The tsunamis that devasted much of Southeast Asia happened on December 26, 2004, and the magnitude of the disaster soon started making itself apparent.
On December 27, President Bush briefly interrupted his vacation to order US military forces to the area to provide disaster relief and started the process of funneling US government money into assistance.
On December 30, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan briefly interrupted his vacation to announce that there would be an international conference on January 6 to discuss coordinating relief efforts. High on the list of UN priorities were adequate camps for the rescue workers.
Now, can someone explain to me why Bush is condemned as “insensitive” and “uncaring,” while Annan is praised for his “compassion” and “humanity?” Or has the whole notion of words meaning far more than deeds finally taken hold?
J.
Wow. Read the ‘Six degrees of Brad&PIMullet’ post above.
Let’s just cut to the chase.
The U.S. will be the biggest provider of aid, again, to countries that cheered 9/11. We will be the biggest supplier of shipping, again. Same with food, money, planes, water treatment plants, etc..etc..ad nauseum, again. Just like always, the grownups will do the work, the childish will bite ankles.
Bush was quick to respond; he ordered the most important part of the relief effort, our navy, to head to the area the day after the disaster struck.
PIMullet, I am glad you do not attack me personally. I appreciate that. However, you are still an anti-American asshole, as shown by your postings here. Now, it’s not the end of the world. You can still change your ways, but that is just the way it is for now. Someday you may think better of America. btw, would you rather have .92 % of Norways gnp, or whatever % America is donating?
Yeah, thought so. The victims needing aid really can’t take percentages to the bank, but they can take money to the bank. What counts is how much actual, physical money, aid and food is provided.
Kofi Annan heads the largest humanitarian organization in the world – his compassionate credentials are fairly well-established by now. The US has no intention of withdrawing from the UN. It is an organization that is the crowning achievement of one of America’s most beloved presidents and its charter was written by our own State Department. It is a towering monument of enormous historical importance that America led the world in creating. Of course, everyone knows this, which is why everyone also knows that the current anti-UN, anti-Annan talk is merely retaliation towards certain UN officials who took a pro-Kerry stance during the election, and in particular, political missteps by Annan when he publicly opposed the Fallujah offensive.
Bush, however, has campaigned as a “compassionate conservative”, and after failing to find WMDs and significant links to al-Qaida in Iraq, the war in Iraq, the war on terror and our foreign policy in general has been almost completely predicated on humanitarian goals, with little to show for it. The Bush Administration is working hard to regain credibility abroad, and retains a slim hold on it at home. It would be disastrous for the administration to appear disingenuous about its humanitarian motivations.
Again Brad misses the point. Brad said:
He was slow to react, and that’s that.
Is it? Brad when should Bush have signed the order to get the Carrier group to the effected area, before the tsunami hit??? Give us a break already. The only thing Bush didn’t do was get in front of a camera and say something. And what would that have done anyway, nothing, with the exception of forcing people like you to find something else to complain about. For some reason, words and appearance are more important to you than actions.
I know I already commented and have not yet read any of the others – yet – but I still think we should send the UN people back home from whence they came and bulldoze the building into the closest river there in NTC because the UN of today is not doing the actions (including NATO forces) that it started out to be. They sure have moved off their charter so it’s time to make a new one. If Bush couldn’t wait for the UN to go to work, we’d all be dead by now, by God!!!! That’s why the tsunami money is NOT going through the UN and President Bush and those who are indeed in this coalition of the helpful are the ones who are directly there in the hard hit and detruction of the tsumani; they are pooling their resourses and every day it get’s better. Now if we gave that money and all the other american money to the UN, they’d still be sitting on the butts. It’s time to get rid of the UN all together.
Cindy