Bush's Catch 22

It's now 48 hours since a devestating earthquake hit Pakistan.

American C130 cargo planes arrived in Pakistan with aid within 48 hours. Pakistan is somewhere around 10,000 miles away. In addition the Department of Defense is assessing what assets can be brought asap to the region.

48 hours after Katrina Bush was still on vacation. There had been no federal response whatsoever. As reported here by Angela Cole, portions of Mississippi are still waiting aid 6 weeks later.

Of course, Bush couldn't do the right thing in this situation. After the tsunami and Katrina he had to respond quickly. Yet, it exposes the paucity of the Katrina response by demonstrating what can be done when motivated. If we can get aid half way around the world in 48 hours, why can't we get it down the road in 96 hours? It exposes the fact that he was on vacation for Katrina and the tsunami. Can Bush really respond to crises while on vacation, or is he more tuned out than usual when on vacation? It exposes the pure politics behind what Bush does in response to natural disasters. Louisiana is one of the poorest states in the nation with few if any powerful lobbyists and Bush cronies. Thailand, Indonesia and India are not important allies. Pakistan on the other hand is an important ally in the so called war on terror.

Regardless of the reasons for the lack of response to Katrina, we now know that the US can respond rapidly to natural disasters when the desire is there. The important point then is that it is clear that the Commander in Chief was asleep at the wheel on August 29th through September 3rd 2005.

Tags: katrina