Clarification/Follow-up by tomder55 on 01/03/05 8:48 am:
And now the number is up to $350MM... the largest donation to the relief effort of any government in the world by a factor of 4.

the Japanese have now surpased us in dollars pledged . these figures do not take into account the cost of having a fleet in the area ;the cost of sortees made to distribute food /water ;and of deploying marines on the ground for an extended period of time (which comes at a great risk in my view ;there is a compelling argument that says that our troops should wear the colors of the UN ;especially if some of the Indonesian radicals start taking opportunities to cause mischief .We do not want this relief effort to become another Somalia mission
Then again ;who knows their attitudes about UN 'peacekeepers ' ) .

Clarification/Follow-up by ETWolverine on 01/03/05 9:16 am:
Tom,

I have to admit that I am VERY impressed by the Japanese response. They have been the number 2 donor of foreign (developmental) aid for the past several years, and I believe that this is just one more case of them showing their 'civic-mindedness'.

They are going to have to cut their aid budget to other countries to compensate. And I have a feeling that other countries will surpass the USA's current number as well. But then again, the USA will most likely be upping that $350MM number as well.

The entire world's response to the tragedy has been terrific. And any attempts to point fingers at the stinginess of the USA (or any other country) are nothing but thinly veiled partisan attacks.