Wave of Criticism.

Sorry to come out of nowhere and go all-tsunami-all-the time, but there are just a lot of interesting federal angles to the way this story is developing. The NY Times piece on President Bush tapping his two predecessors to lead fundraising efforts contains a thinly veiled jab at the White House, saying the administration insists that "the push for more private giving was not intended to relieve the government of the need to provide more aid at a time when the administration is battling to reduce the budget deficit and is demanding that every government department scour its budget for cuts." White House spokesman Scott McClellan is allowed to defend the scope of the U.S. effort only briefly before the piece twists the knife: "But governments have been relying heavily on nongovernmental organizations and corporations to provide money, logistical help and expertise in the affected countries." What's wrong with that? Effective cooperation with private sector and nongovernmental organizations isn't a sign of a failed or weak governmental effort--in fact, in this day and age, it's usually one of the hallmarks of an effective one.