40,000 DEAD / Bush Goes on VACATION

[Stephanie]

The dumb schmuck doesn't have a CARE in the world.


___________________





President George Bush (news - web sites) pulls his wife first lady Laura Bush into a photo op with the Crawford High School Pirates at Texas State Technical College in Waco, Texas, Dec. 26, 2004....
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Women grieve as they pass by boats destroyed by tidal waves at the harbor area in Nagappattinam, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004. 40,000 people are reported dead....
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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2965954

Dec. 27, 2004, 7:22AM
Bush travels to Crawford for vacation
President to plan his agenda and upcoming speeches

CRAWFORD - President Bush began his post-Christmas vacation Sunday contemplating a hefty second-term agenda on global and domestic fronts, including expectations of continued violence against U.S. troops in Iraq.

"This week is going to be about thinking about what he wants to tell the American people for the inauguration speech as well as the State of the Union," Deputy White House Press Secretary Trent Duffy said. En route to Texas from Washington, the president was briefed on the latest developments from the massive earthquake and tidal waves that killed thousands of people in southern and southeast Asia....
___________________

[Not_Giving_Up]

1. Remember...

He's a compASSionate conservative!

[tridim]

5. So compassionate that he killed 100,000 Iraqis too

and calls it a success.. 40,000 dead, non-Christian brown people is nothing to this monster.

[Not_Giving_Up]

14. Exactly

he's as compASSionate as a conservative can be!

[Alyssa]

15. Asian Tsunami

I'm certain any President would have done the same as this one in this situation. With modern communications it is really of little moment where the President is physically.

Why not save our bile for something real so we look more serious and less silly to the occasional reader of these posts?

[Stephanie]

20. So you speak for DU?

Or is that the royal we?

[youngred]

21. welcome to DU

don't let freeper accusations get to you (should they come, and they likely will).

[Alyssa]

81. Freepers

Excuse me please, but I don't actually know what a freeper is I am enbarrassed to admit. Can you tell me?

[youngred]

86. denizens of the website freerepublic.com

a conservative version of DU, but it's also a general term applied to anyone who is a disruptor here.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AgadorSparticus]

91. oh look, here's the other "occasional reader" trolling about

:eyes:

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

28. You're right. Bush's motto: "When the going get tough...

...the tough go on vacation."

More vacation hours logged than any other modern president. He's on the job, he's there for us, he's super-duper.

I agree that Bill Clinton, when faced with this tragedy, would have immediately gone on vacation...

NOT.



:tinfoilhat:

[youngred]

33. if it hadn't already been planned

but seriously, what could he do? It's too soon for memorial services since they're still doing recovery, he's pledged a (too small) amount to relief and he already had this scheduled. If there was something he could do I'd say break your vacation, but I'd rather have his bumbling hands out of this.

[Skittles]

82. HE SHOULD ADDRESS THE NATION

and tell us EXACTLY what America is doing for this catastrophic disaster. HE IS A G.D. DISGRACE.

[Stephanie]

83. Best Post ^

You sum it up perfectly. He's a DISGRACE.

[Skittles]

84. FOR GOD'S SAKE HE SHOULD ACT LIKE A LEADER

I am SICK of these posts from CLUELESS DUers WHO CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT ELSE THAT STUPID BASTARD SHOULD BE DOING.

[tridim]

29. President Gore would have had an extra 200 billion

to work with, not spent on a BS illegal war in Iraq. That's one of the many reasons we used to be respected in the world.

[Contrary1]

97. Ding, ding, ding...

We have a winner!

Has anyone else thought that maybe the US just doesn't have
the money to help out more? I have read in more than one
article that other countries are silently chuckling as this
administration rides the US to bankruptcy.

[rkc3]

40. I'm with you. Not even the Almighty bush could have prevented this.

[Stephanie]

41. Prevented it? Don't be ridiculous.

I am asking him to show some respect for the 40,000 DEAD.

[rkc3]

44. I'm not going to defend bush and I haven't watched any TV since

Wednesday, so I don't know if he's issued a statement. Even if he did/does, it will be no more than lip service and a promise to help. For those of us who can't stand the man, no matter what he says it will be insignificant.

At the same time, it's not like Gore or Kerry would have hopped on a plane to dig for survivors.

My point (and I think it's shared by others here) is that there are other things to beat the idiot up over. We shouldn't waste our efforts on this topic.

[Stephanie]

49. You're welcome to waste your efforts elsewhere

To me this matters.

[AgadorSparticus]

92. PREVENTED???!?!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

but doesn't he have a direct line to god? puhlease. this is ridiculous.

