What would you do?
Either yesterday or today, the President admitted that the federal government's response to Katrina is insufficient.
This is unusual because the President rarely admits that he or any of his people has made mistakes.
The left constantly points out that the President never admits when he's wrong. They berate him ceaselessly for circling the wagons when things aren't going well.
I agree with them that he does this. And, he does it too much.
However,
They ignore the reasons that he does it.
He does it to limit political liability, sure. But, I ask, why does he feel the need to take such steps on every - or almost every - occasion?
This President is subject to what is, arguably, the most intense political vendetta of recent times. Some of it stems from a desire to pay back Republicans for the problems they caused Clinton. Some of it stems from the "disputed" 2000 election. Most of it, however, stems from a hatred of what the President stands for.
So, if George W. Bush were to admit that he mispelled a word in a note to Condoleeza Rice, he would be pilloried as a cretin and denounced as an Epsilon-minus semi-moron. Of course, he is already subject to this withering denunciation without any pretext whatsoever. Why then would any sane person admit any mistake?
No, it is not sensible or prudent for the President to admit mistakes. The concealment of which is very unhealthy for our republic.
It's a long standing tradition to portray your opponent as less well suited for office than you are - but its extent and severity today is problematic for all of us.
With that said, it is nothing short of amazing that the President admitted that FEMA dropped the ball. But, $100 says his honesty gets him nothing but more hysterical vitriol.
Presidents come and go. Senators come and go. Directors of the various acronymic governmental agencies come and go. But bureaucracies remain. To claim that the President is somehow personally responsible for FEMA's failure is non-sensical. Show me a President who didn't hand out director-ships of organizations like FEMA to supporters, and I'll show you a President who gained the office without having to win an election.
None of this is meant to explain away the failures of FEMA.
Let's just remember that rarely do Bureaucracies end up being able to do what they were designed to do.
Singling out this President is neither helpful, nor intellectually honest.
I hope to remind myself of this when next a Democrat holds the office.
This is unusual because the President rarely admits that he or any of his people has made mistakes.
The left constantly points out that the President never admits when he's wrong. They berate him ceaselessly for circling the wagons when things aren't going well.
I agree with them that he does this. And, he does it too much.
However,
They ignore the reasons that he does it.
He does it to limit political liability, sure. But, I ask, why does he feel the need to take such steps on every - or almost every - occasion?
This President is subject to what is, arguably, the most intense political vendetta of recent times. Some of it stems from a desire to pay back Republicans for the problems they caused Clinton. Some of it stems from the "disputed" 2000 election. Most of it, however, stems from a hatred of what the President stands for.
So, if George W. Bush were to admit that he mispelled a word in a note to Condoleeza Rice, he would be pilloried as a cretin and denounced as an Epsilon-minus semi-moron. Of course, he is already subject to this withering denunciation without any pretext whatsoever. Why then would any sane person admit any mistake?
No, it is not sensible or prudent for the President to admit mistakes. The concealment of which is very unhealthy for our republic.
It's a long standing tradition to portray your opponent as less well suited for office than you are - but its extent and severity today is problematic for all of us.
With that said, it is nothing short of amazing that the President admitted that FEMA dropped the ball. But, $100 says his honesty gets him nothing but more hysterical vitriol.
Presidents come and go. Senators come and go. Directors of the various acronymic governmental agencies come and go. But bureaucracies remain. To claim that the President is somehow personally responsible for FEMA's failure is non-sensical. Show me a President who didn't hand out director-ships of organizations like FEMA to supporters, and I'll show you a President who gained the office without having to win an election.
None of this is meant to explain away the failures of FEMA.
Let's just remember that rarely do Bureaucracies end up being able to do what they were designed to do.
Singling out this President is neither helpful, nor intellectually honest.
I hope to remind myself of this when next a Democrat holds the office.
posted by Voolfie at 8:28 PM
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