids, and a three figure job; he doesn't live under a bridge or anything. Typical Democrat. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2004-12-29 2:40:39 PM |
| #5 My wish -- President to WaPo: "I got your compassion right hear you @sshats!" |
| Posted by: Tibor 2004-12-29 1:21:39 PM |
| #4 Washington Post sounds like an angry ex-wife, nagging someone for something they didn't do. |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-12-29 1:11:05 PM |
| #3 This is ridiculous...Dubya is busy DEALING WITH IT. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2004-12-29 1:05:00 PM |
| #2 Guess if he'd had a presser and bit his lip, all would be OK...suuurreeee |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-29 1:00:35 PM |
| #1 Well at least they haven't found out about the Halliburton Earthquake/Tsunami machine they've been testing in the Indian Ocean. They'd really rip him for that. Oooooops... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-12-29 12:58:00 PM |