[rkc3]

95. My thoughts exactly from another thread...

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2873901&mesg_id=2873911>

[Sparkly]

55. He represents this country, and what he does sends a message

and thus far, the message is ho-hum!

This is a monumental disaster and he's posing for stupid photos and hanging out at the ranch! Has he even made one formal public statement yet? He should be talking to emergency organizations, relief agencies, the WHO, leaders of other countries, ambassadors, the UN, the red cross, the Asian community here in the US, the whole country to rally support for foreign aid and tell people how to help, the world to express grief, I mean SOMETHING!!!

[w4rma]

70. Bush disappeared for a 1 month vacation right before 911. I don't think

a competent 'President' would have done that just as I don't think a competent 'President' should be going on vacation, now.

[AgadorSparticus]

90. you are certainly wrong. no REAL president would have done the

same. a REAL president would get off his ass and be concerned about something bigger than his goddamn inaugural ball. your little princess in crawford is a piece of shit no matter how you spin the excuses.

something real? here, how about this: i could give a shit what the "occasional reader" thinks. the "occasional reader" can go back to freeperland and drag your happy ass with them.

[BurtWorm]

96. Sure, let's "save our bile."

For something more real than a global disaster.

[Democrats_win]

32. World Leader takes vacation during world catastrophe

Actions speak louder than words--Bush is nothing but a glorified cheerleader.

[Stephanie]

36. Exactly right - welcome to DU

[JimmyJazz]

2. It just baffles the mind.

Unbelievable.

[Sparkly]

3. Haven't you heard? He's busy working on the situation.

Well, watching TV occasionally, and deciding what to say to the American people that will be politically good for him.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1455141&mesg_id=1455141

[Not_Giving_Up]

6. After all, he watches TV to see

"hard work"

[Sparkly]

12. For him, it is

"hard work." Remember he once injured himself watching TV.

[Ladyhawk]

60. Now be reasonable. The pretzel and TV double-teamed him. :) n/t

[radar]

64. He's probably got...

...One of those big remote control devices that handle more than a tv.

"It's hard work learning the instructions for this big ol' gadget!"

[xultar]

4. If he's not gonna stay after a bombing at a US base he isn't gonna

stay for 60k Asians who died in the worst disaster ever known to man kind.

B4R---Be for real.

[AspenRose]

38. Let's not forget the attitudes towards Darfur, either.

It's a holocaust and he conveniently turns a blind eye. But you know, all those suffering black and brown people....with no oil in their countries...who cares, you know?

/sarcasm off

:-(

[xultar]

39. No Shit...WTF, we should be @ war right now over there based

on the BFEE NeoCon philosophy.

[youngred]

7. There isn't a whole lot he can do really

Now, taking off three August's in a row while being a war president and only cancelling his french vacation to campaign tells a bit more about his lack of care for anyone but himself

[ArthurDent]

8. He should have...

declared war on the Indian Ocean, for using a WMD... right?

In all seriousness, what would you have wanted him to do? Lock himself down in a safe room? Take the next SST to Sri Lanka? Let's face it -- Crawford, Washington, or even Moscow, Bush can do the same amount for the tsunami victims regardless of his location.

Please, don't make all of DU look foolish by running the vacation canard up the flagpole.

[Stephanie]

16. Oh you think I am making DU look foolish?

And what is the vacation canard? Do you mean the August 2001 vacation when he spent the entire month in Crawford while not lifting a finger in response to the PDB entitled "Bin Laden determinted to attack inside the United States"? Is that the "canard" you refer to? In what way do I make DU look foolish when I point out that it is unseemly to pose for goofy pictures with a baseball team when 40,000 people have just been swept from the face of the earth? How do I embarrass DU? Please explain. And what would I have him do? I would have him mounting the most massive humanitarian relief effort in the history of the world. I would have him attending memorial services and paying his respects to the nations that are suffering. I would have him pay back some of the sympathy that was extended to US in 2001. I would have him do SOMETHING besides displaying himself as a callous prick on a baseball field. For starters.

[youngred]

18. pssst It's football

:-)

While the US certainly could and should do more, his personal actions aren't going to change much in the grand scheme of things. We certainly should reach out and help more but Bush doesn't do nitty-gritty detail stuff on anything so taking a vacation to support his "hometown" HS football team isn't a big deal. The other vacations are more dangerous than this one

[Stephanie]

23. It's unseemly.

If Tony Blair had appeared at a football match the day after 9/11/01 what would you have said?

