Grandstanding visits by leaders like those from the UN don't do a damned thing to feed the hungry, house the homeless, or ease the thirst of someone who hasn't had anything to drink for days. Those visits amount to politicians producing words - and it deeds that count.

Within hours of the tsunami, an entire American aircraft carrier battle group got the orders to go to the affected areas. Who do you suppose gave that order, some UN flunky or George Bush?

Within a couple days of getting the orders, the ships were on site with helicopters, water, food, and thousands of skilled and eager crew ready to hit the ground running. They set up hospital operations and began getting relief to those who needed it most. They flew reconnaissance flights surveying the damage and looking for people who might still be alive at sea. They helped untold thousands of people. Within a few more days, several more ships were on site offering even more hands on assistance. Compared to that, what did the UN do? They spent over 2 weeks holding meetings to "coordinate" the actions of nations like the US, Australia, New Zealand, and the others who were getting the job done, and false claim credit for other people's work. In short, they were as useful as tits on a boar.

When Bush, Rumsfeld, and the other American leaders visit Iraq, they're serving several purposes. One is to boost the morale of American troops. Another is to get briefed on the problems and look for solutions. Other than boosting morale, it's the deeds that happen when they return home that count. When that soldier asked about uparmoring his unit's military vehicles, it turned out that almost all had already been armored and the last ones were finished the next day. The question, prompted by a self-serving reporter, was bogus.