There Is A God After All

And, as it turns out, He is a kind, gentle, loving, and, most important, fair God.

Tom DeLay has been indicted.

Praise the Lord.

Congress, I Did A Heck of a Job.

I have not been writing here at KIAV for a bit. My apologies if you are rabidly missing my brilliant analyses of the world in which we live. Where to start?

• Former FEMA chief Brownie told Congress today that he did a heck of a job. In fact, here's what he actually said: ""I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job at it." What a shameless dillhole.



• John Roberts will be Chief Justice of the United States soon, and he ought to be. The man is so obviously brilliant and qualified for the post that the only thing the Democrats have at their disposal is partisan stick-poking. We were right to oppose Bork, the man who made Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre possible. We were right to raise our eyebrows at Clarence Thomas when charges were leveled that he was kind of creepy. I am convinced, though, that Roberts is the real deal, and that he will be an excellent Chief Justice. This was a good pick.


Surprised?


• Meanwhile, this site recently praised George W. Bush for the happy announcement regarding North Korea's capitulation. That was before I'd read this analysis by Lai I-chung of Taipei Times. According to this writer, the United States just didn't play the fourth round of talks very well.



• No, I did not venture into downtown D.C. last weekend. I have many excuses, mainly that I have just recently turned 37 years old and figured I would leave it to the kids. However, I cannot help but join the rest of my lefty kindred with a schadenfreudeish guffaw at the turnout for ours and the turnout for theirs. 400? 400? I know people who have married more people than that. Suffice it to say that I am happy to see that the task of supporting the Dirty Big War is becoming a more lonely job every day.



• And, now we get to today's primary example of why credibility is such an important commodity to a president of the United States. President Bush addressed the issue of energy yesterday. "We can all pitch in by using—by being better conservers of energy," he stammered. "I mean, people just need to recognize that the storms have caused disruption and that if they're able to maybe not drive when they—on a trip that's not essential, that would be helpful."


This is a nice thought and all. But hasn't energy been a problem for the United States since I was eight years old? At least? This administration has nodded its head at energy conservation, but I'm frankly with columnist Thomas Friedman, who wrote that if Bush wants to make anything of the rest of his presidency, he'll make energy independence "the moon shot of our generation."


• Christ, it doesn't stop, does it? Bush has just certified that Saudi Arabia is cooperating in the "'war' on 'terrorism'". Feh.



• Finally: I am having second thoughts about my enthusiasm about a Hillary run. Russ Feingold is looking like a better candidate to me these days. He might be the only Democrat who can successfully run opposing the war in Iraq, since he actually voted against the resolution. None of that "I voted against it before I voted for it" crap.

Duh.

You are a Social Liberal (71% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (11% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Failure

http://www.google.com/search?q=failure

Quagmire

I won't even be so condescending as to start today's entry by saying that even a broken clock is right twice a day. That is just an expression of sour grapes, and I have none of those regarding President Bush's foreign affairs triumph.

Make no mistake, North Korea's capitulation on nuclear programs is a significant victory for Bush and a vindication of his tenacity in keeping with the six-party talks. I will not go so far as to say that it proves that John Kerry was wrong regarding North Korea (Kerry's criticised in the debates that Bush insisted on the six-party process of engagement or none at all instead of entertaining bilateral talks). Nonetheless, today's announcement marks an excellent development for the United States and the world that seems to have been arrived at by persistent engagement and continued diplomacy.

It's just too bad this White House hasn't put those tactics to use more vigorously, more often. On the heels of this foreign policy triumph, the weird, weird news continues to come out of Iraq, where the president spoke a lot about speaking softly then used the big stick. Did you hear where British servicemen are clashing with Iraqi police in Basra? Our own allies, and they're giving the business to the police units we've struggled to establish there. It's a madhouse.

Also: More and more, the United States military insists on approaching Iraq as a war of attrition (see today's Post). Recent history sez that, when the military starts crowing about body count, it's because concrete objectives and mission focii have dried up. I think Webster's should consider an update, such as this (writer's embellishment in italics):

quag·mire. Pronunciation: 'kwag-"mIr, 'kwäg- Function: noun. 1 : soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot 2 : a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position : PREDICAMENT 3: a war of attrition

We're all very exercised about Hurricane Katrina and all, but I hope the nation's blahblahblah will get back to the war soon. Mebee after this weekend it will. We'll see.