[youngred]

25. not much

he has his own country to run and all the PR things that go with it. I would be more concerned with what my local rulers were doing

[Stephanie]

26. If you'll recall, on 9/12/01 the whole world mourned with us

There were memorial services, there were official condolence visits from foreign leaders, there was grieving and sympathy from conscious people everywhere. Foreign leaders did not spend that day at sports photo-ops. It's unforgiveable.

[youngred]

30. I do remember

but why should American arrogance and self-centeredness surprise you now?

[Stephanie]

31. It's BUSH arrogance and self-centeredness

And I'm not surprised but I am appalled.

[youngred]

35. colour me jaded then

in the grand scheme of things it's another indictment on his soul and example of hypocricy, but not the worst in his tenure of poor decisions

[ArthurDent]

34. Easily

Going to Crawford is no big deal. It's not like he's not the president there, that he cannot make decision there, that he doesn't have access to anything he needs (and then some) there. He issued a statement in Crawford, already made a $400,000 aid release, and via Powell, pledged an additional $10 to 15 million. Why does it matter that the dateline read "Oval Office"? Do you want him to sit in his chair and hold a one-person candlelight vigil?

The fact is that he can do anything -- anything -- in Crawford that he can do in DC. To suggest otherwise is intellectually bankrupt. Why give those who disagree with DU the ability to point to such nonsense?

[Stephanie]

37. It is APPALLING that on the day the world mourns 40,000 DEAD

BUSH appears at a photo op for a football team. If you can't see how WRONG that is then I can't help you.

[bluedeminredstate]

54. I agree that the message he is sending is callous

to say the least. After the world stood by us and mourned for the dead in the WTC, Pentagon and Pennsylvania attacks, including world leaders coming to the US to see the horror and pay their respects, Bush could do some sort of gesture that shows that we mourn for them in this time of unimaginable grief as they did for us with a true sense of sympathy and unity. Whether it is sending Powell, FEMA, or in a perfect world - Bush himself to tour the damage and devastation - the gesture must be more than a statement and some minimal cash.
Want to win the hearts and minds of some Muslims? Act like you care when thousands are washed off the face off the earth, within a matter of minutes. I know not all the victims were not Muslim, but it might be a good idea to show concern and compassion for people of many faiths.
A visit to the area would do so much for our image as selfish, unconcerned bullies. Perhaps someone should be thinking past the next two weeks of Bush's R&R and look at the big picture of how we are perceived as being concerned only with things that affect us directly.

:shrug:

[Geek_Girl]

46. I don't think her opinion is nonsense

I think the Presidents public display apathy is just a reflection of Americans apathetic nature to what happens outside of our country. Your post just confirms that.

[AgadorSparticus]

94. the president should not represent the lowest common denominator.

just because some people are ignorant of a world outside theirs does not mean that the president of the United States should do the same.

[Chimpanzee]

98. But he's more ignorant than they are!!

[Forkboy]

57. Why worry about dumb fucks who disagree with DU?

[FourStarDemocrat]

88. Spot on!

This so-called leader of the free world is disgracing this country with his petty, self-indulgent behavior. He has not a whiff of compassion or humanity in his body.

[sam sarrha]

9. he is very concerned about his world, and will do anything to ours to

maintain his.. F'n Moron

[Contrary1]

10. I am one of the most

anti-Bush people you could ever run into...
but, I don't see what good it would do for
him just to sit around waiting for updates
on this tragedy.

Love him or not, he is the president. And,
as with other world leaders, it would be best
for him to stay out of the way right now, and
offer humanitarian help where possible.

[Florida_Geek]

19. organzing supply shipments is one thing he could do without

much work...

remember WWCD .... what would Clinton do

[onenote]

53. its what would clinton do,not where

The issue should focus on what our government does in response to this terrible tragedy, not on whether Bush is in DC or Texas or any other place,and also not on whether he does anything else (like photo-ops) while the government mobilizes aid. I hope we do the right thing, I don't give a rat's ass where Bush is when we do it.
By way of comparison...when an earthquake hit Turkey in August 1999, the US came to that country's aid. I don't recall anyone being upset that President Clinton celebrated his birthday two days later and then flew off on his planned August vacation. The point was he, and the country, did the right thing.

From what I've seen so far, this administration's response has been a bit disorganized, but I'm withholding judgment until I see what they do.

onenote

[Stephanie]

56. Here's what they're doing - after being called "stingy" - they upped the $

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=2&u=/ap/2...

The U.S. Agency for International Development prepared Tuesday to add $20 million to an initial $15 million contribution for Asian earthquake relief as Secretary of State Colin Powell bristled at a United Nations official's suggestion that the United States has been "stingy."

[HughBeaumont]

62. Don't they spend more on wasteful pork

God FORBID the money they waste for useless memorials could actually go to real humanitarian aid.

