Bush accepts responsibility.

[mrbiggs]

I think this article is deserving of posting, even though most of you have probably read something like it.

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.js...13/220772.html

Personally, I'm impressed with Bush's actions. It seems he took a full 180 degree turn from denying responsibility and accusing others of playing the blame game, to accepting responsibility for the federal government's problems and looking to the future, and how such a disaster will be avoided next time.

It's nice to see that not all of the government is politics, partisanship, and denial, and that occaisionally someone takes a risk in terms of their political status in order to actually accomplish something.

[Slim]

I think this article is deserving of posting, even though most of you have probably read something like it.

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.js...13/220772.html

Personally, I'm impressed with Bush's actions. It seems he took a full 180 degree turn from denying responsibility and accusing others of playing the blame game, to accepting responsibility for the federal government's problems and looking to the future, and how such a disaster will be avoided next time.

It's nice to see that not all of the government is politics, partisanship, and denial, and that occaisionally someone takes a risk in terms of their political status in order to actually accomplish something.

I'm with ya. I'm waiting for the posts that start to spin it as it was his only option and he had no choice.

[ThatReallyHurt]

I think this article is deserving of posting, even though most of you have probably read something like it.

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.js...13/220772.html

Personally, I'm impressed with Bush's actions. It seems he took a full 180 degree turn from denying responsibility and accusing others of playing the blame game, to accepting responsibility for the federal government's problems and looking to the future, and how such a disaster will be avoided next time.

It's nice to see that not all of the government is politics, partisanship, and denial, and that occaisionally someone takes a risk in terms of their political status in order to actually accomplish something.

I'm interested to see what happens after this - it's not too often the person at the top says "Really, it was me". Will there be firings? Will there be resignations? Will there be changes in funding or restructuring of departments? Or will the acceptance of responsibility be left to stand on its own, with nothing behind it?

Hmm...

As for what Slim said, well... it would be easy to spin it that way. Politicians do it all over the world. Something goes horribly wrong or someone gets caught either doing something dumb or being dumb, and with nowhere else to go, they apologize... Bush's approval is the lowest it's been. The problem is finding out when an apology is genuine or when it's an act of desperation. In Canada right now, we've got a government that was basically caught red-handed throwing hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars away for the sake of keeping Canada together, when it appears that a good portion of that money made its way into high-ranking pockets. Our last Prime Minister basically spent the last few months of his career denying everything - nothing was wrong. That blew up in his face and the party approval rating fell through the floor. A new Prime Minister came into power (took over leadership of the ruling party), and pretty much immediately did a nation wide address, apologizing about the government letting everyone down, that there were problems, and we were going to have a big inquiry about it. Do I know he was being genuine? No. Do I think he was being genuine? I'm really not sure, but I'm leaning towards yes. Different people in different parts of Canada will say different things. But... the inquiry has been set up, actual high level people from the government (including the former Prime Minister, much to his chagrin) have had to testify, and it looks like they're taking it seriously - the PM has promised an election right after the results of the inquiry are released. As for the approval rating, if there was an election tomorrow, the current ruling party would no longer be in any danger of not being reelected. They may not get a majority, but they'd still win.

Like I said, I'm interested to see what Bush's next step will be. I think that will be more telling than him accepting responsibility.

[foildad]

This is a nice development. To paraphrase Slim, I am a big fan of personal accountability. Let's wait and see if it's real or spin.

[Inquartata]

Oh---why wait? Let's just assume that it's a cynical ploy and MoveOn to the inevitable pillory. ( That's what will happen anyway. )

[telkanuru]

As if anything in politics these days isn't a cynical ploy?

[Inquartata]

If one uses a cynical ploy as a cynical ploy, does that redeem it?

But yes, there ARE some things in politics that are still pretty straightforward. Like passing a pay raise for yourselves. Nothing at all disingenuous about that.

[telkanuru]

Only if you don't call it the "Pay Equity Act"

[achilleus]

If he is serious about taking responsiblity, and it isn't a response to his low ratings, then I have some mixed feelings about the whole thing.

On one hand, I say, 'Great. You're gonna learn from your mistakes, and improve our country.'

On the other hand, this is the second major disaster/incident that's happened with Bush in charge, and it seems that he didn't learn from the first one. The level of incompetency and/or negligence that he's apparently shown just makes me angry.

[Maeve_Mari]

September 14, 2005
A Fatal Incuriosity

By MAUREEN DOWD
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/opinion/14dowd.html/

I hate spending time in hospitals and nursing homes. I find them to be some of the most depressing places on earth.

Maybe that's why the stories of the sick and elderly who died, 45 in a New Orleans hospital and 34 in St. Rita's nursing home in the devastated St. Bernard Parish outside New Orleans, haunt me so.

You're already vulnerable and alone when suddenly you're beset by nature and betrayed by your government.

At St. Rita's, 34 seniors fought to live with what little strength they had as the lights went out and the water rose over their legs, over their shoulders, over their mouths. As Gardiner Harris wrote in The Times, the failed defenses included a table nailed against a window and a couch pushed against a door.

Several electric wheelchairs were gathered near the front entrance, maybe by patients who dreamed of evacuating. Their drowned bodies were found swollen and unrecognizable a week later, as Mr. Harris reported, "draped over a wheelchair, wrapped in a shower curtain, lying on a floor in several inches of muck."

At Memorial Medical Center, victims also suffered in 100-degree heat and died, some while waiting to be rescued in the four days after Katrina hit.

As Louisiana's death toll spiked to 423 yesterday, the state charged St. Rita's owners with multiple counts of negligent homicide, accusing them of not responding to warnings about the hurricane. "In effect," State Attorney General Charles Foti Jr. said, "I think that their inactions resulted in the death of these people."

