Look out world, here comes President Bush — Part III: Sunshine and Puppy Dogs (slated for release in '08).
Jeb Bush says Florida hurricanes pale in comparison to tsunami.
We had nothing compared to that. When you have 150,000 people who died over 11 countries, that goes way beyond what anybody's experienced in our own country.
Thanks Jeb! I was on the edge of my seat waiting for your professional assessment of the situation. Until now I thought maybe this tsunami thing was like a water hurricane only not as bad because Disneyworld wasn't in the path. Good to know your brother is sending the very best help in times like these.
Now be a good boy and go make more orange juice.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
Just what other countries want, yet another Bush coming over to their country to try and "fix things".
yet another Bush coming
exactly... When I heard he was over there I thought "WTF for?" then I thought... "oh no... this better not be the start of the 'Jeb in 08' world tour... "
I don't get the reference to puppy dogs.
I wondered why the hell Jeb was headed to Asia, and it's pretty obvious to the world that anyone who lead a state through four hurricanes is an expert in disaster areas. Jeb should stay in Florida where he belongs.
More keen insight from the Bush clan. Way to go, Jeb!
i'm not sure i quite understand your animosity towards the bush family here. what did jeb do wrong? i think he got it right in fact. just a question: why do you promote donating to help the victims but portray jeb's help as bad? i can't understand that.
Way to use tax payer dollars to kick-off a presidential bid for your brother. This is almost as good as the aircraft carrier bit.
Alex because Jeb ain't doing a f$#%#ng thing there except telling everyone the obvious. Is he helping dig out bodies? Is he helping to feed anyone? Probably not.
If he really wants to help then he can stay in the USA and send some cash. That helps more than his funky ass telling everyone the obvious.
Sometimes hatred and dislike goes beyond reason or stupidity.
Ranting and raving about supporting the victims any way you can... but the second someone that you don't like, heck somebody who is merely 'related' to someone that you don't like, puts in his all to help out - you take the opportunity to bash him for it.
Jeb Bush may not be an expert on disaster's, but as far as the US is concerned, he does have a lot of recent experience with a similiar type (although obviously very different scale) of natural disaster and it is great that he has done the best he can to help out.
It's became so 'hip' to hate America lately.
I'm at a loss as to what your expectation was, don't all statesmen visiting a disaster scene say something similar?
It's became so 'hip' to hate America lately.
Jeb Bush = America (?)
Did I miss the memo?
It seems to me that it has also become 'hip' to accuse people of hating America.
Come on, you might have a point, but to say people here are hating America as an entity is pretty absurd.
Hey, Beerzie Yoink, I don't hate you!
I'm as Anti-American as you can get but I don't hate the people of the USA. I hate policies, I hate ignorance, I hate apathy and I also hate narrow minded religious freaks but all of these can be found, unfortunatelly, everywhere.
And all these comming from a person who lived 7 yrs under an american imposed dictatorship (officially admited by President Clinton) on my country (thank you Dr. Kissinger, let me know when you'll drop dead so I can come and shit on your grave).
Sometimes you just can't win. W. gets bashed for not caring enough about the disaster then when he sends someone to help represent the US and his family they both get bashed as well. It customary to send people to such disaster areas and I see no problem with Jeb being one of those people. Would it be alright if it was Jimmy Carter?
I think we all need to take a deep breath and say out loud "George Bush is not the devil" "Jeb Bush is not the devil"
Now don't we all feel better now.
PS: Please any responses about policy (forgien or domestic) that "proves" W. is the devil does not be posted for my benefit. I have all heard the arguements.
"...anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering"--Yoda
I think the problem here is that everyone is a little tired of the Bush family posturing. We have seen far too much talk without action coming from that family that now, even if their intentions are honorable, we don't want to hear it. The whole thing about the $15-35 million promised by W. initially is ridiculous, especially when Bush spent $40+ million on his victory party after the election. Jeb is part of that machine, hopping up there to help smooth out another presidential gaff.
All I can think about lately is how much good all those billions of dollars we have blown in Iraq could have done these tsunami survivors.
