[lady lawyer]

“Dubya’s main mistake in handling Katrina’s issue was that he voluntarily owned it, by saying ‘I’m responsible for some of the failures.’”

I agree. But I mainly agree because he cemented in people’s minds that the federal government bears primary responsibility for every local disaster — a completely stupid idea. Only state and local governments already have first responders in place. Before Katrina, everybody more or less understood that the feds only came in after the fact, and only if they were called in by the state and local governments.

But, Bush’s political enemies saw an opportunity to make hay, and they did it, with the completely false assertion that the federal government — and not just the federal government, but the President, himself — somehow had an obligation to be there on the scene, and first.

Instead of reminding people how the system was supposed to work, he let his political enemies define the situation.

[Nea Wood]

Mrs. Bush mentions that it was dark and the stop sign was small. Sounds like something that could have happened to anybody. Anyway, I do feel for her; I have no doubt it’s haunted her her whole life. When George ran for Prez and it was brought up in the media, that must have been very difficult for her. Nothing compared to what the family of the young man went through, I’m sure, but I still sympathize with her.

[thesearethetimes...]

paudio wrote - “Dubya’s main mistake in handling Katrina’s issue was that he voluntarily owned it, by saying ‘I’m responsible for some of the failures.’”

lady lawyer responds - “”I agree. But I mainly agree because he cemented in people’s minds that the federal government bears primary responsibility for every local disaster — a completely stupid idea. Only state and local governments already have first responders in place. Before Katrina, everybody more or less understood that the feds only came in after the fact, and only if they were called in by the state and local governments.””

This is why I love FR. VERY good point. Clearly, the nation my Dad grew up in, (and me!), would not have so readily jumped to that conclusion. The road back to personal responsibility is going to be a long and hard one : /

May God strengthen us,
Tatt

[big black dog]

Before Katrina, everybody more or less understood that the feds only came in after the fact, and only if they were called in by the state and local governments.

Actually, I think that understanding went out the window when Clinton politicized Andrew in the '92 election.