Why This Is Hilarious

During the UN meetings yesterday, Reuters apparently snapped this picture. The hand holding the pencil belongs to President Bush. Its intended audience is not the American public, but Condi Rice, the Secretary of State. The note says: "I think I may need a bathroom break? Is this possible..."

D.C. Blogger Wizbang said of this photo: "You can be sure that the moonbats will be barking tonight..." (From Wikipedia: "Moonbat is a political epithet coined in 2002 by Perry de Havilland of 'The Libertarian Samizdata,' a libertarian weblog. It was originally a play on the last name of George Monbiot, a columnist for The Guardian, but now the term enjoys great currency in the conservative and libertarian blogosphere as an all-purpose insult for modern liberals, peace protestors, and other ideological opponents. It is similar to the epithets Feminazi or Idiotarian.")

Anyway, regarding the picture. Bark. Bark. Bark.

This picture is hilarious. It's hilarious because it resonates so soundly. It resonates because the United States of America somehow put into office an ineffectual, bumbling manchild, who, especially of late, has done everything in his power to remind us that he is an ineffectual, bumbling manchild. Heh-heh. Hey, Condi, can I go to the potty?

It is one weirdly personal glimpse of the President of the United States, his relationship with his closest staff, and yet another telegraph from George W. Bush that indicates that he, frankly, doesn't want the friggin' job anymore. He takes five weeks of vacation. He motors by a protestors camp. He comments that it is important for him to get on with his life. He bikes with Lance Armstrong and continues clearing the brush. What is it with brush and Texas, anyway?

Then, Katrina hits, and he keeps his normal schedule. His staff is reportedly reluctant to tell him that he will have cut his vacation because an entire region has been drowned. His reaction is painfully sluggish and punctuated with unfortunate photo-ops: The little boy looking out the plane window. The kiss-ass gift of a guitar from a country star.

Then there is the next stage, when Bush finally realizes that it is a crisis, but reacts not to the gushing walls of water, but to the poopoo hitting the fan. His first words are completely tone-deaf, as are his second and third. He talks of rebuilding when the thousands of baby-bird convention center strandees are still fresh in American minds. He talks of looking forward to sippin' mint juleps on Trent Lott's new deck, then offers the backslap heard 'round the world: Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job. But the backslap wouldn't do. He'd have to take to the newly formed canals of New Orleans and hug black women, women whose only concern seems to be that they want desperately to stop feeling so lost. The adage is overused these days, but it is apt: George Bush, the naked emporer, and, at last, the little child is piping up from out of the crowd.

So, the picture of this note passed, it is hilarious. The President of the United States had to go to the bathroom during a high-level diplomatic meeting, and so he scribbles a note to his secretary of state, and the photographer at long last pays for his fancy zoom lens. That on its face is funny enough. What's hilarious somehow is the outrageous symbolism it seems to offer. Yes, Mr. President, I think a bathroom break is possible. In fact, I think it is a fine idea. Perhaps you should lock the door for a couple of years or so.

Just turn on the fan, please.

Responsibility

As I noted yesterday, George W. Bush has stepped up and accepted responsibility for the federal government's failures in response to Katrina. It's a historic event in this presidency. But it won't mean beans unless Bush backs it up.

If Bush truly means to accept responsibility, he must vigorously spearhead the effort to conduct a thorough, independent investigation. He must dispense with the ridiculous notion that the White House is going to conduct said investigation. It must be a truly independent body with qualified, intelligent, integrity-laden men, as was the 9/11 Commission.

I would suggest asking former FEMA Director James Lee Witt to at least be on the commission, if not to lead it. Such a move would lend the commission instant credibility and would readily show that Bush intends this to be more than a posh kangaroo court.

Bush must testify. Live. Under oath. On camera. Alone. (And yes, so should the mayor and the governor.)

Then and only then should the American public fully accept the president's claim of responsibility.

A Question For John Roberts

Judge Roberts, how would you have applied the infield fly rule to Lawrence V. Texas?

