'Stingy' Americans again save the day: U.S. prosperity keeps the U.N. afloat

THE death toll in Asia from the killer tsunami exceeded 100,000.Almost immediately, the United States put together an aid package of$15 million, with assurances that more would be on the way. TheUnited States pledged an additional $20 million a few days later; now$350 million.

We also dispatched emergency relief teams and Navy patrols to helpwith the aftermath and to assess what more we can do.

"We also have to see this not just as a one-time thing," ColinPowell said. America is in the reconstruction effort "for the longhaul."

This commitment, however, was not generous enough for Jan Egeland,the Norwegian bureaucrat who heads up relief efforts for the …