A bit more on stinginess...

Eric Alterman tacks on a few choice words:

Isn't Karl Rove supposed to be this PR genius? How did he blow this opportunity? Put aside for a minute the simple motivation to do what's right, and look at this the way he looks at everything else -- as a PR opportunity. For a billion or so dollars, the Mayberry Machiavelli could have reaped a PR windfall for his boy and the U.S., whose rep in the world has never been lower than it's been the past few years.

I guess if it don't help your guy elected, it don't matter all that much...

Oh, well, another missed opportunity, brought to you by the Crawford gang that can't shoot straight -- unless it's at Democrats.

P.S. Eric, get some permalinks for Pete's sake...

Update: Ezra adds some more:

It boils down to a disgust with the Bush Administration's reliance on hard power and their inability to see the potential of soft power. In some ways, that is the great liberal/conservative divide (though a vast oversimplification). Conservatives believe in America the fighter, America the country with the largest military and the most advanced bombing technology. Liberals believe in America the idea, the America of the Marshall Plan and the Declaration of Independence. And so far as I can tell, the last 30 years have shown that hard America's utility is limited, and often far overstated. So while our strategy of big and ever-sharper sticks has its merits, isn't it about time we gave a carrot-based foreign policy a shot? And didn't this earthquake offer an excellent opportunity to try?