It's because the rest of the world can't believe Americans are that stupid.

Stupid enough to vote for Obama? Oh, I'm sure the rest of the world figured out just how stupid we Americans are when we voted Bush into a second term. Doh!

Nah, man! Stupid is the Bush hater at work. One day she says, "Bush caused Katrina". I replied, yes the government's response was way too slow (obviously thinking she was referring to that). "No! I mean he caused the hurricane! He allowed it to happen because New Orleans is run by black democrats!" Now I am a teacher, and so is she! So you can imagine what goes on in her classroom!

So you blame Anne Applebaum for your colleague's lack of linear logic?

Eddie_Bear:

Nah, man! Stupid is the Bush hater at work. One day she says, "Bush caused Katrina". I replied, yes the government's response was way too slow (obviously thinking she was referring to that). "No! I mean he caused the hurricane! He allowed it to happen because New Orleans is run by black democrats!" Now I am a teacher, and so is she! So you can imagine what goes on in her classroom!

I don't believe a single bit of that - no one, no matter their stupidity and political convictions, could actually believe that Bush has magical hurricane causing powers.

Republicans have gotten a lot of mileage over the years, just by re-parsing Incredibly Obvious arguments. For example, anyone who thinks GW Bush might possibly have cut his vacation short to attend to the aftermath of a huge natural disaster is "claiming Bush caused the hurricane". Why heck! we're all so dang deranged, we actually think it might have helped if Bush had appointed somebody competent to run FEMA. Even better, if he had not worked with brother Jeb in the preceding year to totally politicize a formerly effective agency.

Sadly for you Bush-deprived proles, the rest of the world is looking clearly at the deficiencies of the Bush Regime. And The Republican smirk, in its various forms, just ain't gonna cover for your boy now.

ebencooke: Where to begin with your stupidity? How about this gem of yours -- " Sadly for you Bush-deprived proles, the rest of the world is looking clearly at the deficiencies of the Bush Regime. And The Republican smirk, in its various forms, just ain't gonna cover for your boy now."

Sorry, but the Bush stuff just doesnt fly anymore. You need to learn how to hum a new tune. How about this one: The world is looking at Obambi now and he is being found wanting. Obambi is talking to all of our adversaries,as he promised (i say threatened) to do. I am sure he is thinking to himself how well he is doing with foreign policy and the sychophantic media will bolster that delusion. However, our adveraries are discerning Obambi's weakeness, inexperience and lack of resolve and it wont be long now till he is tested by the Russians, iranians, Yemenis, somalis, chinese etc. They are already taking him on in various ways and his responses (or lack thereof) are further emboldening them. The bit about we will interrogate pursuant to the field manual (name, rank, serial number) didnt help any, btw. In the end it will be like carter and his mideast peace talks / Iranian hostages. And, kennedy after his first meeting with Kruschev, which emboldened the USSR to install nuke missiles in cuba. Obambi will whine and say I negotiated in good faith and talked my heart out for them (fill in the foreign enemy), why have they betrayed me and (fill in the hostile conflict of your choice)? the incredible naivete of it all. It's embarrassing for this country, just like carter was.

About a year before Katrina, the Army Corp of Engineers completed a huge study on the levies in New Orleans. Their verdict is that the levies could NOT withstand a storm surge of a certain size, nor a direct hit by a hurricane of ANY magnitude. They requested IMMEDIATE funding to reinforce the levies of New Orleans. Guess what? Their request was denied. Imagine that! While I won't say that Bush was at fault, I will say that the Government as a whole was complicit in not funding important infrastructure repairs. Infrastructure that we all pay for through taxes. Failing to protect the citizens in the first place, the Government only made things worse by failing to act quickly and decisively to render aid. I'd call that a huge failure on the part of the President. Those of us who question why our Government would be so cold towards US Citizens have thought long and hard about the entire Katrina situation. A lot of us are left thinking that they were ignored and betrayed simply because of their skin color, socio-economic standing, and political leanings.

frank is right to remind us that the problems of our decaying infrastructure go back before the Bush Regime. For decades, each succeeding administration has more or less relied on the assumption that whatever disaster might be looming, it probably wouldn't strike during its term of office. OK, fair enough. but Katrina DID strike during the Bush administration. And it is the job of every president to attend to national crises when they occur -- EVEN IF THE CAUSE BEGAN BEFORE THEIR TERM! -- got that? A sitting president must accept -- embrace! -- responsibility for national problems that arise on his watch. It was irresponsible for Bush to smirk off the attack on the USS Cole, even if that attack did occur a couple of months before he took office. It was just as irresponsible for him to respond to Katrina by: 1) whining "Nobody could have foreseen this", and 2) ginning up rage against New Orleans (uh, Katrina was a disaster that covered three states, folks). And, indisputably, it was Bush's responsibility to appoint a FEMA head who had some clue about the job he was given.

During the dying days of the Bush Regime, one song became a rising refrain amongst the Bushies: "Let's not point fingers. There's plenty of blame to go around.". In other words, it's unfair to hold a sitting president Responsible.

"Being Republican means never having to say you're Responsible."