America's Back--The Response to Haiti

An earthquake hits Haiti, registering a 7.3 on the Richter Scale with shocks up to 10. Several hundred thousand people are killed. At least one-third of the population is affected. Major government buildings simply collapsed such as the Presidential Palace, which was supposed to withstand such a quake. Hundreds of UN workers are missing. The Red Cross office has collapsed. The Haitian government has practically disappeared.

Early Tuesday evening President Obama, the son of a USAID employee,tells his NSC staff that the American response will be massive. The NSC spends the evening phoning all appropriate agencies and foreign partners. At 7am, the President reviews the damage and the aid plans. He designates the new head of USAID to be the lead coordinator on the program.

Coast Guard ships are dispatched to do aerial reconnaisance of the country. A hospital ship is send. The aircraft carrier Vinzon sets sail from Norfolk, Virginia. The President at 10am announces the American response to the tragedy and the White House posts numbers where Americans can donate. Sec. Clinton is called back from the Pacific and Sec of Defense Gates from the Middle East. President Obama cancels his job summit in Maryland. Former President Bill Clinton, the UN Special Envoy to Haiti, mans the phones and rounds up the UN and private foundation responses to the tragedy.

By late afternoon, various private websites have information about where donations should go. The AMZ Baptist Church among others has already mobilized their members to respond. Late last night American Special Forces have cleared the Haitian airport to make ready the landing strips for aid deliveries. The Administration suspends sending Haitian illegals back to the country. The British have mobilized emergency medical teams but they are delayed because of weather in the UK. By Thursday morning, President Obama has asked George W. Bush to assist former President Clinton in the assistance program.

This is the America we paid admission to see. It is something Americans like to do--respond to humanitarian crises without regard to country, race, creed or anything. It is something the international community actually loves American for. It is unthinkable to think for instance that a China or a Russia could respond in this manner. This is what I call Franklinism--the American desire to solve problems--whether there are catastrophic or simply drilling water wells in a development program. We have lost faith in our own ingenuity and this type of effort restores our belief that America can be a force for good in the world. This is the type of action which builds great goodwill among peoples. And it also shows us how Government can work.