The right has not been coping, as we remarked, with Bush's spectacular failure in the most basic responsibilities of government and leadership. Now James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal--whose reputation as "a slimeball" (to use the term of art) is well-known--may have outdone himself: responding to critics who have called attention to how Bush policies and Bush incompetence have contributed to the man-made disaster, he writes: "Some people respond to a horrific natural disaster by taking cheap shots at their political opponents. Others respond by stealing TV sets. The underlying impulse knows no boundaries of social class." As with his non-response to Ms. Sheehan, there is no response to the merits of the claims made by the critics: this is apparently a key part of Taranto's modus operandi, namely, smear the critics, but never discuss the merits of the criticism. Seriously, if this craven villain is invited to your campus (pity your campus!), please let everyone know about the kind of rubbish that emanates from his empty head.
We have noted, already, that the Bush shills, like Glenn "no bit of right-wing sliminess is beneath me" Reynolds, are trying to shift the blame for the horrendous failure of a proper rescue and recovery effort, to the local officials; here's a good discussion of why that won't fly.
And the New Orleans local paper isn't buying it either:
Despite the city's multiple points of entry, our nation's bureaucrats spent days after last week's hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue the city's stranded victims nor bring them food, water and medical supplies.
Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.
Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a "Today" show story Friday morning.
Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach.
We're angry, Mr. President, and we'll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That's to the government's shame.
Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he allowed those with no other alternative to seek shelter from the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We still don't know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the Superdome not been opened, the city's death toll would have been higher. The toll may even have been exponentially higher.
It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people inside the Superdome would not be returning home. It should have been clear to our government, Mr. President. So why weren't they evacuated out of the city immediately? We learned seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened, that the Dome isn't suitable as a long-term shelter. So what did state and national officials think would happen to tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning, overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food, water and other essentials?
State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said the city didn't have but two urgent needs: "Buses! And gas!" Every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially.
In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said his agency hadn't known until that day that thousands of storm victims were stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He gave another nationally televised interview the next morning and said, "We've provided food to the people at the Convention Center so that they've gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day."
Lies don't get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President.
Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told him, "You're doing a heck of a job."
That's unbelievable.
There were thousands of people at the Convention Center because the riverfront is high ground. The fact that so many people had reached there on foot is proof that rescue vehicles could have gotten there, too.
We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We're no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.
No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn't be reached.
Meanwhile, the BBC is noticing that the U.S. media is not as spineless as usual in the wake of this catastrophe. (Thanks to James Wilberding for the pointer.) (Notice, of course, that the right-wing bloggers are even more spineless, and dishonest, than usual!)
Krugman continues to draw apt morals from this whole fiasco.
Finally, Michael Froomkin (Law, Miami) has a good set of links to news sources and commentary about the Gulf Coast disaster.
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