PrintSeptember 1, 2008
Hurricane Guilty! ... er ... Gustav
While loyal Republicans roam the streets of St. Paul looking for something to do, John McCain is.... I can't figure out exactly what he is doing.
Republicans are acting as if everything that went wrong in Louisiana when Katrina hit is their entire fault. They are also setting a very dangerous standard: the federal government must be everywhere and always fully prepared for any natural disaster.
The corrupt Democrats who ran the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans were largely to blame for the loss of life that occurred during hurricane Katrina. (Remember the pictures of hundreds of school buses parked in the mud in New Orleans?) Local and state governments are, and must be, first respondents to a natural catastrophe.
Why are the Republicans fixated on a category 2 hurricane? I have been trying to get some response about the absence of John McCain from the loyal Republicans who have gathered here in Minneapolis to try and resurrect a slowly dying political party. "We have to do it," is the standard response.
Since a lot of today's events at the RNC have been cancelled, most of the conventions attendees are sleeping in - or going shopping. Not a good sign.
Apparently, Republican Party officials want John McCain to appear to be compassionate and responsive. I have a hunch he is going to end up looking silly. Whatever their reasoning, the party is certainly setting a bad precedent.
First there is the problem of the main stream media. It is already giving the lion's share of the credit for the evacuation of New Orleans to Democrat Mayor Ray Nagin. If things go right you can bet your boarded windows that the incompetent Ragin will be hailed as the savior of New Orleans.
Second, Louisiana now has an extraordinarily bright and talented young Republican governor -- Bobby Jindal. He is being, essentially, ignored by the MSM -- even though he has the Louisiana National Guard on full alert and protecting New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana. The national Republicans, rushing to rescue Louisiana from a hurricane, are making Governor Jindal look incompetent.
Third, what kind of precedent does this response by the federal government set for the next Republican president to future natural disasters? Scientists are certain that a gigantic earthquake will, someday, devastate California. Should President McCain patrol the coast of California in helicopter everyday - just in case?
As much as it hurts to write this, Barack Obama's response to the weather in Louisiana makes far more sense than McCain's. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Obama said first he would ask officials in the affected areas what is most needed, which may not be known for a few days."
The emphasis is mine. When a category 2 hurricane is bearing down on you, you get out of the way, wait for the weather to die down, and then go back in and assess the damage. Most people are out of the way.
Most people, that is except John McCain - who is a senator from Arizona - not president of the United States. There is absolutely nothing he can do stop a category 2 hurricane. He should be up here in Minneapolis telling the American people why we should support his candidacy.
So while McCain waits on the weather in Louisiana, I am stuck here on the mostly empty streets of Minneapolis with this guy:
Makes me almost wish I were back in Denver at the DNC.
Larrey Anderson is covering the RNC in Minneapolis for American Thinker. His latest award winning novel is The Order of the Beloved.
