A Brief Diversion into Politics

As Gustav is landing today, I don’t feel much like writing about music.  My family lives in Baton Rouge; I have many friends in New Orleans.  And, while I’m certain that they’re out of the direct path of the storm and will be OK, I’m still pissed by a few non-weather related things.

1.  President Bush is looking “responsible” from… San Antonio!  Yes, Texas, that state to which people were NOT evacuated, since the hurricane was moving northwest.  The contraflow was directed north and east (i.e. the traffic on each Interstate highway moves in only one direction, away from the storm).  If he’s shown with “refugees,” know that they are probably fake.

2.  Bush and Cheney aren’t speaking tonight at the Republican Convention.  Yeah, some people think that having a party while others are suffering the effects of a hurricane would be bad.  And I agree.  But wouldn’t it show a little bit of responsibility to say, “Hey, we fucked that last one up big time.  But here’s what we’re doing this time.”  Actually, since I can’t stand the current administration, I doubt I’d really want that–it might play well in middle America.

3.  John McCain visited with high-powered politicos in the Gulf region, including Mississippi’s Gov. Haley Barbour, looking like he was concerned and connected, very “presidential.”  But, seriously, given that both Louisiana and Mississippi have Republican governors, who were completely willing to play Katrina for politics in order to get elected (Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal) or get money for family members (Haley Barbour), why on earth would they even deign to meet with Barack Obama?  If it truly is a “This is a time when we have to do away with our party politics, and we have to act as Americans,” as McCain said, then why play only with the pal who used to be the head of the Republican National Committee?  Why not visit with C. Ray Nagin, the democratic mayor of New Orleans?  Why turn the hurricane into a political event?

P.S. For more on how much of a douche Haley Barbour is, check out how he denied a pardon for a now-deceased, wrongfully imprisoned civil rights advocate.