Let's start off this look around with a banana peel moment from the Associated Press.
- The Associated Press has issued a "clarification" of its initial reporting on the video of the pre-Katrina briefing. Weak. Perhaps the bloviating accusatory fingers pointing at the President will be holstered now? I doubt it. The Washington Post, unable to discern the difference between over-topping and breaching, and apparently unaware that their footing is now shaky, editorializes today.
The tape adds to a growing body of evidence that the disaster was a failure of execution, not prediction. That indicates to us that federal and local government employees must spend more time carrying out practice exercises and involve more people in disaster planning. It also should tell the nation something about the value of leadership. The Gulf Coast might have suffered less had the president just asked a few people the right questions.
I don't know about you, but I don't want the President micromanaging disaster relief. I want the designated agencies, like FEMA, and individuals, like Max Mayfield, and the state and local first responders handling things. Does the President need to be updated regularly? Sure. Should one man, who has no engineering, meteorological or first-responder background, be responsible for anticipating all of the problems that can arise and directing all of the solutions to those problems? Get real. - President Bush is visiting India and Pakistan. The trip thus far has been a rousing success, with a civilian nuclear deal reached with India. Mr. Bush was celebrated during the India portion of his trip, and is now in Pakistan. He made clear that no similar nuclear deal with Pakistan could be considered at this time. Unsurprising, given the presence of Al Qaeda in and around Pakistan as well as their history with AQ Khan.
For his part, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf apparently has strongly reiterated his intention to fight terrorism alongside America.”We’re not going to back down in the face of these killers," Mr. Bush said. “We’ll fight this war and we will win this war together."
Mr. Kasuri said that Mr. Musharraf had made a "comprehensive and telling response" to American concerns of Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism. "They had a level of discussion I had not seen before," he said, adding that Mr. Musharraf shared intelligence and documentary evidence with Mr. Bush.
There's a heartfelt apology to former FEMA director Michael Brown from Joe Gandelman of The Moderate Voice. He links to many others. It's perhaps wise to remember that no one is likely as bad/evil/deranged/stupid as they may look when circumstances are at their worst. For Mr. Brown to be as individuals portrayed him after Katrina he would have had to intend to cause American deaths.
Small pat on the back for JTF: I refrained from a ritual and opportunistic thrashing of Mr. Brown. Here's what I wrote on September 5:Some will call me an apologist, but if you read above I make no apologies for anyone. What I've done is recognize that in a tremendous and unpredictable natural disaster there will be problems. Humans are involved in devising and implementing the systems that are used in such situations, and humans are fallible. The systems may not be adequate, or even if adequate may not be implemented properly or promptly.
After all, we're only human.
Finally, we have Democrats demanding an "immediate vote" on the DPW ports deal.
Democrats used their weekly radio address Saturday to scold the Bush administration over the Dubai ports management deal.
[...]
Francine Busby, a school board member in a San Diego-area district, said Democrats want an immediate vote on the controversial ports deal, an increase in the screening of arriving cargo and more resources for the Coast Guard.
This is preposterous political posturing. Is there any reason at all that an immediate vote is necessary, other than to take advantage of current political passions and undermine relations between America and what is one of our Arab world supporters? Let's phrase this differently, then. Congress should feel free to look into the deal, and look into the security ramifications of it particularly. And if they find that American security would be compromised by this any more than it is by the myriad of other foreign corporations operating within our ports, then scuttle it. But an "immediate vote" is a foolish stunt that is political, and political only.
3/4/06 1845: Since this is the "Oops Edition" of Furtive Glances, I've got one more to add.
- High school graduate Barbra Streisand produces a feeble attempt to put Yale and Harvard graduate George W. Bush in his place. Unfortunately Jeff at Beautiful Atrocities read her treatise carefully and discovered that a high school diploma will only get you so far. Jason at Generation Why? translates the neologisms for us.
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