September 05, 2005

Pundit outrage

For a slightly more sensitive pundit than Tim Russert was on MTP, try Bob Schieffer (pdf) on "CBS News' Face the Nation" Sunday:

SCHIEFFER: Finally, a personal thought. We have come through what may have been one
of the worst weeks in America's history, a week in which government at every level failed the people it was created to serve. There is no purpose for government except to improve the lives of its citizens. Yet as scenes of horror that seemed to be coming from some Third World country flashed before us, official Washington was like a dog watching television. It saw the lights and images, but did not seem to comprehend their meaning or see any link to reality.

As the floodwaters rose, local officials in New Orleans ordered the city evacuated. They might as well have told their citizens to fly to the moon. How do you evacuate when you don't have a car? No hint of intelligent design in any of this. This was just survival of the richest.

By midweek a parade of Washington officials rushed before the cameras to urge patience. What good is patience to a mother who can't find food and water for a dehydrated child? Washington was coming out of an August vacation stupor and seemed unable to refocus on business or
even think straight. Why else would Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert question aloud whether New Orleans should even be rebuilt? And when he was unable to get to Washington in time to vote on emergency aid funds, Hastert had an excuse only Washington could understand: He had to attend a fund-raiser back home.

Since 9/11, Washington has spent years and untold billions reorganizing the government to deal with crises brought on by possible terrorist attacks. If this is the result, we had better start over.

Yeah, and start by not privatizing disaster relief. (Note that if you go to the company website, the formerly missing press release is back.)

Posted by Linkmeister at September 5, 2005 12:01 AM | TrackBack
Comments

this is unbelievable....

Posted by: Toxiclabrat at September 5, 2005 08:05 AM

Meister, the Schieffer words are brief and pointed, perhaps one small jab that will pop the Bush Zeppelin. How the man has floated this long of one day on a pile of rubble is beyond me? Much remains to be done. A bit more on this at The Potemkin Country

Posted by: The Heretik at September 5, 2005 11:51 AM