The terrible tsunami that brought so much sudden death and devastation to Asia and Africa was an almost unfathomable natural disaster. The pictures and the stories were gut wrenching. The tales of loss and survival were astonishing. It was impossible not to be deeply moved by this horrific event. Governments, relief organizations and millions of people around the world have been galvanized into action. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been pledged and donated to launch one of the most extensive and intense humanitarian efforts in history. The United States government has opened its treasury, and its citizens have, as always, opened their hearts and their wallets in an effort to ease the misery, take care of the survivors and rebuild for the future. Even in our super-heated political environment, this was something that rose above politics.
Well, almost.
It turns out that we did not act quickly enough for some administration critics, nor did we pledge enough money, nor were the words from the White House swift or heartfelt enough. In short, America has been given another black eye by you-know-who. And, even though the response has been ratcheted up dramatically as the scope of the catastrophe has become clearer, it is still not enough, you see, because the President is merely responding to critics. Therefore, no matter what happens from this point forward, the black eye remains. These critics are so concerned about the image of America in the world that they are willing to point out how uncaring we are no matter what we might do.
Instead of trying to score political points, let??¢â???¬â???¢s get on with helping those who need help. America is neither stingy nor uncaring, as it has proven over and over again throughout our history. What has changed is that the political waters have gotten so polluted that nothing is off limits when it comes to trashing the opposition. The election may be over, but there are scores still to be settled, no matter what the issue.
Political pornography is not unlike the sexual kind: difficult to define, but you know it when you see it.
