Bush Gets a Fluff Piece in the New York Times

As I was reading Monday's NYT article, 'Year After Katrina, Bush Still Fights for 9/11 Image', I found myself waiting for the much needed, all in caps 'BUT'. But, it didn't come. Instead, journalist Sheryl Gay Stolberg took the opportunity during this anniversary of the horrible disaster known as Hurricane Katrina to present a sympathetic president who was just dealt some rough blows by life during the last year. Golly gee. What's next? Pics of Bush faux crying and wiping snot from his nose?

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 — When the nation records the legacy of George W. Bush, 43rd president and self-described compassionate conservative, two competing images will help tell the tale.

The first is of Mr. Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, bullhorn in hand, feet planted firmly in the rubble of the twin towers.

Acting like a warmongering, pompous ass taking advantage of a good photo op after thousands of people died - some of which were still under his feet as he stood there.

The second is of him aboard Air Force One, on his way from Crawford, Tex., to Washington, peering out the window at the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina thousands of feet below.

Acting like the distant, heartless, scared dictator he really is.

If the bungled federal response to Hurricane Katrina called into question the president’s competence, that Air Force One snapshot, coupled with wrenching scenes on the ground of victims who were largely poor and black, called into question something equally important to Mr. Bush: his compassion.

Guess what? Most of us actually knew he was completely incompetent long before Katrina hit. The rest just had to catch up. If Bush has anything resembling 'compassion', he has yet to show it. Don't hold your breath.

A year later, he has yet to recover on either front.

Because he's a warmongering pompous ass who only cares about his delusional world view and that doesn't include helping poor black folks in the bay area.

And, who else lets him off the hook?

“I might argue that this was the worst thing that’s happened to George Bush in the whole six years of his presidency,” Mr. Schumer said. “It was a perception-altering event. People had questioned his ideology. People had even questioned his intelligence. But before this, average people rarely questioned his competence or his caring.”

Has your head exploded yet? That's Chuck Schumer - Democrat. Look, Chuck: the hurricane isn't something that 'happened to George Bush'. It happened to the people in the Gulf region and had Bush actually appointed people who knew what the hell they were supposed to be doing in response to such a huge natural disaster instead of coming from a background of dealing with Arabian horses - 'heckuva job, Brownie!' - he wouldn't be crying in his beer today. And who the hell are these 'average people' who 'rarely questioned his competence of caring'? Where, exactly have you been, Senator Schumer of New York??

Predictably, Mary Landrieu defends Bush as well. I seriously think she should just cross the aisle and join her Republican buddies. You remember Landrieu - the one Anderson Cooper tore a strip out of after the hurricane? I think Bush owes her a kiss on the cheek.

With the rebuilding expected to continue long after Mr. Bush leaves office, Senator Landrieu says he still has a chance.

“I think there’s an opportunity for him to make this a real legacy of his presidency,” she said. “There’s still time to have people say he did a good job and he rose to the occasion. He’s writing the story himself.”

No he isn't. Rove is writing it and Condi's reading it to him.

Does anyone seriously think that one day people will look back and say that Bush 'did a good job' handling the aftermath of Katrina? Trust me, the only ones who would even consider such a thing have actually been bathing in the Kool-aid, not just drinking it.