Bush says he "takes responsibility" for the failure of the federal government to respond to the Katrina disaster.

Bull. Shit.

What does that mean, anyway? "Take responsibility." Is he resigning? I think criminal court would be more appropriate. Why?

Well, lessee. Where should we start?

Michael Brown, hired under bush as director of FEMA, spent the 90's as commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association.

Brown padded his resume with bullshit about "overseeing the emergency services division" from 1997 to 1980 when in actuality he was an intern to whom nobody answered.

Brown listed "Outstanding Political Science Professor, Central State University" when he was only a student.

Brown now says he's going to get some well-earned R&R by "go[ing] home [to] walk my dog and hug my wife and, maybe get a good Mexican meal and a stiff margarita and a full night’s sleep."

Poor, poor beleagured "Brownie."

Call me cold-hearted, but I have a very hard time feeling sympathetic for a guy who didn't have the ethics to say "really, I'm not qualified to protect hundreds of thousands of people from natural disasters. I'd rather not turn down such a prestigious position but my ego can take a backseat to my respect for human life."

If obtaining his favorite mixed drink is Mike's biggest concern he can go fuck himself. If there is a god, maybe he'll choke on some ice.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Mike's boss, "did not allow reporters to ask Brown questions directly and would not respond to the Time magazine report Friday that Brown’s official biography overstated his emergency-management experience."

"Full responsibility" my ass. What a bald-faced joke.

We've been lied to by the federal government about what happened while Bush didn't say a bloody thing. Nothing.

First Bush himself claimed that such a scenario was not foreseen. "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." That's a quote.

I know Bush prides himself on not paying any attention to the news. Maybe he should start. He're a little blast from the past:

"A major hurricane could decimate the region, but flooding from even a moderate storm could kill thousands. It's just a matter of time."

      - Times-Picayune, 2002

Then the government claimed the breach actually occurring was a surprise despite the fact that Bush didn't seem to know until a full twelve hours after it was all over every news outlet. Fuck, turn on your goddamn television you inbred, pampered jackass!

Next we have the assertion that evacuees are being given shelter and food when in actuality they were turned away from shelters they were directed to and, in some cases, stranded for days without food or water. Some were turned back from evacuating to other cities by police with leveled shotguns.

Then the piece de resistance -- the tried and true bureaucratic "blame the victim" tactic. If they didn't leave then it's their own lookout, right?

Do you suppose nobody in this administration was willing to throw themselves on their sword and tell Bush that not everyone has a summer home in the Hamptons? Bush has a habit of killing the messenger.

Next, the good-for-a-belly-laugh "Every person in that convention center, we just learned about that today."

"Today," of course, being September 1, three days after the hurricane hit and at least twelve hours after the evacuees were already there.

A more recent squirm has been the assertion that FEMA is subordinate to the local government.

This is the worst lie of the lot if for no other reason than it insults the intelligence of every person in this country. Anyone with enough brain power to prepare scrambled eggs can figure out that it would make no sense whatsoever to vest the power of disaster management command and control in the people who are going to be hit by the disaster.

In fact the Department of Homeland Security's own "Guiding Principles for Proactive Federal Response" will operate independently to provide assistance, rather than simply supporting or cajoling state authorities.

I'm tired of this. I'm tired of Bush and his lies. I'm tired of people supporting him. Their contortions to explain his idiocy do not even come close to the defense mustered by Democrats on Clinton's behalf.

Want to take honest, sincere responsibility? Resign.
____

"Where's your moral outrage?"
"I don't have any."
"I know."

     - Jon Stewart vs. Carson Tucker on Crossfire