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September 12, 2005
Katrina Roundup
Michael Kinsley says hindsight is always 20/20:
Recriminations are all the rage today. But really, does anyone ever pay attention to the prophets of doom until it's too late?"
"As a good American, you no doubt have been worried sick for years about the levees around New Orleans. Or you've been worried at least since you read that official report in August 2001 -- the one that ranked a biblical flood of the Big Easy as one of our top three potential national emergencies. No? You didn't read that report in 2001? You just read about it in the newspapers this last week?" Mr. Kinsley said."Well, how about that prescient New Orleans Times-Picayune series in 2002 that laid out the whole likely catastrophe? Everybody read that one. Or at least it sure seems that way now. I was not aware that the Times-Picayune had such a large readership in places like Washington, D.C., and California. And surely you have been badgering public officials at every level of government to spend whatever it takes to reinforce those levees -- and to raise your taxes if necessary to pay for it."
Yes, I know what you're going to say; "but the people in charge should have read these reports. Well....yes. And no. People in these positions get a hundred warnings of this and that. Which one will come true?
Meanwhile, Fred Barnes agrees with me that the Democrats have overplayed their hand:
"In trashing President Bush, Democrats have overplayed their hand as never before," the Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes writes, referring to Hurricane Katrina."Their criticism of Bush began soon after the levees broke in New Orleans and picked up steam once it became clear that thousands of people were stranded in New Orleans without food, medicine, or imminent prospects of being rescued. And the media, more hostile to Bush than ever, adopted the Democratic line that the slowness of rescue and recovery efforts was the fault of Bush and [Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D.] Brown," Mr. Barnes said.
"Now, after politicizing Katrina and dividing the country, Democrats insist, disingenuously, that Bush depoliticize the issue and unify the country. He should go about this, Democrats argue, by choosing a 'unity' nominee for the second Supreme Court vacancy. Unity in this case means a candidate Democrats like. And he should jettison his domestic agenda, especially tax cuts. If Bush falls for this, he deserves to have his job rating drop (I suspect he won't).
I suspect he won't either.
Posted by Tom at September 12, 2005 8:34 AM
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Comments
Here is proof positive that George Bush caused the hurricane and hates black people:
Posted by: Kilo Echo 4 at September 16, 2005 12:10 AM