I didn't realize we lived in a monarchy. Damn you, Ryan! Damn you for not knowing!!
George/Jeb Bush = the devil
I'm sorry. Which line in Greg's post or any subsequent comment (other than Adam's) says this?
Coming up next: the Bush family declares a new War on Meteorology.
Yep, going to hell.
These comments are perfect examples of how the US is divided. I'm not pro-Bush, but I'm not anti-bush, being from Canada, we have our own political mess. I find this article from the Toronto Sun to be a very well written from the standpoint of being thankful the US is doing something. Canada is "sending money" but we have a Disaster Response Team that hasn't left the runway yet.
I don't know that I consider myself divided. This is just stupid. Of all the people we could have sent to the area for their expertise in disaster recovery, Jeb Bush would not be on my short list. The director of FEMA, for example, would have been a more prudent office to fly to the region and offer assistance.
This is clearly the masterful work of Karl Rove and a shameful display of politics taking a front seat when it's not needed at all.
I'd like to think the Director of FEMA was a little bit too busy to be taking part in this particular visit. Statesmen, foreign leaders and so on don't visit these things to provide immediate help but to provide political assurances.
Maybe I'm missing something, maybe I don't understand how American politics works but to me an event of this magnitude falls well within the domain of politics, all the money in the world won't hep if it isn't properly administered or if the people aren't wisely governed during the next few years.
I think Stephen's got it.
I don't know too much about FEMA, but I get the impression their jurisdiction is solely domestic natural disasters, and I don't imagine that they'd be to allocate part of their budget to outside disasters. Perhaps a more logical choice would be the administrator of USAID.
But that goes back to the idea of name recognition. Are any of the visiting dignitaries from any country going to be personally assisting aid workers? Not likely. They're there show their respective governments' resolve to assist victims - the higher profile, the better. Can you name the administrator of USAID off the top of your head? Didn't think so. On the other hand, does the name "Bush" mean something? Definitely.
Don't get me wrong, anyone can see this bodes well for any presidential aspirations Jeb may have. But I really can't think of too many other people (short of the president himself) who would have been better to send.
Statesmen, foreign leaders and so on don't visit these things to provide immediate help but to provide political assurances.
You might have something here but I can't imagine any statesman with the name 'Bush' would reassure anyone outside America with the exception of Tony Blair.
Poland.
Yes, sure that's what every politician is supposed to say. "Oh, it's a terrible tragedy," "We are here to help."
But the Jebber is over a week late after the disaster, and Japan tops the US in monetary aid.
Japan?
Japan tops the US in monetary aid.
Does anyone have firm numbers on this? I've seen $500 million for Japan, but $350 million and $1 billion for the United States (I think Greg linked to the latter figure in a previous post).
In any case, these are all just pledges. Following through on them is a different matter entirely, unfortunately. Interesting quote:
"There has never been an aid pledge for which governments have come through 100 per cent and on time," said Calestous Juma, a professor of international development at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. From Aid donors struggle to maintain unity.
Kudo's to Jeb Bush for at least going there to help. All of the other people just donated money which is now sitting in coffers waiting for some people to decide what to do with it. Actually helping out says so much more. Bashing anybody for helping is so coward. Why don't you go there and lend a hand? Sheesh.
I've seen $500 million for Japan, but $350 million and $1 billion for the United States (I think Greg linked to the latter figure in a previous post).
Initially Colin Powel said that the contribution from the US would come in around $1B. Since then, from what I've read, the Whitehouse has only committed to $350M.
Kudo's to Jeb Bush for at least going there to help.
Chris, exactly what did Jeb do to help other than go shake some hands and pose for pictures like a good little politician?
I'd like to think the Director of FEMA was a little bit too busy
I'm not sure why he didn't go, but I'd like to think that the Director of FEMA might be able to rearrange his schedule to assist in a disaster that has taken 150,000 lives.
I don't know too much about FEMA, but I get the impression their jurisdiction is solely domestic natural disasters
What jurisdiction does the Governor of Florida have in Sumatra?
