I was always amused by Clinton haters who decried his sexual misconduct by saying that it made America an embrassment to the world . . . as if Europeans have the same amount of prudishness as socially conservative Americans. They don’t. But this article in The American Prospect indicates that we should be embarrassed by recent events. An excerpt: Europeans … Read More
Bush And Scotty Get The Reaming They So Richly Deserve
From the Associated Press: The Bush White House is known for its ability to remain in control of its message and image, sliding out of crises with barely a scratch. Not this time. Despite day after day of appearances by President Bush aimed at undoing the political damage from a poor response to Hurricane Katrina, the White House has not … Read More
Why The Pentagon Should Read My Blog
Via Think Progress, we learn that Joint Chiefs Chairman Richard Myers, in a live press conference moments ago, repeated Michael Chertoff’s debunked claim that newpapers on Tuesday had said, “New Orleans Dodged a Bullet.” But then he went a step further — Myers actually claimed that “most of the papers” had that headline on Tuesday, and that the Defense Department’s … Read More
Fox. Henhouse.
Bush to lead probe over Bush’s failure re: Katrina: Buffeted by criticism over the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, President Bush said Tuesday he will oversee an investigation into what went wrong and why — in part to be sure the country could withstand more storms or attack. Great.
Three Duke Students
They did what our federal government couldn’t — get into New Orleans and evacuate people: DURHAM — A trio of Duke University sophomores say they drove to New Orleans late last week, posed as journalists to slip inside the hurricane-soaked city twice, and evacuated seven people who weren’t receiving help from authorities. The group, led by South Carolina native Sonny … Read More
Federal Blockades
Charlie at the Big Brass Blog has a list of situations where FEMA and other federal authorities actually thwarted efforts to assists in the Katrina crisis. Visit his list for the latest: A tax-funded, state-of-the-art medical team The USS Bataan Wal-mart trucks full of ice and water The water tankers from the US Forest Service A specially trained and self-sufficient … Read More
Dolls, Not Rap
Rebecca Hagelin at Townhall.com sees the Katrina disaster as an indictment of the gangsta culture. Let’s have fun with her: Throwing out the thugsRebecca Hagelin This famous, selfless cry for the safety of others is best associated with the tragedy of the Titanic, when thousands lost their lives in the frozen waters of the sea so many years ago. Yes. … Read More
FEMA For Kidz
Hear the rap song (RealAudio format) from the "FEMA for Kids" webpage: Disaster . . . it can happen anywhere,But we’ve got a few tips, so you can be preparedFor floods, tornadoes, or even a ‘quake,You’ve got to be ready – so your heart don’t break. Disaster prep is your responsibilityAnd mitigation is important to our agency. People helping people … Read More
Keith Olbermann On Katrina
I’ll put the transcript below the fold, but you really should see the video.
Financial Times: “America Counts The Cost Of Curbing Government”
The Financial Times gets the big picture. Katrina is more than just a one-time outrage and a slow-to-move government. It exemplifies what happens when small government policies are put into place: ….For the past quarter century in Washington, since the Republican Ronald Reagan rode a conservative backlash all the way to the presidency, US politics has been dominated by the … Read More
They’re Better Off
Proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, here’s what former First Lady Barbara Bush said after visiting Katrina evacuees in Houston: What I’m hearing is . . . they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arenas here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, … Read More
And Now To The Polls
Survey USA‘s 3-day rolling tracking poll shows the following (Asking the question: Do you approve of Bush’s handling?): Wednesday, 8/31 – Approve 48, Disapprove 39Thursday, 9/1 – Approve 46, Disapprove 44Friday, 9/2 – Approve 40, Dissaprove 53Saturday, 9/3 (Watch the effect of Friday) – Approve 41, Dissaprove 53Sunday, 9/4 (Initial Friday photo-op effect wearing off) – Approve 38, Disapprove 55 … Read More
Katrina And Democrats
From the NY Daily News: "It has become increasingly evident that our nation was not prepared," Clinton (D-N.Y.) said in a letter to Bush asking him to set up a "Katrina Commission." "The slow pace of relief efforts in the face of a mounting death toll … seems to confirm that our ability to respond to cataclysmic disasters has not … Read More
Katrina And Rove
Karl Rove has been assigned to handle the counterspin, trying to resurrect Bush from his failings of last week, according to the New York Times: Under the command of President Bush’s two senior political advisers, the White House rolled out a plan this weekend to contain the political damage from the administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina. It orchestrated visits by … Read More
Katrina And Race
Much has been said and written about the factor that race played (or didn’t play) in the response to Katrina. Nothing I say can add to the voices out there, and Shakespeare’s Sister asks some pretty good questions: I believe both the extremity of and, most importantly, the official response to the incompetence have everything to do with the skin … Read More