I thought Bill Clinton was in charge of this!

UPDATE: As a few kind commenters pointed out, I was quite remiss in not saying straight off that this charge being made is nothing more – at this point – than a charge that bears heavy investigating. That’s quite true. As such, take the whole thing with a grain of salt, but bear in mind that if it’s true – if the tsunami money is being misrouted into terrorist hands – then there has to be some accountability for that. And if anyone but Bill Clinton were involved, most folks would completely agree with that point unhesitatingly! :-)

The Scotsman is reporting that monies meant as tsunami aid are being taken to fund terrorism.

Maybe I’m wrong, please correct me if I am, but I thought Bill Clinton had been put in charge of overseeing the rebuilding and restructuring of this area, which includes – one would assume – keeping track of the funding.

When named to that position last month, Clinton said monetary donations to aid agencies were the best way to help.

“I want people here at home in America and throughout the world … to know that if you only have a dollar, $5, $10 to give — if a million of you do, that you’ll make a huge difference,” Clinton said.

A huge difference to whom?

And here, he said he was going to make sure the money was “spent wisely.”

Among Mr. Clinton’s tasks will be to ensure that donors not only pledge but disburse the money needed for recovery and reconstruction, and that it actually reaches the communities who need it most…

“…As we move from relief into recovery and reconstruction, the most difficult period is upon us,” he declared, citing the need to rebuild homes, restore jobs, replace fishing boats, reconstruct sanitation facilities and rehabilitate roads. “My job is to ensure first of all that the money which has been committed by the donor countries be invested, [and] that we assure the donors that it is spent effectively, responsibly and in a transparent manner.”

“…Now, if we do all these things, then we will have a model which not only the United Nations, but the NGO community and the world can use in future crises,” he said, stressing that he would make sure the finances that have been promised are provided and that the money is “well spent and accountably spent.”

“…If we can do a good job here, if we do our job, if we can report back to not only the big donors and the governments, but the NGOs and individual donors, if we can be accountable, if we can be transparent and if we can be effective, I hope that then the Secretary-General will be able to issue a call, if we ever get an ultimate resolution of what should be done in Darfur, for example, and in Somalia, for people to help there, and then we’ll know what we’re worth because we’ll have a model here,” he added.

Was Clinton simply given a nice headline and a resume/legacy burnishing, here? Sure seems that way. I haven’t seen his name in connection with tsunami recovery since…well, since the headlines stopped, actually. And to me, everything quoted above just sounds like the usual posturing, yakking and then moving on to the next “event.”

WELCOME: CQ readers! While you’re here, please look around. Right now we’re also discussing the offers being made to some bloggers by Pajamas Media, whether 189 Investigations into prisoner “abuse” are really warranted, the new left-blog tactic of Screaming FAKE when you’re out of excuses and we’re taking a look back at an extraordinary month.