Why don't you go there and lend a hand?
If the President wants to jet me over and my employer will allow it, I can be ready in a couple of hours.
Beware of Sheldon! A link to the Toronto Sun? eeek...being from Toronto, sadly I am exposed to this paper daily. Think Fox News for newsprint, with a grade 3 reading level.
Re: Jeb Bush, sadly, he is the smartest one in the family. Not because he is in Asia shaking hands. But because it is near impossible to be stupider than Dubya.
Jeb rocks. I love Jeb.
What jurisdiction does the Governor of Florida have in Sumatra?
Thank you for sidestepping my main point, namely, that Jeb Bush going there has to do with being a visible symbol of American resolve and not with being the most qualified for assessing the situation.
In any case, if you're speaking in terms of who is prudent for sending overseas, that would be someone who could evaluate the situation from experience, not a politician or bureacrat. Someone like a aid workers, or search and rescue teams - oh wait, they're already there, on the ground.
I mentioned jurisdiction solely because government bureaucracy, for better or worse, limits what specific agencies can spend their budget on. You'll notice that FEMA's website directs people looking for tsunami information to other sites.
I don't know why everyone is tripping on FEMA. I used the best example that came to mind when I made that comment. I'm sure the goverment has several agencies that have 'authority' to move beyond our borders to help. My understanding is the Department of State is full of them.
The point is there are better persons who could have been sent over to the region who could have really provided assistance, not baby shaking and hand kissing.
I don't know how it is in other countries but I do think it is fair to include all the money corporations and private citizens from America are contributing in America's total that are going to be tax write-offs. I've heard and it seems credible, that the most important thing for immediate survival is people. Money helps out in the mid and long term, but people mean the difference between life and death in the short-term. You can't eat or drink money, money isn't going to protect you from looters and rapists.
Chris, exactly what did Jeb do to help other than go shake some hands and pose for pictures like a good little politician?
My thoughts exactly! Just because a politician flies out for a few hours, does not make the number one nice guy. At the very worse, it could be a publicity stunt for Jebs run for office in 2008....
That this draws such a (over)reaction from liberals makes me think the Republicans are doing something right. It's no big deal, right? Right?
For reference I wasn't having a pop at FEMA, I was simply making a point that I believed he or she would be a little too busy directing the american response to the tsunami to go do someone else's job, that of a politician's.
I'll make one last stab at my point; I appreciate that people don't like the brother of the US President, but it was the brother of the US President and the US Secretary of State, regardless of what value you place on the govenor of Florida's experience in handling the politics of a disaster zone (and the director of FEMA, as an example, would have a more limited scope than a govenor in terms of authority and decision making so much less experience on the political front), he was standing beside the Secretary of State. If you want to adopt a naive view of this sort of politics and compare it to Tom Cruise 'working the line' at a Premier then so be it, but whatever you think, and however many points you want to score in the whole Blue v Red thing, it makes a difference to have this type of person on the ground. How and why they benefit from the exposure doesn't concern me, I don't live in the US.
I hope this doesn't come over as narky, that's not my intention.
Jeb Bush going there has to do with being a visible symbol of American resolve
Well, that has a nice ring to it. Kind of like a campaign slogan.
Michael, being from Vancouver I didn't understand that the Sun was not a reliable paper. Did you read the article? Was there anything in the article that was untrue?
I'm not sticking up for the Bush's all I was commenting on was that the US gov't is at least doing something. Sure, Jeb probably wouldn't have been who I would have picked but what have other nations actually done other than "pledge" finances.
Oh and FEMA seems to be experiencing issues in Florida, getting sucked dry by Miami Dade which wasn't really even hit by the hurricanes. I don't trust them or the UN.
Personally, I'd rather every politician stay home and donate the money to the Red Cross. They know what they are doing.
"Personally, I'd rather every politician stay home and donate the money to the Red Cross. They know what they are doing."
I'm going to pick on that comment even though I promised I was leaving, because it illustrates what I'm trying to say.
