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Pundit Pap
For Jan.2, 2005
Spin Tsunami
By the Pundit Pap Team
Jane Grice | Sherrie Gogerty Geeting

Jan. 2, 2005 (apj.us) -- We had no doubt that the southeast Asian tsunami disaster would dominate the Sunday talk shows. Neither did we have any inkling that a faulty battery would fry my laptop -- in the middle of George Stephanopoulos's interview with Kofi Annan.

That meant that a few of the more interesting moments of this Sunday morning could not be reported in excruciating detail. But a few come to mind:

Chris Wallace of FOX News Sunday actually acknowledged that Commander Codpiece was a few days late and a few dollars short in his first response to the tsunami disaster -- and the fact that it was a lost diplomatic opportunity.

The McLaugh-In Group's end-of-the-year "awards" show had a surprising moment when one of the conservative stalwarts (Tony Blankley, I believe) almost gleefully predicted that Rudy Giuliani was headed for political oblivion. That should be no surprise -- Rudy's too damn liberal for many of the wingnuts -- but the evident schadenfreude was a bit over the top.

The one that really sticks in memory was Kofi Annan's appearance on This Week. He never fails to come across as a soft-spoken diplomat, but there was a gravitas in his manner and tone in his voice which this political TV junkie has never before seen from the UN Secretary General, particularly when he said that some areas would need from five to ten years before they are able to recover from the tsunami. A few of his other comments made headlines this afternoon:

This is the largest disaster we have had to deal with. The sheer complexity of it — 12 countries have been affected. And here this week I had a meeting with the ambassadors of the 12 countries affected. And we are trying to operate in each of them and give them assistance.
...
We need to have helicopters. We need trucks. We need air traffic controllers to be able to really move the goods as quickly as we can, and get to the people who need it. In fact, we began doing air drops— The World Food Program, the UN World Food Program is doing air drops in areas that are not accessible. And we [are] going to continue to do that until we are able to open up.

A little later came a question from George Stephanopoulos about the so-called "core group" of the self-proclaimed "leader" US, Japan, European Union and Russia trying to control the disaster effort. Annan said that they now recognize the leadership of the UN in the disaster relief effort:

I think they all do. They all do it because I have spoken to the core group. I had a meeting with them three days ago, and Jan Egeland has joined the group to be able to make them aware of our needs, our requirements. And I've spoken to other leaders around the world, including the Chinese, and they all want to accept the UN leadership. And they want to work with us.

That's not going to go over too well with Flight Suit Boy, Kofi! But we loved it -- an indirect swipe no doubt fueled by the Bush Misadministration's attempt to smear Annan with the so-called "oil for food scandal," which is indeed am untidy little affair. But face the fact -- it does not come close to rising to the level of the "Bush said Saddam had WMDs" scandal that the Sunday talking heads don't seem to be terribly eager to mention. Get used to it, Junior: Annan is loved by most of the rest of the world, and the Neocon-PNAC-Röve Axis of Weasels is not likely to oust him.

-- Jane Grice

Beat the Press

Some figures that Tim Russert did NOT start his interview with:

• Number of deaths due to four Florida hurricanes in 2004: 117
• Number of deaths due to Aceh earthquake and tsunami in 2004: 140,000+
• Homeless due to Florida hurricanes: 11,000
• Homeless due to Aceh earthquake/tsunami: 5,000,000
• US government aid to help Florida hurricane victims: $2.04 billion
• US government aid to help Aceh earthquake/tsunami victims: $350 million [after the initial offer of $35 million]
• Estimated cost of George Bush's upcoming inauguration celebration, not including security costs: $40 million
• US government direct cost, per hour, of the US war in Iraq: $9 million
• Yearly rate of al Qaeda expenses in Iraq, according to Osama bin Laden - $14.1 million.
• Tsunami aid initially pledged by Denmark - $15.5 million.
• Taypayer funds paid by Florida's Governor Jeb Bush for state's new 'People First' payroll software that can't calculate 2004 overtime pay owed to state employees until 2005 - $350 million
• Halliburton's income from US government contracts alone in 2003 --$4.2 billion.
• Amount of US money given away to Iraqi ministries by the US that cannot be accounted for - $8.8 billion.
• Amount of Iraq's prewar debt US seeks to persuade other nations to forgive - $120 billion.
• US Costs of Iraq War to date - $147.6 billion and rising.
• US projected Costs of the Iraq War per month beyond 2004 - $4 billion.

