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Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Jeb Going?

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 01:30:44 PM EST
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On Sumatra:

Desperate, homeless villagers on the tsunami-ravaged island of Sumatra mobbed American helicopters carrying aid Saturday as the U.S. military launched its largest operation in the region since the Vietnam War, ferrying food and other emergency relief to survivors across the disaster zone. From dawn until sunset on New Year's Day, 12 Seahawk helicopters shuttled supplies and advance teams from offshore naval vessels while reconnaissance aircraft brought back stark images of wave-wrecked coastal landscapes and their hungry, traumatized inhabitants.

"They came from all directions, crawling under the craft, knocking on the pilot's door, pushing to get into the cabin," said Petty Officer First Class Brennan Zwack. "But when they saw we had no more food inside, they backed away, saying 'Thank you, thank you.'" "The mob decided how we distributed the food. There were so many hands outstretched I don't think any package touched the ground," added Zwack, of Sioux Falls, S.D.

Elsewhere, Sri Lanka victims got hit again--this time by flooding.

At one refugee camp on the grounds of the airport of Banda Aceh, hundreds of people spent a wet night under plastic sheets. Mothers nursed babies while others tried to light a fire with damp matches.

"With no help we will die," said Indra Syaputra. "We came here because we heard that we could get food, but it was nonsense. All I got was some packets of noodles." The rains pummeling the corpse-littered city were creating the conditions for cholera and other waterborne diseases to spread. Boxes of aid at Banda Aceh's airport soaked up water, making it difficult for workers loading cartons of water, crackers and noodles onto delivery vehicles.

The more I think about Jeb Bush going to Asia, the more I think it is a political opportunity. Make him a hero, increase his visibility for 2008. There is just no way to compare the Florida Hurricanes with the Asian Tsunami. They were miniscule by comparison and did not involve multiple foreign nations. As one political commentator opined:

"It's not that he brings a special expertise about emergency management," Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, said Friday. "It's that he's the president's brother, and symbols are important. This is partly a public-relations operation. The president got off on the wrong foot here and got a lot of criticism."

Another said:

Lance deHaven-Smith, a Florida State University political scientist, went further. "I take it to be a clear indication that he's interested in higher office," he said. "When you watch his denials about not running for president, he says, 'I like the job I'm doing.' You never him say, 'I'll never run for president.' It's a masterful appointment to send him overseas."

This was probably Pappa Bush's idea. The Bush family always expected it would be Jeb that would become President, not GW. It reeks of "payback time"--time for GW to make up for taking the limelight from his brother.

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    Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Jeb Going? | 19 comments (19 topical)
    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 03:48:49 PM EST
    However, it doesn't seem that GW has really listened much to Bush 41 in the past, so why do it now? Although, now that I think about it, isn't Bill Nelson up for re-election in '06? If so, perhaps Jeb's ambitions lie in a bid for the Senate.

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 03:58:58 PM EST
    He's done a fantastic job here with crisis management and the hurricanes. He's the man down here! If it wasn't for the hurricanes, Bush might not have been re elected.

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#3)
    by John Mann on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 04:18:08 PM EST
    They're getting him on the campaign trail early. Who would've thought 10 years ago that his brother would be a two-term president?

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 04:22:47 PM EST
    Good job helo bubbas, keep up the work.

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 04:41:12 PM EST
    oops... mis-worded. Corrected: "On the other hand, when Republicans relocate themselves to address problems, that's also bad. (Powell and Jeb Bush)"

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 04:53:13 PM EST
    SMS, you are limited to four comments a day on TalkLeft. All comments in excess of this will be deleted (your correction is not counted as one, so with that, you get five today.

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 05:12:57 PM EST
    Wait... So, when Republicans fail to relocate themselves to address problems, that's bad. (W. on vacation) On the other hand, when Republicans fail to relocate themselves to address problems, that's also bad. (Powell and Jeb Bush) Maybe they are supposed to just spin in circles? Just checking. (Oh, and it's ok for the Secratary General to spend three days on a ski vacation before addressing the crisis. He doesn't have an "R" next to his name on a ballot.) For extra credit: When Presidents have the power to just throw massive amounts of $$$ at anything they think needs it, that's bad. They should be reigned in by Congress not to exceed their authority! But on the other hand, when Presidents fail to instantly throw massive anounts of $$$ at a problem, that's bad... because they are stingy b*stards. Right? Just checking. [SMS, you are limited to four comments a day on TalkLeft. All comments in excess of this will be deleted (your correction is not counted as one, so with that, you get five today.)]

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 05:33:46 PM EST
    I'll bite... The point, SMS, is that the Neoconservatives do not give two cents about Humanitarian needs across the world (they give $350 Million while they simultaneously support a repressive regime in one of the affected nations). They ignore and purposefully play down human rights abuses across the world (Indonesia & elsewhere) while they simultaneously used Humanitarian efforts as a Red Herring for their carefully strategized War in Iraq. Some Democrats may play politics in their description of the individual instances, but correcting (or easing) Human Rights Abuses is a low priority for the Neoconservatives.

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#9)
    by yank in london on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 06:48:49 PM EST
    Why didn't they send Neil instead? He's got experience in the far East and could have managed a stopover in Bangkok on the way back....

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 06:55:38 PM EST
    I concur TS. Bush has shown an appaling lack of compassion in both his personal demeanor and in the drafting and application of his policies. Where was his compassion when he backed the so-called "No Child Left Behind" Act and then failed to secure enough funding to get it off the ground? Where was his compassion internationally when he reinstated the Global Gag Rule, that effectively endangeres womens access to sufficient health care?

