13 September 2005

A Splinter in the Eye is the Best Magnifying Glass

I love John Powers's writing. Clear, concise and most importantly, funny, he's the best political writer in America. His essay on Hurricane Katrina and Dubya's "handling" of it just about says it all:

"With any luck, this shameful performance in New Orleans (and along the coast) will finally vanquish the enduring cliché that, unlike the supposedly dreamy left, the right is competent— you know, filled with can-do Steve McQueens and Chuck Yeagers who know how to get things done. In fact, what’s startling about the Bush administration is its mind-numbing incompetence at everything but winning elections and pushing through legislation that further enriches the rich. Even those who fervently backed the invasion of Iraq say they’re staggered at how ineptly the administration has managed the peace. Two and a half years after the invasion, the Iraqi capital still only gets four hours of electricity a day, and the airport road still hasn’t been secured. Evidently Baghdad was a dry run for the watery snafus in New Orleans."

Read the whole thing here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here's my issue with this writer and is ilk in the "blame Bush" crowd - the executive & legislative branches of Louisiana get a free pass. Mayor "Dallas Resident" Nagin was on Larry King last night. When questioned about response times and mistakes, Nagin's excuse was that the hurricane overwhelmed everybody. When FEMA uses this as an excuse, they're hammered in the press.

Why wasn't the levy improved years ago? Critics say that Bush diverted funds for the Iraq war. But Bush doesn't control legislation, he signs it. And the number of spending bills that he's vetoed since he took office? Zero. If a bill came by to give $$ to New Orleans, he would have signed it.

And what about the state of Louisiana? What actions did the Democrat Governor or Democrat majorities in the State House & Senate take? No, Powers is right. Blaming Bush is easier.

Kanye West said a year ago that he was in Florida when a hurricane hit. He and Usher discussed how terrible it would be if a hurricane hit Louisiana & Mississippi, because they couldn't handle it. He complained that nothing was done. I blame Kanye, the bastid.

Vitamin J said...

Interesting take, Abba Believer.

Dubya is still a useless fuck-up, however.