"I just don't understand why Bush's confidence and verve have disappeared: again this morning, he was halting, disconnected, and unsure of himself." Maybe he has bigger things on his mind besides the storm.
There is nothing bigger than this storm. Not right now.
Nothing.
I would also expect that the President has some information about the massive numbers of dead people, something that is not yet being shared with the public. When the numbers come out, many will place further blame on Bush for this natural disaster. The Mayor of NO and the Gov of LA are complete incompetents, but will escape any media criticism because they are democrats.