Bush's empathy in Iowa a contrast to his Katrina catastrophe

Hurricane Katrina was a disaster not only for residents of Louisiana and Mississippi but for the White House as well. President Bush, reluctant to interrupt his monthlong vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, did not set foot in New Orleans until five days after the hurricane hit. And his upbeat tone -- "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job," he said to embattled FEMA Director Michael Brown -- contrasted with the televised images of Americans clinging to their rooftops, waiting to be rescued. The president's popularity plummeted, and in some sense his administration never recovered.

Ever since, the White House has been more sensitive about disasters, eager to show cooperation and competence at the federal level, while leaving key decisions to state and local officials. Today was a textbook example.

First, at 8 a.m., Bush got a briefing on the floods while still at the White House. Later he boarded a plane accompanied by a posse of federal officials -- Budget Director Jim Nussle, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director David Paulison, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer and Army Corps of Engineers Cmdr. Robert Van Antwerp -- that as much as said: "We take this seriously." Also onboard Air Force One: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa).

Then the president took an aerial tour of Iowa City and Cedar Rapids and spoke to folks at the Lynn County Training and Response Center. Bush was careful not to brag about the federal response, and to show empathy.  "Our job is to come down here ... just to listen to what you got on your mind," he said. "I know a lot of farmers and cattlemen are hurting right now, along with the city people."

Noting that "a lot of people aren't getting much sleep these days," Bush promised to help the region recover. But not like he did in Mississippi after Katrina when he promised to rebuild the destroyed home of then Sen. Trent Lott and sit on the porch with him reminiscing about their years in Washington.

Today, Bush concluded, "Thanks for letting us come by."

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Comments

[Robert Finnegan]

The largess from Katrina was symptomatic of many things, including the performance or lack thereof, of the Bush administration. But let's not forget the incompetance of the mayor of New Orleans and the govenor of Louisiana. It is curious to me why African American mayors get re-elected after using blatant racist remarks (Chocolate City) and being caught selling and using cocaine while in office. And let's not forget to mention a president sticking cigars up the vagina of a mistress in the oval office yet is still now cheered when rising to the podium. And the parallel here is? The symtomology of a political party with a constituency that holds entitlement paramount and morality irrelevant. That is the Democratic Party.

[John R. Shipley]

The response to hurricane Katrina was not so much a lack of performance by the "Bush Criminal Cartel"; but a lack of giving a damn! Let us not forget who lil' bushes' constituents are. In his own words"My constituents are the haves and the have mores",ha ha ha.
It boggles my mind how some not so well informed individuals always have to
revert to their phony rightous indignation when it comes to a matter that should be private(sex); but when it comes to ALLOWING three thousand of our own citizens to be killed;attacking a country that had nothing to do with said CRIME;
installing cronies in every Federal institution;targeting Attornies General who are not on the same page as they, for trumped up investigations;outing a CIA operative, because her husband rebutted the lie that was told of yellow cake uranium from niger being sold to Sadam;illegal spying on AMERICANS;no show national gaurd service,after strings were pulled to get the little turd into a non combat "champagne unit";TWO INDICTMENTS for insider trading with regard to harken oil;and who knows what else the low lives have still been able to keep covered up!!!!!!!
I,m no Clinton fan for three major reasons. 1. NAFTA;which does nothing but screw the american worker on behalf of multi national corporations. 2. The 1996 Telecommunications Act which made it possible for low lives like Rupert Murdock to own multiple media outlets in a certain area, effectively narrowing down to six entities, who control what we see,hear&read in the media. 3. The fact that he added two million more people to our jails for the heinous act of, gasp, possession of marajuana! But I said it before and I'll say it again NOBODY DIED WHEN CLINTON LIED!!!! Can you say MUSHROOM CLOUD?

[John R. Shipley]

THIS IS YOUR REPUGNICAN PARTY!