I was half-tempted to allow this list to stand as my contribution today, but decided not to leave well enough alone and throw in my 2¢.

Tim's first guest was the last credible member of the Bush administration, Colin Powell, who stopped by just before he and First Brother flew off to the disaster area to assess and report to Alfred E. Neubush, who was in "What, me worry?" mode for the first two or three days of the disaster. Secretary Powell gave his itinerary and purpose, and then Brother Russert asked the stupidest question of the year (and I'm betting it will be the stupidest question asked through December 31, 2010, let alone 2005):

MR. RUSSERT: Is this the worst national disaster you've seen in your lifetime?

Uh, Tim, not to put too fine a point on it, but this is the worst INTERnational disaster anybody breathing on the face of the earth has ever seen.

In terms of elapsed time since December 26, 2004, I do not think there has been anything comparable to this tragedy since the destruction of Pompeii. What's he going to say he's seen that's worse, Tim? Anything? In terms of loss of life, property destruction, and long-term ramifications, the scope of this last week relegates 9/11/01 to a mere blip on the radar screen, although 9/11 still ranks as the supreme act of treachery and terror we've seen.

Tim continued his insipid interview by asking whether or not Gutless was liable to stroll over for a look-see. Yeah, right, Tim -- all that area needs is a couple of dozen planeloads of security agents and camera crews to make life easier to deal with. And Powell rightly pointed that out, without mentioning that the chances are 99 out of 100 that Gutless considered the face time opportunities before somebody pointed the facts of life out to him. What can you do when you're Wally Cox and you want to be John Wayne?

There was a brief discussion of a fact that I find unbelievable: our scientific community knew, possibly as long as several hours before the event, that the tsunami was coming but had no way to notify the governments involved. My first impulse was to think, "Well, why the hell didn't they call CNN or MSNBC or the State Department or the United Nations or, or, or..." and there you have it. I didn't have any idea myself who the best distributor of such crucial information would be, but I sure as hell wouldn't have kept quiet about it over fear of stepping on any diplomatic toes. And after the fact there is no way to determine if any lives could have been saved by advance warning, or if the ensuing panic-stricken escape would have led to basically identical results. In any event, it seems obvious that the first of many steps to take is to create a network of information throughout the world, particularly in those areas most vulnerable to weather-driven and ocean-driven destruction. Hey, I live in Earthquake Central here, and drive sixty miles round trip up and down Pacific Coast Highway five days a week. You better believe I am staying closer to the mountain side of the drive since this happened. Heh, I'm such an optimist.

MR. RUSSERT: There was discussion in the country and around the world that the president wasn't heard from for some three days after the crisis began. Someone who worked at the State Department, David Phillips, was quoted as saying this in the Los Angeles Times, "Allies and critics of President Bush said that the administration had bungled its response to the tragedy, missing a chance to display goodwill at a time when the country was facing opposition abroad to the war in Iraq. Much of that opposition comes from the Muslim world, and several of the countries hit by the tsunami have large Muslim populations. 'This was a golden opportunity for President Bush to speak to the victims of the tsunami and the Muslim world by showing care and compassion,' said David L. Phillips, a former senior advisor to the State Department under Bush and President Clinton and now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. 'Instead the US is on the defensive, trying to explain its approach.'"

