Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, on Tuesday expressed the hope that Muslim nations would see the best side of the US in its generous response to the victims of the Asian tsunami.

“What it does in the Muslim world, the rest of the world is [being] given an opportunity to see American generosity, American values in action,” Mr Powell said in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation, where the death toll from the disaster could exceed 100,000.

The Bush administration, determined to dispel impressions that the US’s initial response to the disaster was too limited, has taken the chance to project the image of a caring superpower.

“America is not an anti-Islamic, anti-Muslim nation. America is a diverse society. We respect all religions,” Mr Powell said after meeting Hassan Wirayuda, the Indonesian foreign minister. Mr Powell said US co-operation around the world served to dry up the “pools of dissatisfaction” that led to terrorism.
Full Article: nytimes.com

O brother. The only message to be gotten here is that the US can choose to save Muslims as easily as it can choose to slaughter them.

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