This Just In: GWB Does Something Right!

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government, and to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility," he said.

Q: What is George W. Bush's position on Roe Vs. Wade?

A: He doesn't really care how people get out of New Orleans.

Now We Know How Badly You Have To Fuck Up To Resign In Disgrace From The Bush Administration

Michael Brown has resigned.

Is This A Dot?

Large Portion of Los Angeles Loses Power

By LAURA WIDES
Associated Press Writer
Published September 12, 2005, 3:20 PM CDT

LOS ANGELES -- A large portion of Los Angeles was blacked out Monday when electrical power was lost. The power got knocked out shortly before 1 p.m. after two power surges.

Traffic lights throughout downtown and the San Fernando Valley were not working, causing major traffic problems, according to video from helicopter news crews.

Downtown highrises also were darkened.

The city's department of water and power said it was investigating the cause and extent of the outage.

Has Anybody Seen My Mandate?

George W. Bush was a busy boy yesterday.

He oversaw the swearing in of his new Undersecretary and Ambassador for Public Diplomacy, Karen Hughes. (I think her job is meant to use public relations skillz to improve the American image in the Arab Street. Good luck.) Then, he awarded medals of valor to emergency workers who perished on September Eleventh, or as he is fond of calling it, The September The Eleventh. I find it ironic that nearly four years to the day that President Bush shined as bright as he could as a leader, he's a leadership black hole.

One moment he had. One moment of brilliance that defined him and his presidency and made us all feel better. "I can hear you. The rest of the world can hear you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." One brilliant ad-lib and anyone with any doubt about the president's legitimacy as an elected leader and as a leader in general became flurries.

And today, he stands with a 39 percent approval rating. Perhaps it will finally occur to him that he no longer has a mandate.

Timeline

I've been seeking a decent timeline regarding Hurricane Katrina. Here's a good one. It's a fascinating read. You seriously get the impression that Bush didn't have any friggin' idea that the country was in a state of crisis last week, that he was somehow lost in a fog through the entire thing.

This MSNBC story sort of seconds that emotion...

P.S. Doesn't the report that the federal government plans to hand out $2,000 debit cards to the evacuees have kind of a "40 acres and a mule" ring to it?

2. San Francisco

You have seen and will continue to see a persistent effort by politically-motivated right-wingers to discredit Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Mayor Ray Nagin. Part of that effort unfortunately was broadcast on Air America Radio the other day, as Rachel Maddow filled in for Al and Katherine and got kind of sideswiped by a bad guest.

One of the charges I've read today is that Gov. Blanco was more concerned with how the bureaucracy was going to work than how to keep people safe, that she refused help from the federal government because she didn't want to relinquish control. I haven't researched the charge's validity because it doesn't matter.

In December 2001, Houston Chronicle science writer Eric Berger reported that FEMA had warned that the top three crises the United States faced were: Earthquake in San Francisco, hurricane and subsequent flooding in New Orleans, and terrorist attack in New York. This report is now getting a lot of play, from Sid Blumenthal on down. Unfortunately, I can't find documentation of it beyond Berger's piece, and Berger himself on his blog says he doesn't have anything right now to back it up. Funny, FEMA doesn't seem to want to address it.

I believe Berger, but even without the FEMA report in hand, there's other evidence that we had a good ideer that this was gonna happen. The Post reports that national emergency workers were concerned about FEMA's tooth extraction under the new DHS. And, hey, President Bush should take in my favorite indy weekly, Durham's Independent. They took a look at FEMA nearly a year ago.

Regardless: Imagine you're the president, and your emergency management agency says that the top three potential crises your country faces are THESE. And then, shortly thereafter, one of THESE actually happens.

If you possess one scintilla of competence, you start working pretty hard on the other two, don't you?

You might, say, develop a strong working relationship with the governors of California and Louisiana and with the mayors of New Orleans and San Francisco. You might fly those people to Washington, D.C. once in awhile and have a meeting with them, and say, by the way, if one of THESE happens in your state, do you mind if the federales come on in and help you?

For that matter: If I'm President of the United States, and the United States has just been hit by one of the Most Disasterous Things To Ever Happen To Any Country Ever, I might consider the notion of trying to identify some OTHER possible disasters and to work on plans for those, too.

