Is Hurricane Rita a lose/lose for gwb?

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

Of course, the WH can't repeat the errors made with Katrina...a poor response would reinforce the aura of incompetency and lack of leadership.

Of course,the response won't be mishandled; when it comes to Florida, nothing's too good for baby bro.

However, a well coordinated, pro active response to Rita, especially in the Florida Keys area, will highlight the discrespancy in the sluggish response to NOLA and the rest of the Gulf Coast...in that most of the Keys victims are white and middle to upper class.

Class/race issues will be even more starkly visible. How can they spin this one? MKJ

[skids]

1. But they aren't CAPABLE of a well coordinated pro-active response.

It's not a lose/lose. It's just a lose. One of the options is an impossibility for a bunch of political cronies to pull off.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

4. I think you may be onto something. Maybe the difference between

this Florida hurricane and the recent previous Florida hurricanes, is that the country is really paying attention.

The MSM is slightly awakened, as well. So, instead of the inadequacies being ignored or underreported, we may see the actual, vs. the photo op response this time.

MKJ

[TallahasseeGrannie]

2. No bright side, IMO

when a house of cards goes down, a fresh wind just blows them around.

(Grannie-ism)

[iamjoy]

3. They Will Spin It To "Win"

Here are two possibilities

One - we learned our lessons from Katrina (a stretch perhaps since the time is so short)

Two - local officials in Florida reacted better. So, see, it is the fault of the NOLA mayor & LA gov. Jeb knew how to respond to a hurricane, Blanco didn't.

[Larkspur]

6. Florida is not the real test. Texas is. And neither have neglected

levees, so they aren't comparable to the New Orleans disaster.

If Rita follows projected path, Texas will be hit with either a CAT 4 or 5 hurricane. If the towns along that coast can only evacuate 80% of their population, they tie New Orleans.

Bush and the Neo-con agenda will be losers anyway because Rita would mean more money to fix devasted areas and it would mean more National Guard units needed at home, not in Iraq.

And the hurricane season has just passed it's peak point, which was Sep. 10. There are more hurricanes expected.

[iamjoy]

10. Texas Is The Test

And again, they will talk about how prepared Rick Perry was compared to Kathleen Blanco.

I bet when it comes to Texas Duby'a offers of assistance won't be so conditional. With Louisiana he was like, I'll only send troops if you allow them to put your state under martial law and violate Posse Comitatus.

With Texas, he'll just send the troops and say that Blanco refused his help and Perry didn't.

[WePurrsevere]

5. "How can they spin this one?" How about "we've learned from our mistakes?"

Pure Bush*t of course but this is what my SWAG for the attempt at spin will be *IF* they actually pull this one off.

edited to clarify and add:
The real problem they're going to run into is because of Iraq and now Katrina the National Guard and military will be very strained in many ways already as are all the normal "assistance" groups (not to mention the folks who donate to them). Add a hit to the Florida Keys and then a potentially bigger hit to Texas/West LA and it will be interesting to see how BushCo will pull more military, NG, help and money out of their collective backsides.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

7. I know, I thought of that...would that give us a chance to ask...

Wasn't 9/11 the mistake we were supposed to be learning from?

MKJ

[WePurrsevere]

9. True and obviously we didn't yet some folks still think this was an...

acceptable response. Must be some pretty strong "Kool-Aid" they're drinking.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Every hurricane will remind Americans of Katrina for the next 13 months.

Make a point of it.

Frame it right and it is lose/lose for Bush.

[bluedawg12]

11. Polls cited on TV this am show the shrub is not bouncing back

between Katrina, I-crack, the deficit, people are not forgiving this time.