From 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 cabinet members to the region, leading up to an extraordinary return visit by Mr. Bush planned for Monday, directed administration officials not to respond to attacks from Democrats on the relief efforts, and sought to move the blame for the slow response to Louisiana state officials, according to Republicans familiar with the White House plan.

I sound like a broken record: this administration can not lead the country. It can only campaign the country.

Note how they aren't rolling out a plan to correct what went wrong. Note how they aren't rolling out a plan to make sure that America is truly prepared to minimize casulties in the event of a disaster, whether natural or man-made.

None of that. "Now is not the time to point fingers!" they say, as they point fingers. "Now is not the time to play politics!" they say, as they play politics.

Yet another campaign.

See, I don't want to see the president hugging people standing miles from the Superdome. I don't want to see the president meeting with officials at the levee. Even if it were real and not "orchestrated" - well, the CEO president should know that's just micromanagement shit.

So what do I want in a president right now?

I want him mad. MAD! I want him kicking ass and taking names. I want him in a command center, barking out orders, moving heaven and earth to help the people and the infrastructure of a decimated Gulf Coast.

Don't you?

But even then: too little, too late. What matters is not the support they're giving now, it's what they didn't do Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of last week and in the several days of fair warning before.

What matters is what the president chose to do instead.

Because while Mr. Bartlett and Mr. Rove "orchestrate" their campaign to "move the blame," I recall that the Governors of Louisiana and Alabama and Mississippi weren't on vacation until Wednesday - Day Three of the disaster. I recall that the mayors of New Orleans and Gulfport and Biloxi weren't spending the days after the initial disaster laughing over a birthday cake with Senator John McCain. Or laughing while playing guitar. Or laughing through "Spamalot," like our beloved Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

All I know is that if President Bush was even half the leader that his supporters claim him to be, he wouldn't be in damage mode at all.

Supporters would be able to crow at how the Dept. of Homeland Security and FEMA kicked ass and saved lives.

They'd be saying "Chertoff-Brown in 2008!"

But instead, this president has put his supporters on defense.

Forced yet again to make a meal of the tiniest crumbs of excuses, micro-rationalizing everything to let their guy off the hook.

So for those of you who still defend the president and his administration, I have two more questions for you:

Did last week meet your expectations for a government response to disaster in a post-9/11 America?

Would you be working so hard to lay the blame on state and local officials and the victims themselves if a President Kerry had been skiing in Aspen until Day Three of the disaster?

Just askin'.

Labels: in the news