You don't get it?
It's not money that was needed from the President in the face of this huge Tsunami, it was the much more general concept of support: troops, solidarity, voice and vision. Certainly, it's not in his Constitutional job description, but a good president would have done it (largely because it is an ephemeral duty passed down from Washington himself). To pick a random name from a hat: had FDR learned of a crisis such as this he would have been on the radio immediately to rally congressional and public support to help. It's because of leaders like FDR that the machines of TV and Radio are there for immediate use, should the President wish to call Americans to arms in the face of great tragedy. Sure, patience is nice when you can afford it, but in the face of such great natural tragedies time is often a luxury that cannot be afforded.
Whether or not the American public is doing its part to help in this time of crisis, the American President is the figure that the entire world looks to to give a human voice to the commitment of the American public.
The sad thing is that these are the same concerns I voiced on September 11th. In the face of the greatest national tragedy of recent memory, our President's first action was not to speak to the American people, to assuage their grief and provide an anchor to the American public of trust and decision. Instead, the President ran and hid until his speech writers had had time to provide the "proper subtexts and spin" necessary to help push the President's agenda in a time when agendas should have been pushed aside.
Each and every speech Bush has given has further alienated me. I have a hard time respecting someone who won't comment on tragedy and won't face the nation without giving his speech writers full oppurtunity to spin his words into his agenda. It smacks of either idiocy or downright conspiratorial treachery.
Helping the poor souls dying in Asia wasn't on his agenda, so he didn't comment on it until there was public outrage. It looks to me to be as simple as that.
There is no "socialism" or "ill-informed leftism" in these words... There is only the tears of this poor patriot... I cry to see such a poor leader with poor moral fiber and without the balls to truly stand in the real faces of Tragedy and Fear. If anything President Bush has created more Fear and promoted more Tragedy. Is hoping that at least in one situation, such as a large natural disaster, he would step up and truly face the nation in a timely manner without masks, spin, or lies so much to ask?