[Stephanie]

63. More than $40M for the Bush coronation

Why doesn't he cough up some of that?

[HughBeaumont]

65. Ha ha, which I'll be protesting in "kind".

Our tax dollars NOT at work.

[justinsb]

24. I think it's pretty much always best

if Bush stays out of the way.

[FarLeftRage]

11. he's just a f**king a**h***

who cares only about himself...

[Paradise]

13. It's how he treats the least among us that tells you the most about *! nt

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

17. Hmmm..."contemplating a hefty second-term agenda"...I'd like to know more!

...especially in light of MSNBC's story this morning:

"Bush expected to delay major tax overhaul
Social Security, budget grab center stage"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6760039/

A "hefty" agenda doesn't mean making out with Condi at the Crawford Pig Farm or riding his mountain bike around until he falls on his ass.

A "hefty" agenda doesn't mean taking items OFF of the agenda. That doesn't make it a "hefty" agenda. It makes it an "Agenda LITE."

Regarding "thinking about what he wants to tell the American people for the inauguration speech as well as the State of the Union," I posted this a few days ago...Bush already KNOWS what he wants to tell the American people:

"Vaffunculo, America."

[MemphisTiger]

22. He's sending out his armies of compassion

anybody remember that from the debates?

[wellstone]

43. W may be a moron

but this disaster isn't his to fix. I'm sure the US will do as much, or more, than any other country to help out the victims of this tragedy. We always do, regardless of how pathetic our government may be. But griping that dumbya is on vacation while these poor people are suffering doesn't do anything other than convince casual readers that we all wear tin foil hats around here.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Stephanie]

51. Lots of complaints on this thread that it "makes us look bad"

What nerve have I struck? It's puzzling.

[Bridget Burke]

67. Be careful!

I referred to the "makes us look bad" phrase as uttered by a small subset of new DU'ers & my message was deleted.

Honest, I never used the "F" word! (No, not the 4-letter one.)

[Stephanie]

50. What on God's earth does this have to do with tin foil hats?

I am pointing out his disrespect, his disregard, his INDIFFERENCE to the 40,000 DEAD, for whom he could not even be bothered to cancel his very important photo-op at a football game. When the world stopped everything to mourn with us for September 11 we took it as a matter of course. Now 40,000 are killed in an instant and Bush proceeds with business as usual. And I say SHAME on him. Show some respect. Show a little decency. Act like a human being.

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sparkly]

66. "it isn't his to fix"

This is his country to lead and represent, and a real president would be having meetings, making calls, making statements, dealing with emergency organizations, relief agencies, WHO, ambassadors, leaders of other nations, finding out what's happening and what can be done, expressing grief and condolence, telling people how they can help, something, ANYthing. Has he even made ONE formal statement yet? (It was mentioned that there were "no speechwriters" with him yesterday, but come ON.)

[AgadorSparticus]

93. he needs speechwriters to express basic human empathy?

pretty sad, isn't it??

[Bridget Burke]

68. Please explain "tin foil hats"

In this context. I'm aware of its usage in other contexts.

[Donna Zen]

42. Stingy?

...a dime short and a day late bush.

The Chinese, as they increase their political hold in this region, jumped on a chance to lend a hand. Sure, it's the interest we now pay everyday to China that allows them to be soooooo generous, but that is beside the point.

First, giving and helping in this crisis is the right thing to do. Absolutely. But the additional issue surrounds what the US (in our name) is willing to help with? 15 million compared with the 40 million bush will spend on his anointment should bring the smell of bile in the morning. Vacation be damned! There are phone calls to make to world leaders, adjustments to make in equipment with the search and rescue helicopters needed, and the hundred other "acts of human kindness" that need to be attended to.

True_I don't give bush a "pass" on his asshole maneuvers; but this one--vacation vs leadership--wouldn't ever be my place to begin.

[DinahMoeHum]

45. Fuck him. The world doesn't need or want his help, anyway.

We can help them far better WITHOUT him.


:evilfrown:

[sakabatou]

47. Why whould he care

<sarcasm>He's the President Select, he doesn't have to.</sarcasm>

[Stephanie]

52. It's how he was raised

"Why should we hear about body bags and deaths," Barbara Bush said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on March 18, 2003. "Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0429-11.htm

[hippiegranny]

59. He has got to primp for his big party,

puleeeze! How in the world can that compare to a bunch of furriners who were unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Priorities, people! This is Bush's "Murka!

[Stephanie]

61. Correction: 50,000 DEAD. What's the magic number -

that makes Bush get off his ass?