Charities don't have direct access to military resources. Giving money to the Red Cross is great, having 'some politician' authorise the deployment of the Royal Corps of Engineers (or whatever the US equivalent is) is also great. No charity worker with half a brain would turn their nose up because they didn't like the family name of a Presidential envoy, because that politician means access to lots of toys that'll help that charity do it's job better.
I don't get how people have turned a tragedy into a political football. And I don't mean the Bush family.
It's become a back and forth poker stakes raising game between countries. "We donated more than you!" Who cares? Do what you can do, help your fellow human. If Japan's government sees fit to help financially further than the U.S. (monetarily), good for them. They are helping their fellow man, their neighbor.
The Red Cross and other charities are seeing an influx in private money from all over the world. Why should we count which came from which country. Forget borders and nationalism for once and help your brothers and sisters.
It has been said that the only thing that can unite man would be an alien planet attacking Earth. I'm starting to doubt that. We'd get attacked and all the countries would look to point fingers. Blame Bush. Blame the UN. Blame the CIA. Meanwhile, we'd all die.
President Bush sent a person he trusts, a person who recently has dealt with a similar but much smaller mess, who happens to be his brother to be his eyes and ears in the region of the tragedy. I don't see anything wrong with that. He also enlisted his father and President Clinton.
P.S. Jeb isn't running for President, ever. If he does run in 2008, I'll be happy to eat my words. But I seriously don't see him running.
Jeb is there for one reason: He's the president's brother, and the president was getting a pounding in the media for looking like an I-could-care-less doofus vacationing (for a change) in Crawford and playing ranch hand while other world leaders were doing a better job of looking concerned. Sending Jeb sends the message, "See I *am* concerned, so concerned I'm sending my porky little brother to mouth meaningless platitudes in person and extend the Bush™ brand." Like all politics, it's about image and the marketing of powerful men, above all else.
PS: Jeb rocks? Scary.
The point is there are better persons who could have been sent over to the region ....
Colin's there... isn't he?
...and I also hate narrow minded religious freaks but all of these can be found, unfortunatelly, everywhere
??
When did religion come into this? Seriously that is the most narrow-minded, broadly brushed statement I've seen today. You sir top even Jeb.
Jeb isn't running for President, ever. If he does run in 2008, I'll be happy to eat my words. But I seriously don't see him running.
I think the conventional wisdom is that Jeb will run on the coat tails of his brother's success if he can pass the public acid test. This trip is most definately a trial run.
When did religion come into this? Seriously that is the most narrow-minded, broadly brushed statement I've seen today.
I will uno, dos, tres and quatorse that statement.
Religion has nothing to do with this and it's the wrong card to play in a discussion like this.
The United States pledged $115 million to the Iranian victims of the Bam earthquake. But only $17 million was received.
It's not how much you pledge, it's how much you actually contribute.
Lots of hate and cynicism here, and for what? I'm sooo shocked. Liberals will bludgeon Jeb and George no matter what they do. Oh well, see you at the inauguration.
While all this banter about motivations and political aspirations is mildly amusing, it misses the main point... 150,000 and counting died, and hundreds of thousands need help now.
I watched Colin Powel's news conference, where even Jeb looked confused about his purpose there, and was struck by Secretary Powel's statement that the US as a country is the most able to help; and with that ability comes the responsibility to act.
After a few days of debating how to appropriately discuss this with our children, my wife and I dove in tonight. We visited websites, watched video, broke out the globe and spent over an hour answering every odd question 7 and 10 year old children think of.
At the end of it all, my kids went upstairs and came down with $75 of their own money. That represented all of my son's hard won poker winnings (which is another story alltogether) and a significant portion of their Christmas money. And frankly, it shamed my $500 donation.
And yes I know there's a post about how to help a few days ago, but this is where all the current activity is. :)
Adam, Jeb is the Devil. Want two reasons? First of all, I go to USF (as in the University of South Florida). I've lived in Florida for the two decades of my life and I'm an art student. He has not only cut education budgets over his reign, but he's cut my college's art budget in half for three consecutive years. I believe it was 500k the first year I was there. Then 250k and now 125k. We barely got by with 250 grand.
