Pre-speech Questions
Two phrases I predict would be running through my head tonight, if I were going to listen to the President's speech from New Orleans.
1. "How you gonna pay for that?" I expect there will be generous promises that the Federal Government will shell out whatever it takes to fix the window, Mr. Wilson. But I don't expect there will be any real numbers, or much specific, or any suggestion that there might be a need to abandon his tax-cutting schemes in order to pay for it.
2. "What you gonna do to prove it?" I fear there will be many more of the poorly delivered phrases expressing sympathy, empathy and all kinds of other sensitivity for the victims. I'll believe it when I see it in action, not when he claims it.
But I think I will just skip watching it, since I'm still so angry at the man I can't bear to watch him on TV. Besides, if he doesn't start with apologizing to the people of the United States and those who lost their lives, and promise to resign after signing executive orders appointing a coalition of New Orleans community groups to direct the rebuilding of the city, I won't be satisfied anyway.
Update: I just heard Keith Olbermann, of MSNBC's Countdown, raise the idea that, as other Presidents have done, Bush could appoint a respected person from the other party to take charge of the Katrina recovery, making the point that some national issues are above and beyond partisan politics. Keith was talking to Chris Matthews, who was so stunned at the thought that this White House might do something that wasn't purely political that he couldn't speak at first. I'm not expecting to see such a principled announcement by Bush tonight. After all, he's already put Karl Rove in charge of reconstruction at the White House.
(Oops, the TV was on and the speech just started. I need to change; I'm wearing a blue oxford dress shirt! Ick.)
1. "How you gonna pay for that?" I expect there will be generous promises that the Federal Government will shell out whatever it takes to fix the window, Mr. Wilson. But I don't expect there will be any real numbers, or much specific, or any suggestion that there might be a need to abandon his tax-cutting schemes in order to pay for it.
2. "What you gonna do to prove it?" I fear there will be many more of the poorly delivered phrases expressing sympathy, empathy and all kinds of other sensitivity for the victims. I'll believe it when I see it in action, not when he claims it.
But I think I will just skip watching it, since I'm still so angry at the man I can't bear to watch him on TV. Besides, if he doesn't start with apologizing to the people of the United States and those who lost their lives, and promise to resign after signing executive orders appointing a coalition of New Orleans community groups to direct the rebuilding of the city, I won't be satisfied anyway.
Update: I just heard Keith Olbermann, of MSNBC's Countdown, raise the idea that, as other Presidents have done, Bush could appoint a respected person from the other party to take charge of the Katrina recovery, making the point that some national issues are above and beyond partisan politics. Keith was talking to Chris Matthews, who was so stunned at the thought that this White House might do something that wasn't purely political that he couldn't speak at first. I'm not expecting to see such a principled announcement by Bush tonight. After all, he's already put Karl Rove in charge of reconstruction at the White House.
(Oops, the TV was on and the speech just started. I need to change; I'm wearing a blue oxford dress shirt! Ick.)
posted by Paul at 5:11 PM |
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