He Said What Again?

Mr. Bush went down to Mississippi and New Orleans. In Mississippi he said:

And so what can we do? Well, first thing is we can focus on repairing homes. That's not going to do you very good down here in Waveland. I understand that. Tommy and I and the Governor and Marsha just drove by -- there's no homes to repair. It's just been flattened. That's what the people of America have got to understand. Sometimes hurricanes go through and there's a home and a structure you can maybe put a roof on, or do something -- not here. Our fellow citizens have got to know when this hurricane hit, it just obliterated everything, it just flattened it.

Excuse me? Is there a big problem with people in America not understanding that miles and miles of structures were just flattened? As I recall, the only people not watching the extensive TV coverage of the devastation were the White House and FEMA. Our fellow citizens know all about the devastation, but not much about any plans to fix it.

Apparently, one of those plans is mindless boosterism. In New Orleans he said:

It may be hard for you to see, but from when I first came here to today, New Orleans is reminding me of the city I used to come to visit. It's a heck of a place to bring your family. It's a great place to find some of the greatest food in the world and some wonderful fun. And I'm glad you got your infrastructure back on its feet. I know you're beginning to welcome citizens from all around the country here to New Orleans. And for folks around the country who are looking for a great place to have a convention, or a great place to visit, I'd suggest coming here to the great -- New Orleans.

If he weren't the sort of man who bites the heads off subordinates, someone might have suggested he avoid using the "heck of a" superlative on this trip. It has bad associations when used around New Orleans. Though perhaps it wasn't as absurd as comparing the still-struggling city to the one of his alcohol-soaked-party memories. Worst of all was his use of past tense in regard to getting the infrastructure back. Perhaps he was comparing it to the standards of Baghdad?

We all want New Orleans to recover and thrive, but there is a lot of real work still to be done. It would be pretty to think that it was all better now, and that it's time to book that convention there, but the city is still trying to figure out how to house those of its population who want to return. Many are still waiting to find out if insurance or FEMA money is coming to help them, or even if their neighborhood will be one of the ones allowed to rebuild. Does W. not know any of that?

It's sad to see that, in the wake of the storms, the President hasn't improved his ability to understand what's the "heck" is going on down there.