____________________

Tsunami Death Toll Climbs to 50,000

1 minute ago
Add to My Yahoo! World - AP Asia

By LELY T. DJUHARI, Associated Press Writer

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Mourners in Sri Lanka buried their dead with bare hands Tuesday while displaced and hungry islanders in Indonesia looted stores following explosive tidal waves that the United Nations (news - web sites) said may be history's costliest natural disaster. The death toll rose dramatically to more than 50,000 and officials expected it to rise further.

A dozen nations in a band of destruction from Southeast Asia to Africa tallied corpses at tropical beaches, devastated villages and choked hospital morgues — with 10,000 dead found in a single Indonesian town, according to one government agency.

Indonesia's Health Ministry said in a statement early Wednesday that 27,178 people has been killed on Sumatra island, which was closest to the earthquake's epicenter. But the ministry said this figure did not include data from districts on the island's hard-hit western coast, including the town of Melulaboh.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=1&u=/ap/20041228/ap_on_re_as/quake_tidal_waves

[leftofthedial]

69. in 2001, the headline was similar

Bush goes on vacation/3000 dead

[Stephanie]

71. yes, it's quite familiar

http://anderson.ath.cx:8000/911/pics/bookerclassroom.jpg

[Stephanie]

72. 60,000 DEAD - Bush is RIDING HIS BIKE

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBP3EPKA3E.html

Bush Biking, Relaxing at Ranch

By Deb Riechmann Associated Press Writer
Published: Dec 28, 2004

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - Besides monitoring the devastating earthquake in Southeast Asia, President Bush is biking and strolling around his ranch here and pondering tax reform and other goals in his second term.

"He's clearing some brush this morning," deputy White House press secretary Trent Duffy said Tuesday, adding that the president and first lady also planned to host friends at the ranch.

"He's doing some biking and exercising as he normally does, taking walks with the first lady, and thinking about what he wants to accomplish in the second term." (more)

[Catherine Vincent]

73. I don't think Bush should have any vacation since this Iraq war started.

How does this ass sleep at night?

[WithStamina]

74. What on earth do you want?

If anything, his presence there would make the situation worse. Security hassles, massive protests... it would be an enormous hurdle for the Asian governments that are already reeling from the tsunami. Bush is doing what he should in this case: give lip service and then stay out of it.

[Stephanie]

76. I want him to show some respect. I want him to act like a grown-up.

I want him to react like a human being, not a monster. I am well aware I am asking too much.

[Rebecca_Remarks]

75. Why shouldn't he go on vacation... he's responsible for all the carnage!

Face it, folks. Bush doesn't care at all because he is responsible for all the misery that has been going on in Southeast Asia since the quake.

This is a person who gleefully killed over 100,000 Iraqis, not to mention several thousand Americans and tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan. He caused the 9/11 disaster, for heaven's sake!

Bush could have taken the lead in the U.S. taking better care of the planet. But, no, he's too stuck up for that. Furthermore, even if he didn't actually cause the quake, he could have warned the people there. We knew about the tsunami hours in advance. Did Bush actually get on the phone and call a prime minister or send a fax to one of the embassies in Washington. No! He couldn't even be bothered to pick up the phone and call the mission to Sri Lanka and say "Hey, guess what, there's a wall of water coming toward you. Now would be a good time to repent! Ha Ha." Not even that.

So, why does it surprise everyone that he went on vacation when the rest of the world is suffering?

Rebecca

[Stephanie]

77. nice try

you'd best repent too

[Rebecca_Remarks]

78. Repent?

Repent? For what?

I certainly have my faults, but pointing out what an evil man is in the White House isn't one of them.

Rebecca

[Stephanie]

80. repent for a bit of bad acting

don't quit your day job

[Lorien]

79. I wish I got one tenth the vacation time the

"leader of the free world" gets. I haven't had a vacation since 1999, and I can't afford f*cking HEAT this winter!

They say he needs all those days off because his job is so demanding, but then he can't give more than an hour or two to the 9/11 commission because his job is so demanding...just what DOES he do all day, again?

[spanone]

85. bush* has wasted our economy. He could give a shit about foreigners.

[Stephanie]

87. Not just ME questioning - WaPo would also like to know - WHERE IS BUSH??

__________________

Aid Grows Amid Remarks About President's Absence -WP

...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.

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.' "
...

Some foreign policy specialists said Bush's actions and words both communicated a lack of urgency to 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 Gelb, emeritus president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32337-2004Dec28.html?nav=rss_politics

__________________

[Donna Zen]

89. WaPo and General Clark agree with Stephanie

Aid Grows Amid Remarks About President's Absence:

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."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32337-2004Dec28.html?sub=AR