SEC'Y POWELL: I don't think that's the case at all. We were engaged on day one, hour one with the standing up of task forces. The president was involved from the very beginning and was kept informed. He went out on Wednesday after we had a better assessment of what was going on. He made a statement to the world. He created the core group. It's been seven days, and in seven days, we have launched a carrier battle group. We have launched an amphibious battle group. We have contributed $350 million. We have assessment teams all over. We have energized the private sector. We have put together a core group that is assisting these nations. The nations involved are very pleased with our response. The secretary-general and the other international organizations we deal with are very pleased with our response. There is always some former official around, some Rolodex ranger that always shows up to criticize what we are doing. But I want the American people to know that they should be very proud of what their country has been doing and what our private sector has been doing to help these desperate people in need. [I am appropriating "Rolodex Ranger" immediately].

MR. RUSSERT: In terms of winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world, how important is it that the West be seen as so much more than indifferent to their needs?

SEC'Y POWELL: We should be seen not just because it's a Muslim nation but because these are human beings in need. The fact that it is also a Muslim nation, I think, contributes to the importance of the effort. But if you're looking at your television screens this morning, those are American helicopters that are landing and delivering supplies. Know that it's our GIs who are on the ground that are doing this. And we did that in just a period of a few days. And so we have nothing to be embarrassed about.

Our response scaled up as the scope of the disaster scaled up. And I have been through this many times and this is the general pattern. And if you look at our European allies, if you look at our Asian allies such as the Japanese, they responded in a similar way -- an initial contribution, an assessment and then scale up the contribution. These amounts of money are not simply laying around. All of us will have to go to our Congresses and our parliaments to get this money approved or replenished into the accounts from which the money is now being taken.

There are a couple of things about this that bother me. First, and most importantly, the idea that this is a "golden opportunity" to impress the Muslim world with how evenhanded we are. Those in the Muslim world who are not fanatical Islamists don't need a tragedy of this nature to learn that, and those who are would not change their opinion or methods no matter what steps we take to assist those in need. It is an obscenity to refer to this as a "golden opportunity".

Secondly, the idea that Gutless took a few days to step up to the plate should not be a surprise to anybody. After all, he had to be coached on what his reaction was, and then think about it, and be fair. If he had dashed out five minutes after the news broke to inform the world that we were rushing to the rescue immediately, the world would have responding by chastising us for going it alone and wanting once again to save the day (especially France, whose pledge to date seems to be about 150 bucks, twenty pounds of escargot and a case of champagne). In this situation, Gutless can't win. Either he isn't quick enough and generous enough or he wants to rule the world.

Powell has a point. Apart from what moneys we have and have not delivered, we have private parties and corporations making massive contributions. The military has responded yet again with logistical and humanitarian assets which could not be provided by any other nation on the face of the earth. I believe that had John Kerry been elected our response would have been essentially the same. It is a fact that apart from the administration in power, the United States of America is the sole entity with anything near the capacity to do as much good as can be done in situations of this nature. For all their caterwauling and complaining, nobody else on the planet can do half of what we can, should, and in most cases do accomplish. We have nothing to be ashamed of here, and if the sole beef on my side of the street is that that Gutless may get a little bit of shine on his image, then shame on my side of the street. America is more than George W. Bush. I love Patrick Leahy, but he should shut the hell up already.

Tim finally managed to move on to the subject of Iraq, elections, and the mistakes of the administration (finally, back to a legitimate subject for attacks on Gutless). Powell, not nearly as forceful as he had been on the topic of the tragedy in Southeast Asia, recited once again the mistaken facts upon which the Iraqi situation was based. He acknowledged that the insurgency will remain after the elections, which he insists will occur as scheduled, and he attempted to make clear his belief that the differences between Iranian Shiites and Iraqi Shiites will make an alliance between the two against the United States unlikely. I don't think that's as easy a call to make as he does, but from his mouth to God's ear.

Tim managed to bring up an issue that I believe will be front and center as soon as the current human tragedy has eased a bit. I further believe that this particular set of facts, if confirmed, will destroy whatever good will Gutless manages to accumulate during the next few days:

MR. RUSSERT: There's a front-page report in The Washington Post today that the administration is considering a prison to detain alleged terrorists where they do not have enough evidence to bring them to prosecution. What's your role in that and do you seem...

