OK...so he didn't take blame for the Hurricane happening (which it seems some people actually want him to do), but...
President Bush came out today and said that he is personally responsible for the Federal Government's poor reaction and performance after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Many people are asking why he is coming out and doing this. I say why not?
Here is why I think this statement and subsequent public address Thursday night are good ideas:
- It is a sort of damage control. People will be less willing to blatantly point a finger at someone who has admitted they made a mistake. Any other time a public figure makes a mistake and acknowledges it publicly, they usually are not as hostile toward the person.
- What does he have to lose? He is not up for re-election. He does not seem to have any intent to stay in politics after his term is up. He is losing nothing (but maybe public support) by coming out and doing this. He's not going to lose his job, so why not take the bullet for the rest of the administration.
- It protects the party. Again, Bush is taking the bullet for the rest of the country's Republicans, especially in areas affected by the Hurricane. This could possibly take the anger people in the Gulf Coast are feeling away from locally elected politicians and send it toward President Bush.
- It makes the news talk about the Hurricane's aftermath and takes the media focus away from pertinent issues, such as the confirmation hearings of Chief Justice candidate John Roberts.
- And finally, there are no new television shows to pre-empt, so this is the best time to take the national airwaves over for a message of possible apology. Wait, doesn't the new Survivor start Thursday? Never mind...bad move! People need their Survivor and won't be happy id the President takes it away...or pushes it back. I better set my DVR for CBS all night!
When you take a step back and look at it, this is probably one of the best moves President Bush has made so far in his second term.
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