“Stingy”:

The Bush administration yesterday pledged $15 million to Asian nations hit by a tsunami that has killed more than 22,500 people, although the United Nations’ humanitarian-aid chief called the donation ‘stingy.’

Context, context…:

The war on terror will take center stage at next month’s second inauguration for President Bush in Washington, D.C.

…

The estimated budget for the event is $30-40 million, but that will not cover security costs.

(Via Eschaton.)

UPDATE (01/01/05): The US has upped it’s offer from the initial amount of $15 million to $350 million (and Powell says it could go into the billions). Did this occur because US officials grossly misunderestimated the extent of the tragedy or because they were shamed into it? We’ll never know, but either way, it’s a failure of leadership.