America can't win for losing. When the Bush Administration made an initial pledge of $15 million for disaster relief for the Indian Ocean tsunami, United Nations hack Jan Hegeland used the occassion to indirectly criticize the U.S. foreign aid program as "stingy." Now that President Bush has upped the ante to $35 million, and vowed to work with other wealthy democracies to administer aid, the anti-American left is crying foul again.
The blogosphere is amok with reactions to this latest America-bashing outrage. Weighing-in are Captain Ed, Betsy's Page, Michael Totten, and the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.
"Only really the UN can do that job," whined Clare Short, a former minister in Tony Blair's government. "It is the only body that has the moral authority. But it can only do it well if it is backed up by the authority of the great powers."
Translation: give us your money, America, and we'll spend it however we see fit. After the manner in which the United Nations handled the Oil for Food program designed to alleviate the Iraqi humanitarian crisis, can you blame Bush for not wanting U.S. aid to pass through the hands of international Eurocrats in New York?
So basically, Bush caved in? Where is he getting this money from anyways?
Excellent point, Obi Juan. The Constitution gives Congress, not the President, the power to allocate money. Stay tuned to the blog as I'll have more on that point.
Now we've up our aid amount to $350 million!
DID YOU MISS THIS?
The rerouting of American/Japanese/Australian
aid money reminds me of the erasure of the
League of Nations from our 'Current Events' paper
in grade school, (yes it was grade school, not
'middle school') All of a sudden news of it was
just gone. With the USA bucking the votes of 57
Islamic nations, I see the UN as an idea whose
time to fade away has also come. If God doesn't
send a Tsunami through Turtle Bay, why not just
resign and kick them out? Yes, it's that simple.
Looks like rather than the UN, it was the Indians who were busy. Following article also argues for Indian permanent membership of Security Council. US should work with India to kick out French and Brits.
http://www.theglobalist.com/DBWeb/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=4378
