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tealinBUSH VOWS MORE AID FOR VICTIMS OF TSUNAMI ATTACK
CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush said on Wednesday the United States' initial grant of $35 million in the aftermath of the tsunami attack in South East Asia was "only the beginning of our help" but he did not announce an immediate increase in aid.
It was Bush's first public statement since the tsunami attack on Sunday. The death toll is now nearing 70,000 and could ultimately exceed 100,000.
"These past few days have brought loss and grief to the world that is beyond our comprehension," Bush said.
"The United States will continue to stand with the affected governments as they care for the victims. We will stand with them as they start to rebuild their communities. And together the world will cope with their loss. We will prevail over this destruction, and we will prevail over the evil-doers behind this atrocious act of geological terrorism."
Bush, who spoke to the leaders of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Somalia on Wednesday, said criticism that rich nations were not giving enough for disaster relief were misguided.
"I assure those leaders that this is just only the beginning of our help," he said. “We are all committed to the War on Terror, whether it’s from rogue nations or renegade continental plates using the ocean as a weapon of mass destruction. And part of our commitment is to bring aid to victims of Al Quaeda’s new tectonic terrorism device.”
When asked about this device, which the President claims can be used to trigger massive earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis such as the one that struck the Indian Ocean on December 26, he answered carefully.
“I do not wish to compromise our intelligence sources, but let me just say this: What is the most populous Muslim country in the world? Where did the tsunami originate? You do the math.” Later, he added, “Make no mistake – it’s only a matter of time before Al Quaeda uses their new weapon in a more civilized part of the world.”
The White House faced criticism on Tuesday over the fact that Bush, who is vacationing at his Crawford, Texas, ranch, had not yet appeared in person to talk about the disaster.
Jan Egeland, the emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations, said on Monday that the West had generally been "stingy" in its aid to poor countries.
"I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed," Bush said. "In the year 2004, our government provided $2.4 billion in food and cash and humanitarian relief and $87 billion to fighting the War on Terror…You call that stingy? Even John Kerry would have trouble finding that much money in the sofa."
On future U.S. aid for the tsunami victims, Bush said: "There will be an assessment of the damage so that we can better prepare ourselves for the next attack, whether it’s in Mongolia or in the heartland of our own great United States of America. ...Our government is fully prepared to continue to provide assistance and help."
My apologies to the poor bloke at Reuters who wrote the original article.
1:25 PM
At last, it is complete! Unfortunately it's less funny on paper than it was in my head, and the drawing of the figurehead looks less Nagle-y than the actual thing, but... here it is.
CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush said on Wednesday the United States' initial grant of $35 million in the aftermath of the tsunami attack in South East Asia was "only the beginning of our help" but he did not announce an immediate increase in aid.
It was Bush's first public statement since the tsunami attack on Sunday. The death toll is now nearing 70,000 and could ultimately exceed 100,000.
"These past few days have brought loss and grief to the world that is beyond our comprehension," Bush said.
"The United States will continue to stand with the affected governments as they care for the victims. We will stand with them as they start to rebuild their communities. And together the world will cope with their loss. We will prevail over this destruction, and we will prevail over the evil-doers behind this atrocious act of geological terrorism."
Bush, who spoke to the leaders of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Somalia on Wednesday, said criticism that rich nations were not giving enough for disaster relief were misguided.
"I assure those leaders that this is just only the beginning of our help," he said. “We are all committed to the War on Terror, whether it’s from rogue nations or renegade continental plates using the ocean as a weapon of mass destruction. And part of our commitment is to bring aid to victims of Al Quaeda’s new tectonic terrorism device.”
When asked about this device, which the President claims can be used to trigger massive earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis such as the one that struck the Indian Ocean on December 26, he answered carefully.
“I do not wish to compromise our intelligence sources, but let me just say this: What is the most populous Muslim country in the world? Where did the tsunami originate? You do the math.” Later, he added, “Make no mistake – it’s only a matter of time before Al Quaeda uses their new weapon in a more civilized part of the world.”
The White House faced criticism on Tuesday over the fact that Bush, who is vacationing at his Crawford, Texas, ranch, had not yet appeared in person to talk about the disaster.
Jan Egeland, the emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations, said on Monday that the West had generally been "stingy" in its aid to poor countries.
"I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed," Bush said. "In the year 2004, our government provided $2.4 billion in food and cash and humanitarian relief and $87 billion to fighting the War on Terror…You call that stingy? Even John Kerry would have trouble finding that much money in the sofa."
On future U.S. aid for the tsunami victims, Bush said: "There will be an assessment of the damage so that we can better prepare ourselves for the next attack, whether it’s in Mongolia or in the heartland of our own great United States of America. ...Our government is fully prepared to continue to provide assistance and help."
My apologies to the poor bloke at Reuters who wrote the original article.
1:25 PM
At last, it is complete! Unfortunately it's less funny on paper than it was in my head, and the drawing of the figurehead looks less Nagle-y than the actual thing, but... here it is.
