The National Shame.

[weaklingrecords]

I cannot even begin to put into words my feelings about people who have looted stores for guns, who then fire those guns at helicopters attempting to deliver much needed food and medical supplies to hospitals in New Orleans

Comments

[weaklingrecords]

I think the situation is a little more complicated than I make it out to be, but I also think the situation is more complicated than Mr. Robbins makes it out to be. The 10% of America's Army in Iraq is a little bit disingenuous and a good example that you can make numbers say anything that you want them to say. The total number of troops in the Army includes all the wounded, all of the new recruits, and all of the desk jockies around the globe who are still considered "active duty." The other issue is that National Guards(wo)men who have just returned from Iraq are not sitting around thinking to themselves, "Wow, what should I do now?" They're returning to their jobs, their families, their lives. They have served their time in Iraq, many on much longer tours than they were ever expected to (thank you, Stop Loss Order). So their preparedness is not what it could or should be, were we not involved in the way that we are in Iraq.

Having said all of that, reading the papers today, it seems that the Governor of Louisiana is also quite fed up with the slow response to this catastrophe from the feds. I quote the front page of CNN, quoting said Governor: "Get off your asses."

Comparing this situation to any other hurricane just doesn't cut it, either, another fallacy in Mr. Robbins' article. The hurricane was there and gone. In Hurricane Andrew's case, it caused tons of damage, undoubtedly, and significant loss of life, plus knocking out power, phone lines, water, and some sewage.

But this is an entire city underwater. And the frustration is that until this morning, four days after the levees broke, it didn't seem like the White House had even the inkling of urgency about the situation.

Conditions will get better as time goes by, because that's what conditions do when hundreds of corporations, private citizens, and yes, government agencies are working on a problem. But the lack of leadership displayed by the White House over the last few days has been remarkably telling. Bush finished up his vacation, but Cheney couldn't even make a statement? Condi was attending plays on Broadway and the U.S. Open? For many, this is worse than Iraq, this is worse than September 11, 2001. This is the complete destruction of an entire city. And the White House dropped the ball with their reaction to it, hands down.

I'm waiting for the revisionist history to start up showing the President on the scene in those "first moments" after the levees broke, just like he tried to claim the leadership that was provided by Guiliani on and immediately after September 11, 2001.

I don't think people are going to buy it this time.

And yes, I hate him.

[bassmike]

I think I said last night, after watching some of the coverage of New Orleans, that I wished Guiliani was President.