The Moose states a harsh truth.
We have a man-child as President of the United States. That may seem an unfair characterization, but consider the President's performance last Friday when he ventured to the storm ravaged Gulf Coast. In a revealing moment, he referred to the FEMA Director as "Brownie" and joked about his past good times in New Orleans.
It was inappropriate behavior that one would expect from an adolescent and not the adult leader of the free world. It largely went unnoticed.
But perhaps the clearest demonstration of the President's arrested development is his inability to accept responsibility or accountability. Another revelatory moment was when the President pronounced that the response to Katrina was " not acceptable." Of course, he was the one in charge. It was as if a child passively proclaimed that "the milk was spilt".
Maybe the Moose is unfair. But, within Republican circles it has been known that the President (who was previously known as "Junior") is a bit, well, immature. He was created as a political force by Rove and is minded by Cheney. The country will survive his leadership, but it is striking that so many have protected him with the soft bigotry of low expectations.
Should anyone be surprised that he refused to cut short his mountain bike vacation? Should we really expect that he should be more articulate and more curious? Are we unfair to want him to take charge and responsibility?
America yearns for adult leadership. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until January, 2009. -- | 
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Tuesday, September 06, 2005
The Moose ponders the Katrina Effect on the SCOTUS.
Karl Rove, the Director of the Federal Emergency Image Management Agency (FEIMA), has a critical decision to make in the recovery of the POTUS' image - SCOTUS replacements. So far so good - Roberts is a smart and safe choice for Chief - he is a Rehnquist clone and will probably generate relatively little controversy.
The next choice is far dicer. Now, we enter the territory of actually changing the ideological composition of the Court. Which way to go? It would seem that the prudent thing to do would be to reach out to the middle. After all, that might actually seem like a Presidential gesture at a time of national distress. However, the FEIMA Director has other considerations on his mind.
The President's numbers are plummeting. The only factor that keeps him in the 40 percentile, however, is support from the conservative base. If they abandon W - hello to the most unpopular President in U.S. history. And the right is signaling that a moderate such as Gonzales is unacceptable. Yesterday's Washington Post, Email
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Monday, September 05, 2005
The Moose comments on an impressive rescue operation. "It orchestrated visits by cabinet members to the region, leading up to an extraordinary return visit by Mr. Bush planned for Monday, directed administration officials not to respond to attacks from Democrats on the relief efforts, and sought to move the blame for the slow response to Louisiana state officials, according to Republicans familiar with the White House plan. "The effort is being directed by Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, Karl Rove, and his communications director, Dan Bartlett. It began late last week after Congressional Republicans called White House officials to register alarm about what they saw as a feeble response by Mr. Bush to the hurricane, according to Republican Congressional aides." Clearly, Director Rove is at the helm of the Federal Emergency Image Management Agency (FEIMA). He will not dither like Chertoff and Brown. He will not accept bureaucratic excuses. And he will roll over anyone in his way to rescue his boss from political peril, "In many ways, the unfolding public relations campaign reflects the style Mr. Rove has brought to the political campaigns he has run for Mr. Bush. For example, administration officials who went on television on Sunday were instructed to avoid getting drawn into exchanges about the problems of the past week, and to turn the discussion to what the government is doing now... "One Republican with knowledge of the effort said that Mr. Rove had told administration officials not to respond to Democratic attacks on Mr. Bush's handling of the hurricane in the belief that the president was in a weak moment and that the administration should not appear to be seen now as being blatantly political. As with others in the party, this Republican would discuss the deliberations only on condition of anonymity because of keen White House sensitivity about how the administration and its strategy would be perceived." And expect FEIMA Director Rove to go negative against any obstacle to the image recovery effort. The last time when W. ran into this type of disaster was back in While the Bushies dropped the ball on Katrina, the stakes this time are too high to fail.
After a week of incompetence, the professionals are stepping in. The stakes are too high for the two Michaels. This recovery operation is not merely about lives - it concerns politics, power and privilege. There is no margin of error when it comes to rescuing the heroic image of W. as the decisive leader of the free world.
The New York Times reports,
"Under the command of President Bush's two senior political advisers, the White House rolled out a plan this weekend to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. Email
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Sunday, September 04, 2005
The Moose has a simple question.
