Clinton and Bush Snr to lead aid appeal
Richard Luscombe in Miami
Friday September 2, 2005
The Guardian
Former presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Snr are to lead the fund-raising campaign for Hurricane Katrina's huge humanitarian effort, reprising a role they played with some success after the Asian tsunami.
Americans responded generously to the disaster appeals made by the pair, whose political rivalries dissolved into an unlikely but genuine friendship. By asking the two to team up once more, the White House hopes for a similar reaction and donations of hundreds of millions of dollars.
More than $82m (about £44.8m) has been raised so far, according to the Washington-based Chronicle of Philanthropy, which monitors charitable giving. The funds are destined for organisations such as the Red Cross and he Salvation Army, who are embarking on a relief operation of unprecedented scale.
"As the size of the catastrophe comes into focus, people will dig deeper," said a spokesman, Evan Goldstein, who estimated that the early donations were at least in line with the tsunami appeal.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1561252,00.html