15 cents for foreign aid, 60 cents for soda.

Americans are the most generous people on Earth, aren't we? No, alas, we're not. The tsunami illustrates the problem: When grieving victims intrude onto our TV screens, we dig into our pockets and provide a massive response; the rest of the time, we're tightwads. Americans give 15 cents per day per person in official development assistance to poor countries. The average American spends four times that on soft drinks daily. Every month, more people die of malaria and AIDS than died in the tsunami. One reason for American stinginess is a sense that foreign aid is money down a rathole. Plenty has been wasted, but there's also evidence of what works, such as health programs and girls' schooling. One of the most effective steps President Bush could take to revive America's tarnished image is to lead a global effort to confront an ongoing challenge like malaria. The measure of generosity is not what you offer when the spotlight is on you, but what you do when the spotlight moves on.