I don't think that partisan attacks belong in major national disasters. That's because we need real information to know what's working and what's not. With the neocons it is not possible to know what they really see and think since everything they say is through the mirror of narrow ideology. I don't want liberals to become as narrow and fantasy based as are neocons.
I also don't think that partisan attacks belong in major national disasters because we are one nation. Our neighbors need help. Politics should end when such need is present.
All of this said, I think that Bush is totally blowing it as our nation's leader. TOTALLY. And I say this wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I was surprised when I heard that Bush was ending his vacation 2 days early, but that he was in Arizona and not Washington on that day. I had assumed that 2 days early meant that he was going to Washington immediately. So how he ended up in Arizona didn't make any sense to me. It never occured to be that he hadn't been back to Washington. And then I was confused by the photo of him with the guitar. I was confused because I couldn't place him - assuming that he was in Washington.
Sure, modern communications allow the president to be anywhere and to be able to conduct business. But he isn't conducting business when he's giving cake to John McCain or playing with a guitar. And even though he can be anywhere, he should be in Washington. He should be there because the White House is the center of the federal government. He should be there because his nation wants to know that the federal government is taking this seriously. He should be there becasue he is the only person who can speak for the nation and for the government, and the only place where he can do that is either when on tour in the Southeast or when he's in Washington.
Bush did this with the Tsunami. He didn't end his vacation on word of the world disaster. He shamed America. And now he's failing America.
I don't say this lightly or as a reflex to anything he does. I say this because I am dumbfounded by his total failure to act like a President on this. It's shocking, and it makes one wonder if anyone is really in charge. What the hell is wrong with our President?
Bush's delayed response, his failure to grasp what is going on, his "let them eat cake" attitude when it comes to vacationing is shocking in its level of gross imcompetence. And nothing that he does now can fix the fact that he blew it - big time.
I want a different President. Now.
disclosure