Bush Plays Catch Up with Hurricane Katrina

2074454
Originally uploaded by John Hay.

I can't imagine. I knew Katrina was bad even though the "on the scene" reporting of Weather Channel correspondants made the storm sound almost like a sporting event. The pictures that are showing up on Flickr are very sad. Homes just lifting off their foundations and floating away or being smashed to bits. People still waiting on black tar roofs for rescue. Very humbling. Now 80% of New Orleans is flooded because of broken levees, a potential danger which our friend Jason at Sneer warned John about on Sunday. If you are looking for a way to help, you may want to make an online donation through the United Methodist Church's disaster relief organization HERE. They are very organized and 100% of donations go toward relief efforts.

flooding, New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, by David J Phillip, 8-30-05
Originally uploaded by Lotus Lynn.

Warning: Political rant begins here.

Fortunately, President Bush was playing guitar while Rome, I mean New Orleans was drowning. Some people are calling this "My Pet Goat II", referring to Bush's insistence on finishing the children's book even though he'd been notified repeatedly that the World Trade Center had been bombed. Why is that instead of presidentin' whenever a national disaster strikes Bush always appears to be cramming to complete electives for some wannabe liberal arts degree?

Oh, not all of the last two days was spent playing guitar, he did find time on the day Katrina hit to head to an Arizona country club for some cake. Actually he had cake at the airport and THEN went to the club. What does a Red State like Louisiana have to endure to garner Bush's genuine attention? Then again, New Orleans does run a little blue.

CNN says Bush has generously decided to cut his vacation short by two days so he can head back to DC today. This is of course two days after the storm landed. You can tell this man isn't running for office again.

Bush cut his month long vacation by two days even though aides have long contended that his duties are uninterrupted when he spends time at his ranch in nearby Crawford that has White House-level communications capability.

The president decided he should be in the nation's capital given the magnitude of destruction and death caused by Katrina, one of the most severe storms to ever hit the United States.

Really?! Seems like people in CA and AZ might have understood if he'd postponed his visits in order to get back to the Whitehouse before Katrina hit. Say what you will about him, but Clinton used to cut international trips short to be back before impending disasters struck. And the financial aid he provided was substantial, too. I hope for the sake of Gulf coast residents that Bush can pull something helpful together. As much as he dissappoints me, I honestly want to believe our president cares, mainly because his failure to do so means extended chaos for southern Americans. Keep an eye out and feel free to give me a heads up when you see real evidence that he does.