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 07:06:22 PM EST
    TS and Mark - Please read a history of the cold war and get back to us. Realpolitick is not a R or D sort of thing. I believe it was Demausapant who said that countries had alliances not friendships? -C

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#12)
    by manish on Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 10:15:21 PM EST
    I wouldn't call a foul with sending Jeb Bush. Sending the President would be off limits since the security detail required would overwhelm these countries at this time. At the same time, sending his brother shows a certain personal attachment to the crisis without the President actually going. In terms of helping Jeb in 2008, I doubt it. Campaigning for 2008 is still 2-3 years away. It gives him a photo op at best on something that will be long forgotten. I think sending Jeb is more for international consumption.

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 02, 2005 at 02:34:38 AM EST
    http://www.wpunj.edu/cohss/polisci/faculty/shalom/ssZjn2601.htm Aceh's most lucrative resource is natural gas. The gas is produced under contract by Mobil (which merged with Exxon in November 1999) and the gas is liquified and sold by PT Arun, a joint venture owned 55 percent by Indonesia's national energy company, 35 percent by Mobil, and 10 percent by a Japanese firm. Mobil obtained its contract in the early 1970s by the standard method for obtaining contracts in Suharto's Indonesia: namely, by providing stock shares in Mobil of Indonesia to Suharto's family, as well as other kickbacks. The lawsuit filed last week against Exxon-Mobil charges that in order to protect its exceedingly profitable investment, the U.S. oil giant was complicit with Indonesian security forces in carrying out gross violations of human rights. This complicity is alleged to have operated on a number of levels: Suharto assigned at least one unit of the Indonesian army, Unit 113, "for the sole and specific purpose" of providing security to Mobil and PT Arun. (Public knowledge in Aceh that the Suharto family was involved in the gas project made it an object of popular resentment quite apart from GAM.) Mobil and PT Arun "paid the Indonesian military a regular monthly or annual fee for such services." Moreover, according to the suit, Mobil did not just pay for the military services, but controlled and directed them, "making decisions about where to place bases, strategic mission planning, and making decisions about specific deployment areas." Mobil, claims the lawsuit, provided Indonesian security forces with buildings that were used to "interrogate, torture and murder" Acehnese civilians suspected of separatist activities, with heavy equipment such as excavators that were used by the military to dig mass graves for their victims, and with roads on which the victims could be transported to the grave sites near Mobil facilities. Mobil, charges the lawsuit, has also purchased military equipment for the Indonesian security forces and "paid mercenaries to provide advice, training, intelligence and equipment" to the Indonesian army. Mobil's funds and support have been used not just to help the military protect the natural gas facilities, but to "crush any dissent within Aceh."

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 02, 2005 at 08:13:21 AM EST
    angry writes - "...the gas is liquified and sold by PT Arun, a joint venture owned 55 percent by Indonesia's national energy company, 35 percent by Mobil, and 10 percent by a Japanese firm... Suharto assigned at least one unit of the Indonesian army, Unit 113, "for the sole and specific purpose" of providing security to Mobil and PT Arun" I'm no fan of Suharto, his family and most third world countries. But given that Indonesia owns 55% of the natural gas company.... Why shouldn't they want to protect it?

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 02, 2005 at 08:28:57 AM EST
    It's a question of values, Jim. If the government had enough soldiers delivering food and fresh water, burying bodies to prevent outbreaks of terrible diseases, then put their troops to work in protection of government holdings, the values of human lives and suffering would be paramount. Current paradigm, it appears the values of economic protection of government resources that are likely pilfered by the ruling class is paramount. capische?

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 02, 2005 at 09:21:41 AM EST
    CA - Nonsense. What the country will need long term is revenue. Protecting the source of that revenue, just as preventing looting, is extremely important for the long term. BTW - Capische?? Snarky as always, eh? et al - Everything I hear is about delivering food and fresh water. If I was there I would be boiling my water, and water purification kits are much easier to transport than water. Maybe none of these reporters ever belonged to the boy or girl scouts.

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#17)
    by Dadler on Sun Jan 02, 2005 at 11:01:20 AM EST
    i assume jeb is going because he runs a state that, theoretically, could be hit by a tsunami as big as this one, with a thousand miles of coastline. at least it makes semi-sense for him to check things out. sense, that is, if he's really taking notes and paying attention and planning to DO SOMETHING -- which i have little faith in, what with his record of doing nothing about the voting needs and problems in florida. i'm a coastal californian, so i hope arnold is listening. it's a matter of time before the same thing, if not worse, hits our shores.

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 02, 2005 at 11:02:23 PM EST
    Thanks Cliff, but I've a pretty strong grip on the events of the Cold War. Your commentary to date leads me to suspect that you were (1) a Reagan voter at some point and (2) are ignorant enough to believe that Reagan deserves credit for "winning" it. If so, I invite you to take your own advice. Democratic administrations are indeed complicit in their inaction to resolve human rights abuses. But since it is Conservatives that support a relativistic weighing of U.S. economic interests against helping the oppressed via diplomacy, I have no problem making the decision to support a party with a better record placing the latter over the former, despite their imperfect record. But it is important that Democrats make the distinction between human rights abuses we can actively do something about and issues that are beyond our ability to control without comprimising other principles that shouldn't be comprimised. It is a mistake for us to believe that every culture be measured versus a protestant western values system on some matters. Rather, alongside a national community, we should gain a consensus of values to determine when (i.e. genocide) the most extreme actions become warranted (i.e. nation building).

    Re: Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Je (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 08:21:26 AM EST
    Getting the thread back on track, don't forget Jeb Bush went to Armenia in 1988 in the aftermath of that earthquake. 45,000 died and 500,000 homeless in that one.

    Tsunami News: Mob Rushes Helicopter, Why is Jeb Going? | 19 comments (19 topical)