After that charade/photo-op, how can any reasonable person...

[speedoo]

think that there is any basis whatsoever for giving the Coward a pass?

That was the most shameful thing I have ever seen.

[BR_Parkway]

1. Even CNN anchors didn't buy it!

Daryn Kagen:

I gotta say that was rather an odd thing to be watching. The president finally making it to the gulf coast after five days, and then spending a big chunk of time, when he could be out seeing the devastation, getting a briefing that frankly he could have gotten back at the White House, if not then, then on board Air Force One. A lot of that seemed like a political opportunity for the cameras and for the Republican governors of Mississippi and Alabama.

Bill Schneider:

I'm not sure that's what most Americans and certainly most people in the area wanted to hear, as if the president were being filled in, told what was going on, there was a lot of thanking a lot of congratulations. Look these are frantic desperate people who have lost everything, who are in a very desperate situation, what they want is someone to come there and say the government is in control, we have control of this situation, there's a leader in charge here and we're gonna make it work....

What people want there is leadership, they don't want someone being briefed, they want leadership.

[CJCRANE]

2. The guy

should be "shaking the trees", "knocking heads together", putting rockets up people's behinds to get things moving.

Bush seems to think that reading a one page PDB or getting a five-minute briefing is leadership. Leadership is about getting out there front and centre and making things happen, like yesterday.