Yes, there are still 2 years left in the Bush administration, but could this be his downfall?
Even the right-wing Washington Times called Bush to task for the lackluster response to the hurricane:
Troops are finally moving into New Orleans in realistic numbers, and it’s past time. What took the government so long? The thin veneer separating civilization and chaos, which we earlier worried might collapse in the absence of swift action, has collapsed.
. . . We expected to see, many hours ago, the president we saw standing atop the ruin of the World Trade Center, rallying a dazed country to action. We’re pleased he finally caught a ride home from his vacation, but he risks losing the one trait his critics have never dented: His ability to lead, and be seen leading.
And Keith Olbermann at MSNBC points out:
We‘re told the secretary of state has cut short her vacation and made it back to her office just four days after New Orleans was besieged, just a day after she reportedly saw a comedy on Broadway in New York City.
This administration tends to sit around and figure out what the most politically expedient response should be… anyone else would have cut his or her vacation short the day before the hurricane hit. Our leaders today wait until days after to make this decision. Evidently, Dick Cheney is still on vacation.
From Daily Kos:
Notice the nicely positioned Coast Guard helicopters in the background, not rescuing people and delivering supplies. Notice the uniformed personnel standing at attention in the back, providing a nice backdrop to Bush, not rescuing people and delivering supplies.
Again, politics trumps everything in this administration.