I'd especially want to do that if I was elected to office partially due to promises that I would keep the United States of America safe and the other guy wouldn't.

I admit fully that I am writing about these issues on a weblog that is politically driven. But this isn't about politics, and it hasn't always been about politics for me. I was proud of George W. Bush when he found his voice and threw it into the bullhorn in New York after September Eleventh. I felt profoundly the urgency of the French media's expression that now we were all Americans. Not Democrats, not Republicans. Americans. And I feel the same way now, but today, it is in a much different context.

I have recently been accused in this forum of offering a lot of whining and not a lot of solutions. For one, this is a load of crap. I offered my solution last year: Vote for John Kerry. Not enough heeded it, and now, here we are. So go out and vote Democrat in 2006 and in 2008. That's my first solution.

My second solution: Let us start pressing harder for a more proactive government. Write to and call your president and your congressmen and insist that they start laying down plans for an all-out evacuation of San Francisco during a level 8 earthquake. Insist to them that, after the ongoing hurricane relief, a plan for San Francisco is this nation's top priority. Suggest that the White House should retain a small staff of seismologists and other experts to plan hard for The Big One. If that list of three did actually exist, let's push our government to at least not screw up the third one when it comes.

While you're at it, you might ask them what's been done about the power grid. Remember the power grid?

The holders of power in the United States of America do not understand that we want them to be our eyes and ears and our goalies, first and foremost and no matter what the threat or the nature of the threat. They do not somehow grasp that Americans do not want to be beset by television images of crying, screaming, hungry, thirsty and dying old people, babies, and people in general, going on within driving distance, and that we consider this level of service from our government so essential that we did not previously think we had to tell them that it's what we wanted.

Apparently, we do. Look around. Think outside the box. Get downright paranoid for a minute. Think about what manmade or natural disasters await you and your community. Write down what you come up with. Then call your government and tell them that you want it fixed. I'm starting tomorrow.

I Didn't Even Know Who Kanye West Was Before Tonight

But now he's my new hero.

You got it half right, Kanye. I don't think he cares about a lot of white people, either.

But in this situation, it's pretty clear to me that regentrification plans are afoot.

Thanks, Kanye. You made me laugh and jump up and down in victory. You rule.

Duh

Just now in my little abode:

Randi Rhodes: ...and guess what I just found out. Do you know who the Navy has hired to restore the electrical power, to repair the rooves, and remove the debris?

(Pause)

Me: Haliburton?

Randi Rhodes: Haliburton.

Connect the Dots

It seems to be a chronic pattern with the Bush administration, doesn't it? The president is warned in quite specific terms of a pending disaster, and he ignores the warning—in fact, he cuts funding meant to address the threat. Then, when the disaster actually occurs, the president makes a speech or something.

Here's the thing: As Sidney Blumenthal writes in Salon, the Federal Emergency Management Agency offered a list of the most likely disasters the United States faced. The top three were: Earthquake in San Francisco, terrorist attack in New York City, and hurricane and floods in New Orleans.

Dr. Maddow, guest-hosting for Al and Katherine, broke it down excellently yesterday, if you can, I heartily recommend getting over to Air America Place and downloading it. What happened in New Orleans was two disasters, not one. The first, the hurricane, was unavoidable. The second, the flooding, did not have to be nearly as devastating as it was.

But to help fund the Iraq war and his tax cuts, the president cut a federal program that was helping to fortify the levees. Further, this administration started reversing efforts to protect wetlands, turning them over for development.

See the pattern? President gets memo titled "Bin Laden Determined To Attack," does nothing, cuts counterterrorism money. Planes run into buildings.

President is warned that the nation's power grid is antiquated and that we're probably going to have rolling blackouts, does nothing—in fact, president supports deregulation, which allows power companies to export power, which causes grids to be overtaxed. By the way, Southern California just had a blackout THIS WEEK.

I hope beyond all hope that the right Democrat stands up to lead in 2008. I still have my fingers crossed for Mrs. Clinton, but whomever it is, I hope they're a leader and not a reactive wussbag like the cowboy who's in there now. We need a leader.

And now, enjoy Imagine.