President Bush continued to try to spin his own inaction yesterday, but he may finally have reached a patch of reality beyond spin. Now he's the one drowning, unable to rescue himself by patting small black children on the head during photo-ops and making scripted attempts to appear engaged. He can keep going back down there, as he will again on Thursday when he gives a televised speech to the nation, but he can never compensate for his tragic inattention during days when so many lives could have been saved.

He made the ultimate sacrifice and admitted his administration had messed up, something he'd refused to do through all of the other screw-ups, from phantom W.M.D. and the torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo to the miscalculations on the Iraq occupation and the insurgency, which will soon claim 2,000 young Americans.

How many places will be in shambles by the time the Bush crew leaves office?

Given that the Bush team has dealt with both gulf crises, Iraq and Katrina, with the same deadly mixture of arrogance and incompetence, and a refusal to face reality, it's frightening to think how it will handle the most demanding act of government domestic investment since the New Deal.

Even though we know W. likes to be in his bubble with his feather pillow, the stories this week are breathtaking about the lengths the White House staff had to go to in order to capture Incurious George's attention.

Newsweek reported that the reality of Katrina did not sink in for the president until days after the levees broke, turning New Orleans into a watery grave. It took a virtual intervention of his top aides to make W. watch the news about the worst natural disaster in a century. Dan Bartlett made a DVD of newscasts on the hurricane to show the president on Friday morning as he flew down to the Gulf Coast.

The aides were scared to tell the isolated president that he should cut short his vacation by a couple of days, Newsweek said, because he can be "cold and snappish in private." Mike Allen wrote in Time about one "youngish aide" who was so terrified about telling Mr. Bush he was wrong about something during the first term, he "had dry heaves" afterward.

The president had to be truly zoned out not to jump at the word "hurricane," given that he has always used his father's term as a reverse playbook and his father almost lost Florida in 1992 because of his slow-footed response to Hurricane Andrew. And W.'s chief of staff, Andy Card, was the White House transportation secretary the senior President Bush sent to the rescue after FEMA bungled that one.

W. has said he prefers to get his information straight up from aides, rather than filtered through newspapers or newscasts. But he surrounds himself with weak sisters who don't have the nerve to break bad news to him, or ideologues with agendas that require warping reality or chuckleheaded cronies like Brownie.

The president should stop haunting New Orleans, looking for that bullhorn moment. It's too late.

[mrbiggs]

Um....how was Bush responsible for the nursing home incident?

[Inquartata]

By the same tortuous logic which has him responsible for the hurricane itself. You know, he won't spend more money on health care because he prefers "tax cuts for the rich", he doesn't make his bureaucracies exercise enough oversight, blah, blah, blah.

George Bush: The Boogieman for the 21st century.

[Slim]

September 14, 2005
A Fatal Incuriosity

By MAUREEN DOWD
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/opinion/14dowd.html/

Pretty good one! Almost got me again. I could see Mz. Doud, queen of the BushBashers, saying something as ridiculous as this but, I'm not getting fooled twice.

Can we please not quote satire, or at least post a disclaimer when doing so.

[Slim]

Um....how was Bush responsible for the nursing home incident?

Relax, it was a satire piece.

[Maeve_Mari]

By the same tortuous logic which has him responsible for the hurricane itself. You know, he won't spend more money on health care because he prefers "tax cuts for the rich", he doesn't make his bureaucracies exercise enough oversight, blah, blah, blah.

George Bush: The Boogieman for the 21st century.

When the latest political and economic reports came out with the bad news that the number of Americans living below the poverty line, that the poverty levels, were at an all time high, he prayed for help and guidance.

Never underestimate a man and his relationship with God.

[Slim]

When the latest political and economic reports came out with the bad news that the number of Americans living below the poverly line, that the poverty levels were at an all time high, he prayed for help and guidance.

Never underestimate a man and his relationship with God.

Yes. Anyone who looks to God for support and help in trying times is a fool. This is what you mean, correct?

[mrbiggs]

Relax, it was a satire piece.

Apparently it was real! HA!

So I stand by my statement that the position is a little ridiculous.

(Thanks a bundle, MM)

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi!

Yes. Anyone who looks to God for support and help in trying times is a fool.

Finally, something that I and Slim agree upon. Wow!


Best of luck to all those affected.

Peter Gustafsson

[Army Fencer]

Pretty good one! Almost got me again. I could see Mz. Doud, queen of the BushBashers, saying something as ridiculous as this but, I'm not getting fooled twice.

Can we please not quote satire, or at least post a disclaimer when doing so.

It's wild to see true opinion so closely resemble satire, when satire has so closely remembled truth recently. I mean, I can't tell the difference between The Onion's Katrina articles and what I see on the Washington Post anymore. And who can forget the Pat Robertson piece?

[pigeonmeister]

As much as I truly believe that history will not look kindly on Bush, and that the true cost of his administration will be a serious burden to the next generation. I don't really see him as any more or less guilty than all the other levels of state and federal bureacracy, that failed to grasp the serousness of the situation fast enough. I don't think he should be held responsible for the failure of the emergency planning either. That failure transends the Bush administration and most government and non govenrment agencies over many years. I don't really think he feels totaly responsible, except in a theoretical/paternal 'buck stop here' sense, either.

Yet it is not cynical to suggest that Bush himself is not wholly responsible for this change in tone, perhaps even if he now believes it. This is not liberal paranoia, it is the way the White House is run. Karl Rove is behind this and frankly (and I know this sounds childish), if you don't believe me- I don't care.