Secondly, there was a story in the news recently about a paraplegic who has had mold problems because of the hurricanes. She has to wear a safety mask just to watch TV. She needed something in the neighborhood of 17 thousand dollars to repair her house. FEMA sent her 4 thousand final balance. Jeb didn't do shit about that. Most caring people who have such influence would have given aid somehow.
Jesse, Jeb didn't do anything when these hurricanes came across the state, don't let the media fool you. He petitioned for aid that would have come anyway, and he walked among rubble on camera. He didn't help anybody.
I'm somewhat angry about this issue. For one thing I must state that I don't mind giving aid to other countries, however when I'm being asked to give aid to someone around the globe and my neighbor is starving, I find it somewhat hard to care more about those poor people around the world. It's fine to help others, but when the people in your own country are immobile and have to wear masks just to breathe in their own homes you kind of have to help them out first.
I don't think Greg was talking about it being bad to send someone to assess the situation. I think he was trying to say that a moron like Jeb states the obvious and we paid for his dumb ass to go there. What a waste. Do you sense hostility toward the Bush administrations? Yes, you do. Jeb is just as big an asshole as his brother. And I've been dealing with one for 6 years and the other for 4.
I'm sorry but bringing political affiliation into this is somewhat stupid. Before you go crazy, I'm technically on both sides of the spectrum and so I find comfort in the middle. My favorite self-declaration is "I wish Republicans would learn compassion, and Democrats would learn to manage money."
Now, that that's over, if I were big Bush, I wouldn't send little Bush to go on a scouting mission. For one thing, he has his own state to worry about. Maybe by being present, he might actually realize that he should start helping his fellow Floridians.
I'd probably send Cheney. Even though I'd have to find him first, I'd definitely send Cheney or do the original thing and actually go myself. Sending the Bush name is a bad idea because he's already hated by half of the world. People know a lot less about the Cheney name, and he is basically the second-in-command. It would definitely be prudent to send the Vice President. I don't know who came up with the idea of it looking good to send a higher-up and then deciding that Jeb was the right choice. The last time I hear he was only the governor of my state. He doesn't even hold a federal office!
Anyone would have been a better choice considering the remarks he made. I mean c'mon. You could put up the death toll of the hurricanes and the tsunami and the damages of each and a two-year-old can tell you which one is bigger. We could've sent a trained monkey with a typewriter and he probably could've come up with a better quote.
Am I biased against the Bush administration: yes. Do I have reason: yes. Does it matter here? No. I'd be more willing to send Satan...I mean Cheney, over Jeb. And he's far more Republican in view than Jeb. So how about we stop the liberal bashing? Why is it that we always chalk things up to "liberal complaining" and not just "stupid decision from a Republican?" Can I coin that phrase? Hmmm....maybe there's a better word for "stupid decision"...
I apologize for taking up so much space, however I failed to mention one other thing. I've studied the region of the Tsunami impact, Southeast Asia, and really large amounts of money are not entirely needed to help those populations. Many people, in Sumatra especially, live in houses that are no more than chanties. Of course there is need for aid and, yes, money, but do not think that just because 150,000 died that the amount of damages will be so far over what we have experienced with the hurricanes.
Southeast Asia is a densely packed area, but their overall quality of life (as noted by our standards of quality of life) is very poor. Having said that, yes, some of the region is much better off, and they are the ones who will need most of the monetary aid.
I'm not saying we shouldn't send money, I'm saying that they need more physical aid than money. Please don't take me for being insensitive. After having studied the area I know the people of the area and I know the devastation they have gone through. They do need aid, and despite the figures we quote they won't receive what the need. My intention was to point out that though they will need all that we can give them and more, they have less of a need of money than would be expected.
Russ, that was sweet of your kids! I hope you did what I would have done, and told them to keep their money and add $75 dollars to your own donation.
"Many people, in Sumatra especially, live in houses that are no more than chanties. Of course there is need for aid and, yes, money, but do not think that just because 150,000 died that the amount of damages will be so far over what we have experienced with the hurricanes."
