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September 5, 2005
WB: A Horse of a Different Color
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Krugman: Killed by Contempt
.. the federal government’s lethal ineptitude wasn’t just a consequence of Mr. Bush’s personal inadequacy; it was a consequence of ideological hostility to the very idea of using government to serve the public good. For 25 years the right has been denigrating the public sector, telling us that government is always the problem, not the solution. Why should we be surprised that when we needed a government solution, it wasn’t forthcoming?
Herbert A Failure of Leadership
Mr. Bush’s performance last week will rank as one of the worst ever by a president during a dire national emergency. What we witnessed, as clearly as the overwhelming agony of the city of New Orleans, was the dangerous incompetence and the staggering indifference to human suffering of the president and his administration.
And it is this incompetence and indifference to suffering (yes, the carnage continues to mount in Iraq) that makes it so hard to be optimistic about the prospects for the United States over the next few years. At a time when effective, innovative leadership is desperately needed to cope with matters of war and peace, terrorism and domestic security, the economic imperatives of globalization and the rising competition for oil, the United States is being led by a man who seems oblivious to the reality of his awesome responsibilities.
Like a boy being prepped for a second crack at a failed exam, Mr. Bush has been meeting with his handlers to see what steps can be taken to minimize the political fallout from this latest demonstration of his ineptitude. But this is not about politics. It’s about competence. And when the president is so obviously clueless about matters so obviously important, it means that the rest of us, like the people left stranded in New Orleans, are in deep, deep trouble.
I’m not much of a believer, but this labor day I’m praying that our President can focus on what he does best, what he loves to do, vacating. I’m praying that he’ll resign this Monday taking most of the present Republican leadership with him.
But this type of wishing is hopeless.
The more probable thing is our country becomes more like Haiti but with a first world military that can richocet around the world causing havoc and making everywhere more like Haiti. That’ll be a good thing as it’s a Christian country. If being Catholic and black counts as being Christian.
Posted by: christofay | Sep 5 2005 8:38 utc | 2
Speaking of which, Scott Pelley was not up to the challenge on 60 Minutes. That was really a weak piece of work. And who edited the film giving General Honore’ the faux dramatic exit line- “what would you do?”….Rove His Onself?
Posted by: Mal | Sep 5 2005 13:25 utc | 5
Brown was asked to resign by Congressman R. Wexler of Florida last January due to inept handling of the 2004 hurricane season. Wexler’s open letter to Bush is here. His complaint: FEMA was generous to a fault. At least six instances are known where “FEMA reimbursed residents for damage caused by “ice/snow.”
Florida was an important battleground state in summer 2004.
I am so incredibly mesmorized by the stupidity of people posting here. It was not Bush who dropped the ball, remember, this is a republic, and the government cannot interfere without federalization. but if you must blame someone, lets blame the right people, Mayor Nagin, he is the one that dropped the ball, it was his city, and Gov Blanco, only after these people dropped the ball did the feds federalize the situation and step in and save the day. You can spout all the hate you want, but logic prevails, and truth, and the truth is the Democratic leadership in both New Orleans and the state of LA dropped the ball. But they did that for decades by letting the levy system fall out of importance as the levy board bought casino’s private marinas and yachts, invested hundreds of millions of dollars with their buddies, this is where the prevention went. The mayor ORDERER, not asked an evacuation and sent out busses to get the folks, but then had no supplies for them in their locked up status in superdome. The folks on the rooftops and in the streets, they chose to be there, they chose to risk the life and safety of the first responders by not doing what they were told to do in the first place. I feel sorry for the first responders who left their own personal crises to do the right thing and save the people that chose to be on the rooftops, to be shooting at rescuers.
Nope, as a cajun who is familiar with storms and floods, they chose to be there, they made their choices of politicians, and the federal govt came to their rescue when theircity and state leaders, leaders being used loosely here since there was no leadership from within LA, dropped the ball and abandoned them
This may not meet with great reception, but you know it is the truth, and I am glad it is, the policies are set up to give the states rights, to keep the feds from overrunning our states, and yet people who are obviously uninformed and just want to have an uninformed opinion because the constitution says they can are spouting disinformation, aka demogogueray to advance their own agenda
Posted by: DLC | Sep 6 2005 18:45 utc | 7
ladies & gentlemen, another failed attempt at alternative energy sources – the trolling motor that runs on old talking points
Posted by: b real | Sep 6 2005 19:00 utc | 8
And remember everyone, if something goes wrong with the Missisippi River levees, blame Mississippi. It’s their river…
Posted by: citizen | Sep 6 2005 19:09 utc | 9
bla bla bla, lately the trolls just can’t leave us alone. i wish they would at least have something interesting to say other than the rethug talking points. its so out of the rove book i wonder if they have ANY original thought. lets all just fill every foriegn policy post, emergency relief etc w/bushes campaign cronies. when they get heart attacks and end up in the hospital can we please just have a pr guy operating on at least one of them.oh, whoops..spewing ‘hate ‘ again.
Posted by: annie | Sep 6 2005 19:22 utc | 10