Friday, September 02, 2005
Politics and Hurricanes part II: Holding my fire no longer.
I really really gave the Bush administration a chance to come through in response to hurricane Katrina. I should have known better.
Here is the unvarnished and horrible truth of the matter. The day after the hurricane struck, rather than returning to Washington D.C. or heading to the Gulf Coast to lead the nation through this crisis, President Bush actually went to San Diego for a rah rah speech on the Iraq disaster. Unbelievably he strummed a guitar while New Orleans was in the process of being destroyed, and enjoyed some cake with John McCain! This president is so out of touch he actually takes points on responding to the suffering of the populace he leads from Nero and Marie Antoinette!
The president made the incredibly inaccurate assertion that he didn't "think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." The truth is quite the opposite, as seen in this headline. In fact the record shows that at least one person lost his job for previously criticizing cuts in the presidents proposed budget for Army Corps of Engineers water projects. Projects that directly affected the scope of this disaster. Yet another honest person booted for telling it like it is... as quoted in the story: "I think he was fired for being too honest and not loyal enough to the president," said lobbyist Colin Bell, who represents communities with corps-funded projects. Probably the most damning evidence that this disaster was predicted before hand was Fema's listing of a hurrican strike on New Orleans as one of the top three most likely catastrophic natural disasters facing America.
So once it was clear to the Bushovichs that this was becoming a drag on his already record low popularity (FOUR days after Katrina landfall) he was hustled off for a flyover of the devastation followed by a speech detailing what the federal response to this was going to be. This speech to me was extremely reminiscent of his pontifications following 09/11. Resolute, strong, decisive, declarative, etc etc etc... This isn't the war on terror Mr. President. Lets just for a time leave the laundry list of stuff your finally starting to do in response to this and give us some humanity in our leaders. I'll guarantee that President Clinton faced with the same circumstance would have led the nation in feeling it's pain. The strutting Texan blowhard cowboy was the wrong tone. I read on one of the blogs I peruse a rundown of "freeper" reaction to the speech and even the Bushovichs were sorely disapointed. I've searched high and low for the link but I cant find it... If and when I do I'll add an addendum to this post.
Molly Ivins, James Wolcott, and just about the rest of the liberal blogosphere were right on this one. Let loose the dogs of politics... the Bushies deserve every hit they take on this one. I'm tempted to say my wait and see attitude could be defined as insanity. That is to say that insanity may be defined as performing the same action over and over and expecting a different result. Well this is the 1st time I've given this administration a pass as the disaster in question unfolded hoping for a good result, and I dont intend to do so again.
Here is the unvarnished and horrible truth of the matter. The day after the hurricane struck, rather than returning to Washington D.C. or heading to the Gulf Coast to lead the nation through this crisis, President Bush actually went to San Diego for a rah rah speech on the Iraq disaster. Unbelievably he strummed a guitar while New Orleans was in the process of being destroyed, and enjoyed some cake with John McCain! This president is so out of touch he actually takes points on responding to the suffering of the populace he leads from Nero and Marie Antoinette!
The president made the incredibly inaccurate assertion that he didn't "think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." The truth is quite the opposite, as seen in this headline. In fact the record shows that at least one person lost his job for previously criticizing cuts in the presidents proposed budget for Army Corps of Engineers water projects. Projects that directly affected the scope of this disaster. Yet another honest person booted for telling it like it is... as quoted in the story: "I think he was fired for being too honest and not loyal enough to the president," said lobbyist Colin Bell, who represents communities with corps-funded projects. Probably the most damning evidence that this disaster was predicted before hand was Fema's listing of a hurrican strike on New Orleans as one of the top three most likely catastrophic natural disasters facing America.
So once it was clear to the Bushovichs that this was becoming a drag on his already record low popularity (FOUR days after Katrina landfall) he was hustled off for a flyover of the devastation followed by a speech detailing what the federal response to this was going to be. This speech to me was extremely reminiscent of his pontifications following 09/11. Resolute, strong, decisive, declarative, etc etc etc... This isn't the war on terror Mr. President. Lets just for a time leave the laundry list of stuff your finally starting to do in response to this and give us some humanity in our leaders. I'll guarantee that President Clinton faced with the same circumstance would have led the nation in feeling it's pain. The strutting Texan blowhard cowboy was the wrong tone. I read on one of the blogs I peruse a rundown of "freeper" reaction to the speech and even the Bushovichs were sorely disapointed. I've searched high and low for the link but I cant find it... If and when I do I'll add an addendum to this post.
Molly Ivins, James Wolcott, and just about the rest of the liberal blogosphere were right on this one. Let loose the dogs of politics... the Bushies deserve every hit they take on this one. I'm tempted to say my wait and see attitude could be defined as insanity. That is to say that insanity may be defined as performing the same action over and over and expecting a different result. Well this is the 1st time I've given this administration a pass as the disaster in question unfolded hoping for a good result, and I dont intend to do so again.
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