Joe, I see where you're coming from and I think you make a good point. However, I think you lean too far to one side. Although the homes in Sumatra may be low budget, that may be because the people can't afford anything more than this. I imagine if they had the money, they would stay in much more livable spaces. My point in mentioning that is to once again remind readers of how little financial strength exists among these people. Perhaps the people of Sumatra suffer from the cold some nights just as much as that poor woman suffers from mold in her home. It's not sensible for either to be discomforted constantly, and it's not necessary.
I'm not trying to say that her needs are less than theirs. She's a tax payer in America and has possibly even been a functioning part of society in the past and maybe is now as well, despite her illness. There for she really should be helped immediately, keeping in mind the fact that no one should suffer. What I am saying, maybe poorly, is that we have to keep a clear and accurate perspective on the wealth in the world and the concentrations of it. In Sumatra, the concentration is incredibly low, similarly to in that womans home. I believe strongly that wealth should be spread to both of them equally, along with the rest of the world that needs it. I don't mean that in a simpleton fashion, I mean it in an as intelligent and aware way as possible. I realize how incredibly difficult it would be to accomplish this equality and support, but I still feel strongly that we need to strive for this.
Kind of like how your art course requires far more funding, yet other classes may have recieved more funding while yours dropped. I believe your class should have equal support. People are people, students attending universites are all students attending university. No person is capable of being better than another nor deserving more in the same circumstances.
So I'm not saying you're wrong. I think you make a point. However I think you're pushing it too hard and losing focus on other accurate points. I apologize if I've taken your words incorrectly, but if not, I hope you can appreciate where I'm coming from.
Have a nice afternoon, evening, whichever is ahead of you!
: )
(Sorry if my sentences are hard to understand, these days I can't quite seem to write down thoughts without making them jumbled up bunches of awkwardness.)
Steve, you got what I was talking about mostly correct. I think it's more because I was thinking of other situations at the time of writing this. For example, when those hurricanes came through, the people of this state figured that FEMA was going to help them out. While that finished everyone around figured that they had, myself included. However there have been plenty of stories about people who weren't helped, or weren't helped enough. All of this and we're killing, and being killed, in Iraq.
Of course I'm not saying that we didn't have reason to invade Iraq on the grounds that Saddam didn't comply with the Treaty between Iraq and the UN, however I don't think we had the right to invade on those grounds. Apparently our government didn't either because they gave us the BS about "weapons of mass destruction."
Anyway, my major point is that, while we should be concerned for those people outside of the US that we can help, we should not neglect those people right here at home who needed help and didn't get it.
The events around this tsunami disaster occurred much after aid had been distributed to hurricane victims. At that time we apparently didn't have enough money to help all of these people. Now, a few months, later the tsunami hits and all of a sudden we have millions (not counting private donations) to send to SEA? I find that a little shady.
I do agree that we should all be helped when help is needed, however no one knew this tsunami was going to hit. If there was that much to send away, why wasn't it used on the people who needed it in the first place?
It's almost like a huge PR stunt. Well some of it actually is. We look like we're helping out, and we do, but we never help to the point that it's finished. We jump from one thing to the next and instead of finishing a job before moving on we just leave those who hadn't been help in the shambles they've been left in.
I don't have a solution for this that doesn't sound cold and heartless, but I can't help but think about the fact that we had money that was ready to be given away and there's a poor paraplegic lady not 200 miles from my home who was basically told "here's some of the money you need and not a penny more."
Of course I also think of those poor people in SEA that have nothing left. Oh and yes, a lot of the areas that were hit were already very poor in the first place. Lots of places in Sumatra are nothing more than tiny villages. The region, however, is densely populated, accounting for the large number of deaths.
I don't think I made my point clear before after reading it again. All I meant to say is that, while there is a lot of destruction which will certainly cost more than the damages of the hurricanes, the physical damages is not so much as to eclipse the damages of the hurricanes by the factor of deaths in each incident. Let me rephrase that as well: The amount of the damages in each incident is disproportional to the amount of deaths in each incident.
I apologize for the length of this Greg :)