There was a time, just five years ago, that Bush saw the benefit of an effective FEMA. A month before the 2000 presidential election, then-Gov. Bush said, “I’ve got to pay the administration a compliment. James Lee Witt of FEMA has done a really good job of working with governors during times of crisis. But […]
I was tempted to scrap today’s edition in light of the ongoing calamities, but I had a few items to pass along. I know they hardly seem important today, but here’s today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers anyway: * […]
Usually the White House will pull its more outlandish stunts on Friday afternoons when they can count on their behavior getting lost in the weekend shuffle. Of course, pulling a stunt when the nation is engrossed in a calamity is practically the same thing. President Bush has used a constitutional provision to bypass the Senate […]
I have some friends on Capitol Hill who speak highly of Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff. Maybe it’s just because he’s a step up from his predecessor, and better than Bush’s original choice for the job (remember Bernie Kerik?), but even Dems tell me this guy is generally on the ball. That said, after about […]
Despite earlier reports that Congress would not reconvene to address emergency funding for the Gulf Coast, lawmakers are poised to pass a $10-billion bill today. Good. And while I’m pleased to see Congress respond, I can’t help but notice that Speaker Hastert’s office seems a little confused. Just 48 hours ago, Roll Call reported that […]
I realize that the devastation in the Gulf Coast has not brought the rest of the world, even the political world, to a stop. But in light of the ongoing, almost slow-motion calamity, you’d think the Republican National Committee would have better sense that to send this out to its list yesterday afternoon. For the […]
It’s not often CNN drops its niceties on the air, so when it does, it’s noteworthy. CNN anchor Jack Cafferty, for example, expressed his disgust with what he’s seen as a widespread governmental failure in response to Hurricane Katrina. “I got to tell you something. We got five or six hundred letters before the show […]
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan hosted his first formal press briefing in a month today. I’ll give you one guess what the press corps wanted to discuss. There was, however, one exchange that stood out. Q: Scott, there’s already a line of discussion going on about the funding of projects prior to this, whether […]
I’m curious, can anyone think of a time the president was faced with an immediate crisis to which he rose to the occasion? Ever? When given an intelligence briefing that told him, “Bin Laden Determined To Strike in US,” Bush barely blinked and decided not to cut short his month-long vacation. When told on 9/11 […]
In the last post, I tried to summarize what we’ve learned this week about steps Bush took — or, in this case, didn’t take — in advance of the devastation of the Gulf Coast. Now let’s consider the president’s performance after disaster struck. I think it’s safe to say it’s been a less-than-inspiring show of […]