SEC'Y POWELL: I am not familiar with that and I can't talk to it.

MR. RUSSERT: The State Department is involved.

SEC'Y POWELL: I just don't have the facts on that one.

MR. RUSSERT: Why would the United States detain people for life without bringing them to trial?

SEC'Y POWELL: I have no information on this one, Tim.

I don't know why it is that Tim Russert never asks the appropriate follow-up questions, which in this case are:
1) Why the hell DON'T you?? and
2) When do you intend to ask somebody about it?

Betcha twenty bucks by the time he got aboard that plane with First Brother he was getting an earful on it. This is going to be big, especially if it turns out that this was Condolizzard's idea of making a grand entry onto the world stage. Colin Powell may currently be hog-tied and gagged because of his doggedly loyal Pavlovian responses to what he perceives as attacks on his Commander in Chief but he will not stand silently by and allow this sort of fascist behavior to become American policy.

Tim, however, having failed to produce a means to continue on this topic, moved to a discussion of the upcoming elections with the Palestinians:

MR. RUSSERT: Let me ask you about the Middle East. This is a photograph seen around the world. Mahmoud Abbas, who in all likelihood will be the next leader of the Palestinian people, being carried around by terrorist organizations. Zakariya Zubeidi and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and one of Israel's most wanted men is carrying him on his shoulders. How can we tolerate that?

SEC'Y POWELL: Well, it's disturbing. And I know that what Mr. Abbas is doing is running for election. And he has to reach out to all parts of the Palestinian community. Now, even though that picture is disturbing, what he has been saying with respect to the need to end terror and the need to try to persuade all segments of the Palestinian population to move away from terror and to move toward this opportunity for peace, that I believe is his prevailing position. And I think that if he prevails in the election on January 9 -- and that's up to the Palestinian people to decide who should be the president of their authority -- I think he knows that the only way forward with a successful election behind him is to reform the Palestinian Authority, end corruption, make sure that it's an authority that rests on law, reform the security services.

And what he's going to find is that the Israeli government will be ready to work with such a partner for peace. And the Israeli government has already indicated it's going to continue to get rid of those settlements this coming year or this year in Gaza, and we have the prospect of moving forward.

Now, if the new leadership of the Palestinian Authority--and let's assume it is Mr. Abbas--if they don't move in that direction, then we're going to be stuck again. So we need reformed Palestinian leadership that deals with this terrorist threat. Mr. Abbas said he hopes to persuade them. But that may not be enough. The challenge may be greater than that and he may have to undertake operations against them. And if he does that and shows a real commitment to end terror, I think he will find an Israeli partner ready to work with him, and he will certainly find the international community and especially the United States ready to play an important role.

MR. RUSSERT: This past week, he seems to be pandering to the terrorists.

SEC'Y POWELL: Well, as I said, that particular scene was disturbing, but I don't think it reflects Mr. Abbas' overall approach to governing.

The problem with this, of course, is that we have just gone through our own election, which proved beyond question that a leader can be elected without making the slightest effort to "reach out to the entire population"; Abbas' problem is that the folks who will disagree with him have a tendency to strap bombs to themselves and take out entire city blocks to display their disapproval I fail to see how catering to the terrorist camps in order to win election will translate into immediately clamping down on said elements once election has been achieved; I fail to see how catering to the terrorist camps will gain the approval and the vote of those Palestinians who do NOT support said elements. I don't think it's my view that is faulty, but then who am I?

Powell made a graceful speech about leaving office (and NOW is the time for somebody with Gutless's ear to have the balls to make it clear that this is one departure that should be stopped immediately, but don't expect that to happen). He did call Cheney "Secretary" and made an immediate correction, but the point was made. Clearly, clearly, Colin Powell's departure will be an enormous loss to the Bush Administration, and not one of them have the sense to see it. The administration may very well deserve the chaos that will ensue once he is gone, but the country does not, and we are the ones who will will be left to bear the consequences.

Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?

-- Sherrie G

...more to follow!