The Jig is Up

The coverage of Hurricane Katrina has been extensive here at BooTrib. Madman describes anarchy, while tribe34 alerts us to the offer of help from Canada; Stu Piddy is raising the possibility of racial disparities in the recovery effort, while ManfromMiddleTown muses whether New Orleans should be rebuilt at all.

The common thread of this disastrous event is the blatant lack of competence with respect to the rescue and recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast. Homeland Security failed in a real way this week. The Bush Administration has flunked their first major infrastructure test since the September 11th attacks.

Newsweek puts all of this in context below the fold...

On Tuesday, President Bush called an abrupt end to his five-week "working vacation" at his Texas ranch and announced he would return to the White House two days early to oversee federal response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. "These are trying times for the people of these communities," Bush said Tuesday during a visit to a naval base in San Diego. "We have a lot of work to do."

For the White House, it was interesting timing. Over the last month, administration officials have deflected criticism of Bush's monthlong stay at his Texas ranch by making the case that technology has made it possible for Bush to run the country from anywhere, even the so-called Western White House. Indeed, the Bush ranch is equipped with highly secure videoconferencing equipment and phones, and, according to White House officials, Bush has made use of them just about every day this month to talk to senior aides back in Washington and other administration officials scattered throughout the country.

[snip]

So why is Bush going back to Washington now? When asked yesterday what Bush could do in Washington for hurricane relief that he couldn't do from his Texas ranch, McClellan told reporters no less than five times that it was the president's "preference" to return to the White House. Asked if the decision was more "symbolic" than logistical, McClellan said, "I disagree with the characterization."

Link

Well Scotty, I'm not sorry that you disagree with the question. I happen to disagree with the fact that George Bush is the President of the United States. You see, I happen to consider George the worst leader I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing first-hand.

• He never holds anyone accountable for their mistakes.
  
• He fires or demotes any dissenters
  
• He is incapable of communicating effectively
  
• He has proven to be the Ultimate Divider, not uniter.

For the past five years, progressives and other sane Americans, have been screaming from their virtual rooftops; trying to get the attention of the rest of the country that they were being led astray by an incompetent Master of Deception.

The greatest illusion in history has been the way the Republican Noise Machine has distracted the people from recognizing this fact. Perhaps the American people will finally snap out of their trance and realize that the rooftop screaming is no longer an illusion:

Source

Front-paged (thanks to susanhu) at Booman Tribune with an update and comments