Positioning Jeb Bush
According to this article, "Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday the outpouring of American aid and humanitarian help in the region devastated by the tsunami may also help Muslim nations see the United States in a better light."
Maybe, espcially if no one notices how much more we are spending in Iraq (over $200 million PER DAY by some calculations, meaning just two days of Iraqi-war-related expenditures far exceed what we are spending in total on tsunami relief).
But why is Jeb Bush involved? According to this article it is "because of his experience with hurricane devastation," the same explanation I heard unquestioningly parroted on NPR's Morning Edition today. But, does this make any sense at all? He is not part of the government of any nation affected by the earthquake or tsunami, or any foreign aid agency, and doesn't have any special knowledge of or connection to these countries, or understanding of the native political or physical infrastructures. If left alone in say, Sri Lanka, could he even take care of himself, no less assist anyone else? This is simply a gigantic, exploitive PR ploy, to position him to ascend to the Bush throne in 2008.
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