Triple play

Remember that $350 million the U.S. pledged for tsunami relief?

Triple it.

The New York Times reports that President Bush has increased the American pledge to almost triple its previous amount, bringing the total to $950 million.

The new sum puts the U.S. at the top of the list of donor nations, without even considering the additional $700 million that Americans have given to charities to support the relief effort.

The latest increase comes well after earlier accusations of U.S. "stinginess" have died down, so it looks like it will be hard for the U.N.'s Jan Egeland to take credit for inspiring it.

However, by tripling its aid, America hasn't done anything unprecedented. After all, oil-rich Saudi Arabia previously tripled its own contribution -- to $30 million.