No wonder Dub has been so quiet lately, especially in regards to the evolving disaster in Asia! He's bristling at the comments from the UN that the US and other "rich countries" in the world are cheapskates when it comes to relief funding, and so grudgingly has Colin Powell cough up another $20 million to a grand total of $35 million.

I wish that I had caught this, but I have to credit Michael Moore... the inauguration/coronation cost alone stands at $40 million! Compassionate Conservatism at its best! A one day celebration is worth more to Dub than helping with 70,000 plus dead and growing; a stark equation.

He stands with a pretty easy choice here, in my opinion:

1)       Do the "Christian", altruistic thing and pare down the "coronation" to a simple $1 million or so swearing in ceremony. Then, pass on those corporate donations to where they can do the most good and immediately raise America's ante to $70 or $80 million for disaster relief. There's not a corporation that would dare fault him for it, and in fact, with leadership on the issue from the White House, they may be willing to contribute even more money, goods, or services. This would also go a long way to extending an olive branch to the half of the country that feels he has stolen another election, and demonstrate in a symbolic way what things he is willing to sacrifice for the unity of America.

Or

2)       Have the "coronation" as planned and do the "Compassionate Conservative" shuffle... "These people should have should have known better to build homes and resorts along the coast in the first place." "They should have had good insurance." "It's their own fault for not investing in a Tsunami warning system." "We'll just be harming them by bailing them out temporarily." "Sure, it's a tragedy, but they're all dead, and no amount of money will ever bring them back." "We're just opening the doors wide to future frivolous disaster claims and further waste"

Rarely in history does anyone ever get a chance in one lifetime at a real "do-over". One could view this as a 9/11 redux. You've got an opportunity to step up and show the world what America really stands for without an ulterior motive. What's it going to be, Dub?