Clinton Talks Tsunami; Bush Administration Provides Aid: Guess Who is Criticized?

STEVE YUHAS.COM ^ | DECEMBER 29, 2004 | STEVE YUHAS

[CHARLITE]

As the sun rose over Tel Aviv this morning I again woke to the grumbling noise coming from the television about the tsunami disaster. The top stories every quarter hour this morning was no longer the death toll or that America is stingy, all that changed yesterday when the UN backed down from that idiotic remark. No the issue today is that President Bush is spending time on his ranch and that is insensitive to the victims of the disaster.

Presumably the BBC, and the other news stations took former President Bill Clinton’s comment, “It is really important that somebody takes the lead in this,” as criticism of President Bush for staying in Crawford, Texas instead of rushing back to Washington, D.C. to handle the situation. Bill Clinton, of all people, knows that multi-tasking is a skill that comes over time to every President.

While every death is a tragedy, (well, not every death since the BBC, other news outlets and even the United Nations have completely ignored the death of at least 17 Iraqis after an explosion left them dead in their country today) only eleven Americans died (so far) in the tsunamis in Asia.

It stands to reason that Britain and other European countries would be looking for aid for Asia because it is their citizens, not ours, who choose the Indian Ocean islands and the adjoining coastlines for their Christmas vacations. Americans tend to stay closer to home and vacationing in third world countries doesn’t appeal to Americans as much as eating turkey and watching football with family.

There has been non-stop coverage of all the British dead, but no mention yet about American victims – at least not from the BBC. The best they could do today is bring on a panel to talk about Clinton’s remark and replay it every 15 minutes so that the world could once again hear from the man that Europe loved and that America impeached.

America has pledged $35 million in aid, the European Union has pledged $40.5 million (by the way – the UK has only given $773,000 and Prime Minister Tony Blair has yet to leave with jeans and a t-shirt to help clean up the beaches), Japan is giving $30 million, China $2.6 million, Australia $7.8 million and Singapore $1.2 million.

Taking population and affected people into account and the United States is again on top when it comes to giving aid to a needy people half way across the globe. Japan – which is not far from the epicenter – is 2nd. There are about 456 million people in the European Union and only 295 million people in America – do the math and America is giving more and our people don’t spend much time vacationing in poverty stricken enclaves just blocks from abject poverty – we find that unseemly, but Europe loves it.

I thought that Europe (especially France and Germany) wanted to start taking a leadership role in the world and wanted America to acquiesce to their superior inclinations? Well Europe – here is your chance!

If Europe cannot handle a relatively simple operation like getting aid to where their citizens spend their holidays playing in the sea why should America?

What happened to the old Europe we saw during the lead up to the war in Iraq that said that America was arrogant and should be resisted at every opportunity? Pride should dictate that France and Germany ought to try out how well this tremendous experiment called the European Union can handle a disaster since they’ve had to deal with very little – America handles war let them handle a flood or two.

Interestingly enough though is as I searched for the amount of aid that was sent to Florida after four hurricanes in six weeks by the European Union and other nations, I can’t seem to find any.

Surely the Europeans must have sent something to Florida after the storms badly damaged her shores and left her people without homes, water, electricity or the coveted frois gras, but I just cannot find how much they sent.

There are about $30 million in outstanding parking tickets owed to the City of New York by “diplomats” stationed at the United Nations. Maybe they could pay a few of those off to help the struggling people of Clinton’s beloved Harlem to bring back midnight basketball to keep kids off the streets.

The most powerful man in the world can coordinate the government from anywhere in the world – whether he is in Texas or Washington or Moscow or flying over Japan. The White House is not the center of power in the United States – that power rests with the man holding the office and all the resources of the nation are at his disposal regardless of where he happens to be.

The government doesn’t shut down when President Bush leaves the White House.

First came the criticism that America wasn’t spending enough to help a region Americans don’t visit, but Europeans do; then came the condemnation by talking heads on the BBC and some in the American press that Bush was insensitive because he didn’t immediately pick up a shovel and start digging – as if the money to help the region was not enough. What’s next?

