As the L.A. Times notes, last night's speech, though the words were about the Gulf Coast, was in truth barely about recovering from Katrina at all. It was about recovering from the political damage caused by his administration's ineptitude.
WHEN PRESIDENT BUSH stepped to the podium in front of New Orleans' St. Louis Cathedral on Thursday night, his topic was rebuilding a hurricane-ravaged region. But his goal clearly was to rescue his presidency, which Katrina's storm surge tattered as well.
There's no compelling evidence he succeeded.
To his credit, Bush acknowledged the government's failure to respond effectively in the aftermath of the hurricane, and he accepted responsibility for the federal share of the problem. He also prodded local leaders to do a better job preparing for what clearly is their role — evacuating, securing and provisioning their cities in the event of a disaster or terrorist attack. Yet Bush's assertion that a challenge of this scale raises new questions about coordination between federal and local officials begs the question: What has the administration been doing in the four years since the 9/11 attacks, if not preparing the country for such a catastrophic event?
And as I said, you know the answer to that question. Don't forget it because if you do the administration will do it again.
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