Bush taps dad, Clinton for tsunami appeal

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- President Bush chose two former presidents to lead a national campaign to encourage Americans to donate to tsunami relief efforts.

Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton would travel the nation to encourage individuals and business to give greater amounts of money to reliable non-governmental organizations already aiding relief programs in the Indian Ocean region devastated by the Dec. 26 earthquake and resulting tsunamis. More than 155,000 people died in the disasters.

"We are showing the compassion of our nation in the swift response, but the greatest source of American generosity is not our government, it is the good heart of the American people," Bush said in announcing the appointments.

The appointments followed criticism that the Bush administration had not responded quickly enough to the worst natural disaster in modern history. Secretary of State Colin Powell and the president's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, were already in Asia helping to assess damage and to put the president's personal footprint on relief efforts.

The United States has pledged $350 million so far, and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is helping relief efforts.

The three presidents were signing condolence books Monday at the embassies of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, which all suffered thousands of deaths in the disaster.