A Do-Over

I won't be able to read too much of this without wanting to rip somebody's face off, but even for Politico, this is horrific.

A DO-OVER:

The unexpected disaster also offers the GOP a do-over on Bush's disastrous response to Katrina three years ago. If the government can do a much better job of responding to a natural disaster this time around, it can only help the GOP.

NOT FOR THEM.

Light the authors' e-mails up:

Mike Allen.

Jim VanderHei.

A do-over.

I have no words.

A.

Comments

[caliph garrett]

This is great news for McCain and the GOP!

It always is. /Atrios

Given that Drudgico's scoops are little more than whisperings from GOP operatives, McCain's pledge to leave politics out of the response is already starting to sound a little hollow.

[Paddy]

Jesus wept.

[Athenae]

I mean, let me just say that I welcome a Bush administration improved hurricane response with open arms. I hope not one single other person dies because of their incompetence, I hope they've fixed every problem, I hope this goes perfectly for them and for every single government entity involved, I do, because taht means improved services to those that need them most. But that doesn't somehow CANCEL OUT what was done before and for Politico to somehow grant aboslution that is not theirs to give is sickening and wrong.

A.

[masculine_monica_nyc]

What a pack of fucking monsters and ghouls.

E-mail to Allen and VandeHei is just hanging, not processing all the way to completion. Does anyone have phone numbers to read them/Politico? No answer at (703) 647-7999.

[lb0313]

Damn strraight A!

[pansypoo]

can georgee rebuild it before Nov?
no?
not good enough assholes.

[masculine_monica_nyc]

Check this out, from the TNR:

How Gustav Could Benefit the Republicans

4. Do-Over. Americans have short memories, and a relatively more successful response to Gustav could allow the GOP to argue that it has redeemed itself for the mistake of Katrina.

They think we care as little as they do. They think we agree that Gulf Coast residents aren't part of "America."

Jesus.

[MapleStreet]

Unfortunately, I've already steeled myself for 5 days of politicizing Gustav. Bush and Cheney have set up post (which gets them away from St paul, and Gets Bush away from the flyover pictures and birthday cakes). McCain seems to be taking the control (did I miss the November elections), FEMA is already in place.etc. etc.

I'm expecting every detail to be orchestrated.

[virgotex]

A chance to do their fucking jobs.

[lb0313]

Can someone explain to me how the fact that New Orleans is still unprotected, the last photo op promises of George Bush not only not delivered, but attempted is an opportunity?

I can see that if some other part of the country had some huge natural catastropy and these people got it right - well, then they have an 'opportunity'. But not only is it shameful that we still are where we are, and that these are the people who actively worked to make that true (when not mocking us). But hell, how much imagination does it take to look at exactly the same situation they fucked up last time and say, wait, wait - I've seen this movie before.

[virgotex]

lb0313-where are you? did you stay or go?

[Michael]

Talk about the soft bigotry of low expectations...what's even more amazing is that people forget the Bush administration, while not winning any medals for valor, managed to at least throw plenty of money at Florida during the 2004 hurricane season...thus demonstrating, if nothing else, their ability to respond...provided it's a major swing state in an election year, as Billmon pointed out at the time.

But maybe this is an example of compassionate conservatism: provided it's an election year, and there's a potential for political gain, you don't necessarily need to be a swing state with 27 electoral votes.

How kind of them.

(I hope I managed to convey the proper level of sarcasm: enough to require a chain saw to slice through.)

[spocko]

What just pisses me off is how they do this sh*t. Some rich guy throws money at an upscale "Free Republic" and then the rest of the media, lap it up. Of course they are same jerks who read Matt Drudge 12 times a day.

I'm so fraking sick of the way when they have something that they want to politicize that's cool, but if something bad happens, say a mass shooting, the first thing you hear from the gasbags is "don't politicize this!"

Then when, early on, a Democrat makes a joke (not knowing how bad it will be, they go into a Hissy fit. Here is the CNN headline

.http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/31/dem-apologizes-for-joking-about-hurricane/#comments

I think we should be screaming at them for using this as a photo opp.

Check out this hissy fit from the South Carolina GOP Chairman for Fowler's joke.

South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson sharply criticized Fowler's comments, saying, “The outrageous behavior of two of the Obama campaign's highest profile supporters in the south is despicable, a cynical polarization of life and death. I call on Barack Obama to immediately denounce Fowler and Spratt and demand sincere apologies from these members of the Democratic leadership.”

[Dan]

Noted. Thanks for pointing it out.

[lb0313]

Virgo

We're in Memphis - Rt 61 rocked

[Elspeth Ravenwind]

Oh, really...?!?!? A "Do Over"?!?!? Seriously?!?!?!

So, if all goes well response-wise THIS time, all those folks (known and not known) that perished will spring back into their former animated state and no longer be bits of dust or casket/grave bound?

Will all the homes and businesses that were flattened, dismantled, ruined spontaneously regenerate like a Carolina Anole's tail after a close escape from a roaming cat???

Will Nagin's crappy "leedurrshyp" be replaced w/someone like Mitch Landrieu who DOESN'T say thoughtless things to "keep the New Orleans' brand out there"????

Will the homes demolished by the cronyists running a bogus program be rebuilt as if the demo never happened so that the famiilies now were never parted from them because per these MSM/Rethug types "it's like Katrina never happened"????

I can't take this much stupidity anymore. Truly, I cannot.

Elspeth

[liberalrob]

So, if all goes well response-wise THIS time, all those folks (known and not known) that perished will spring back into their former animated state and no longer be bits of dust or casket/grave bound?

But you see, that was 3 years ago, so it's some sort of hazily half-remembered ancient history, and besides those were just a bunch of poor black people who were too lazy and stupid to leave when they were told so who cares. All the news will be about how the levees and floodwalls didn't fail this time (while carefully not mentioning how close they came to failing, which if Gustav had gone 30 or 40 miles further east I have a feeling they would have) so hip hip hooray for our Leader who got it right this time, and three cheers for brave Bobby Jindal who knew how to deal with the crisis, unlike that useless idiot Democrat woman who was in charge before. It's already happening.

If McCain wins this election, we will know beyond any further possible doubt that Americans are, by and large, incredibly stupid and gullible people.