I’ve got it, France will find out that President Bush intends to ring in the New Year not with French champagne, but with good old American alcohol free sparkling wine from California! That will make the news – I’m sure of it.

The gall of those greedy Americans: they give more than any other nation on the planet, provide the impetus for freedom to those who’ve never had the opportunity (in blood, tears and treasure) and our President isn’t in Asia, shovel in hand, to dig out the European tourists who got trapped in a third world country vacationing in places that nobody from any of those countries could ever afford!

As I’ve written this piece a few more quarter hours news cycles have gone by and nary a word about the people killed in Iraq: only criticisms about President Bush, praise for former impeached President Clinton and the same video of the same tsunami that has been playing for the last three days with descriptions of all the Europeans who died in the tragedy.

Now they’ve added the airport welcome homes of the British and German folks who made it out of those ruined resorts.

My question to the survivors and the BBC: why are your people coming home? They love to vacation there, but if it is the responsibility of President Bush to dig the people out, shouldn’t Jacques, Gerhard and Tony be there right along side of him with your citizens handing them the shovels?

If only Bill Clinton were still in office – he would have been on the ground crying with survivors, biting his lip – NO WAIT, Clinton would have stopped the tsunami in the first place.

Cheers, mate.

Steve Yuhas is a columnist and radio talk show host on KOGO AM 600 in San Diego. He can be reached at steve@steveyuhas.com or http://www.steveyuhas.com

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"Can someone tell me where's a good place to give money to disaster aid?"

Don't send it to the Red Cross, the UN or Oxfam. If I were you, I'd wait for the dust to settle a little, then work with your local church/community and see what they're doing, as far as sending clothing or foodstuffs, or medicines, etc.

I'm losing my faith in huge aid organizations, and don't send cash any longer. But, that's just me.

[Ghengis]

here's what that rat bast*rd had to say:

Me thinks it is a parody.

[grandpiano007]

I think it's for real since it was mentioned in Time magazine in an article about how blogs ruled the waves this year. It's been there for months. I read it for the first time in July.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks. I find that incredibly scarey. It's one thing for everyday schmucks like us to blog, but an Ex-President? Isn't that some sort of security breach or something? Doesn't it reek of self-indulgence and lost youth? And I don't doubt he'll eventually use it to promote his bid for a UN seat.

Gawd! Will we NEVER be free of those two? Grrrr!

[Grateful One]

Same old story, liberals posture, others act.

[daler]

I'd like to ignore them...but then I'm confronted with garbage like this (puke alert) from the Minneapolis Star & Sickle:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5160305.html

It pains me to know that people actually subscribe to this rag, and that advertisers spend millions every year supporting this pathetic excuse for a newspaper.

[bitt]

we've been had, you all - check out

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:wqhUVjakZ70J:billclintondailydiary.blogspot.com/2004/07/bill-clinton-in-media-july-14-2004.html+billclintondiary+at+yahoo.com&hl=en

Bill blogs about dancing in a gay bar in London...

pretty funny, and lucky for him, he didn't say that about Bush today, cuz I would have been VERY unkind...

beware, grandpiano007, I'm gonna be watching you...
:)

[Uncle Vlad]

Clinton should just shut his mouth and be glad that the apathy of the American people and diligence of the powers that be have graciously allowed him to stay out of prison.

[tuffydoodle]

LOL Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel!

[atruelady]

LOLOLOLOLO!!!!! I have to think of more, clean adjectives!

[Designer]

"It pains me to know that people actually subscribe to this rag,.."

I know what you mean. My daughter-in-law reads it every day, then tells my son what to think.

Very sad Dad.

[foofoopowder]

Clinton is the lowest form of despicable mendacious slime, taking another disgusting cheap shot at President Bush. Reminds me of Chappy Kennedy, and John Fraud Kerry, Arafat, computer hackers........Used car salesmen are honorable people compared to Clinton and the Demo Rats.

[atruelady]

I was also going to add that lawyers are more honorable compared to these men until I realized that they are lawyers!