While the president is overseas taking his lameduck Grand Tour, beating the bushes against Iran, Barack Obama should be seen to do what a good president does: Inspires, heartens, and lifts up people.
He can go there and call for FEMA to get going, highlight stories of hardship, and call for an end to the Katrinas.
If ever there was a time and a place for the message "Yes we can," this is it.
It shows the contrast between Bush/McCain, elitists who stand above the fray, and Obama.
I also think there is a good link to be made between the efficiency and productivity of the American people, compared to the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the Bush administration. This opens another perspective on the American economy -- that we have a perverse administration that does the opposite of what good government would call for -- instead of helping people and growing the economy, it helps cronies and grows their private fortunes.
-- Tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas
-- Unfair trade deals
-- Failure to develop energy policy that begins to shift $ away from oil-producing countries
-- Failure to grow environmentally friendly R&D and downstream technologies
Etc.
The most important idea is the visual of a candidate who helps sandbag, who brings stories of FEMA inaction to the fore...who cares. Moreover, it is another acknowledgment of the crucial role Iowa Democrats played in Barack Obama's successful bid to become the Dem presidential nominee.