I’m a bit surprised that the video showing the pre-Katrina briefings hasn’t been explored more by the press.  From the video, it seems clear that the President either wasn’t bothering to pay attention at the Katrina briefings in which he participated, or that he lied to the American people on camera in the days following the hurricane.  I think that this video puts Bush supporters in a difficult position – can you look at these tapes without deciding that the President is either dishonest (or at least disingenuous) or incompetent?  On a whole range of issues (homeland security, the conduct of the Iraq war, the response to the hurricanes), I find that when I give the administration every possible benefit of the doubt about what they are attempting to accomplish, I’m forced to conclude that they just aren’t very good at their jobs.  Democrats seem to be campaigning on the issue of corruption.  I think they would be better off campaigning on the issue of competence.

Katrina: The Warnings Bush Received

 

In the grand scheme of things, this little memo (posted on the Smoking Gun website) about the requirements for Dick Cheney’s hotel suites is pretty trivial, but the requirement that all TVs be set to Fox News, the friendliest of media outlets for the Bush Administration, does give some ammunition to the late night comedians to comment on the Administration’s apparent tendency to only listen to people with whom they already agree.  Plus, how pampered do you have to be to be to lazy to use the remote control on a television yourself? 

Continue reading →