"The Katrina Administration" - John Kerry Plays Hardball

The gentleman from Massachussettes looks at the Bush response to Hurricane Katrina and does not like what he sees.

He spoke to an audience at Brown University.

And amazingly -- or perhaps not given who we’re dealing with -- this massive reconstruction project will be overseen not by a team of experienced city planners or developers, but according to the New York Times, by the Chief of Politics in the White House and Republican Party, none other than Karl Rove -- barring of course that he is indicted for "outing" an undercover CIA intelligence officer.

Katrina is a symbol of all this administration does and doesn't do. Michael Brown -- or Brownie as the President so famously thanked him for doing a heck of a job - Brownie is to Katrina what Paul Bremer is to peace in Iraq; what George Tenet is to slam dunk intelligence; what Paul Wolfowitz is to parades paved with flowers in Baghdad; what Dick Cheney is to visionary energy policy; what Donald Rumsfeld is to basic war planning; what Tom Delay is to ethics; and what George Bush is to “Mission Accomplished” and "Wanted Dead or Alive." The bottom line is simple: The "we'll do whatever it takes" administration doesn't have what it takes to get the job done.

This is the Katrina administration.

The rhetorical device is lacking a certain subtlety. Senator Kerry will be accused of playing politics with the tragedy of Katrina. However, there is nothing incorrect or inappropriate in what Senator Kerry says. He is a politician who disagrees with and disapproves of the actions of a group of politicians. And, he is right. He said much more and all of it is very good.

The myth of competence surrounding George W. Bush and today's Republican Party has to go. This president is incompetent. He is narrow-minded. He is short-sighted and disinterested in the work of governing. He is, therefore, unfit to govern. His enablers and apologists will answer to God for their crimes. That is for later.

For now, we celebrate the death of the conservative movement. Movement Conservatism has failed the people it promised to serve. Americans died when they did not need to. Their bodies lay in the streets of an American city because their government could not be bothered to do the hard work necessary to keep them alive. Their president, who promised to keep them safe, failed to do so. This happened not because he was unable, but because he was unconcerned. He became engaged only when the politics mandated it. As we state this truth, we also acknowledge that the Republican problem does not begin or end with Bush. The rot is systemic. We must reject at long last the ridiculous notion that people who hate government should be allowed to govern.

Kerry is correct when he says,

Rarely has there been a moment more urgent for Americans to step up and define ourselves again. On the line is a fundamental choice. A choice between a view that says “you’re on your own,” “go it alone,” or “every man for himself.” Or a different view - a different philosophy - a different conviction of governance - a belief that says our great American challenge is one of shared endeavor and shared sacrifice.

Even as the water recedes from the streets of New Orleans, Republicans remain true to form. They bicker over budget line items for the funding of the restoration. Cut PBS, they say. Cut Medicare. Repeal the Estate Tax. Repeal environmental regulations. Repeal the living wage. Give us school vouchers.

So, Kerry takes the fight to them. Good for him. Somebody needs to say it.