  The Debye-H\"uckel approximation to the free-energy of a simple fluid is
written as a functional of the pair correlation function. This functional can
be seen as the Debye-H\"uckel equivalent to the functional derived in the
hyper-netted chain framework by Morita and Hiroike, as well as by Lado. It
allows one to obtain the Debye-H\"uckel integral equation through a
minimization with respect to the pair correlation function, leads to the
correct form of the internal energy, and fulfills the virial theorem.