Would you entrust your life and the lives of your family to Michael Brown and Michael Chertoff? In view what has happened over the past week, do you believe that these men should continue to be responsible for the safety and security of your family, your community, your country ? Look at your loved ones and contemplate the notion that these two individuals could have your fate in their hands.
Today's Washington Post,
"Despite four years and tens of billions of dollars spent preparing for the worst, the federal government was not ready when it came at daybreak on Monday, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former senior officials and outside experts."
This has nothing to do with "recriminations." The nation continues to be threatened with both terrorist attacks and natural disasters. We cannot allow a repeat of the events of the past week. These two men have a track record - New Orleans.
Mr. President, ask for their resignations.
Where have you gone Rudy Giuliani? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. -- | Email
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Friday, September 02, 2005
The Moose wonders whether criminal incompetence should constitute grounds for impeachment?
Is Rummy actually in charge of the rescue mission in New Orleans? After all, the Bush Administration seems intent on using the Baghdad model for New Orleans. We could have at least expected that a Republican Administration would be able to restore order in the aftermath of a national disaster. Apparently not.
Where were the troops? Once again, the Bush Administration has approached a national challenge with insufficient resources. It used to be liberals that were characterized as incompetent and soft on crime. No longer - enter the Bush conservatives.
However, if you believe what is coming from the hourly press conferences from the President and his minions, everything is going swell with the federal response. Perhaps today in New Orleans the President will repel down from a Coast Guard helicopter in an orange jumpsuit and declare "Mission Accomplished."
And America weeps.
Given what has happened in New Orleans, why should Americans have any confidence that the federal government is prepared for a major terrorist attack on an American city? This is a monumental dereliction of duty by those we have entrusted to defend and protect us..
But if one listens to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a city is an expendable thing. And conservatives are defenders of tradition?
The magnitude of this disaster is only matched by the incompetence of this Administration. Now we know the meaning of conservative Commissar Norquist's "leave us alone" coalition. Or is this just the highest stage of "compassionate conservatism" as Americans starve or die of thirst on the streets? Maybe, we are just judging the Bushies by the standard of the "soft bigotry of low expectations."
And don't forget - this is the Administration that demands accountability and standards from our educators and students. Parents - don't accept any excuses from your kids for substandard school work but don't leave any incompetent FEMA Director or Secretary of Homeland Security behind!
Conservative governance has produced fiscal irresponsibility, government expansion, unprecedented incompetence and lawlessness. Have they no shame? -- | Email
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Thursday, September 01, 2005
The Moose laments the lack of sober leadership.
Once again, the nation is faced with a major challenge. In the weeks immediately after 9/11, we joined together on a bi-partisan basis to meet the threat. Alas, that unity was short-lived. As we approach the fourth anniversary of the terrorist assault, the country must address a different type of attack - from mother nature. However, this time we are a nation bitterly divided along partisan lines.
Can our national officials now provide the unifying leadership the nation deserves and desperately needs? We must not only rebuild a region of our country and a a major city, but we are engaged in a war that is not going well. First and foremost, President Bush should show the way and put the national interest first and eschew the polarizing politics of the past several years.
The President's speech yesterday was oddly disconnected from the enormity and scope of the tragedy. It was less Churchillian and more the product of a bureaucratic committee. The speech was more worthy of a Commissioner of Public Works than a President of the United States. Perhaps a four week vacation dulls one's senses and political skills. For this crisis, there is no Giuliani-type presence.
As the Moose indicated yesterday, the nation's economy and budget will be under severe strain with the costs of disaster and war. Over the past few years, this "conservative" President and Congress has been on an intoxicated tax cutting and spending binge that we clearly can no longer afford. Evidently, however, as Washington cut revenues and spent freely, they failed to invest wisely in protecting the homeland.
The day of sobriety has arrived. If the Administration and leaders of Congress won't do it, a bi-partisan congressional coalition should forge a national interest budget that makes the necessary adjustments in fiscal policy to pay for the war and the rebuilding of the gulf states.
For too long, Washington D.C. has engaged in the fantasy politics of partisan polarization and big government plutocratic conservatism. America needs patriotic leadership that will address this national emergency.
The country is increasingly disconnected from Washington. Will our leadership class do anything in the coming weeks to restore confidence ? -- | Email
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