The Blame Game

Well, it looks like Karl Rove has called a play and broke the huddle, because every member of the administration is now on the same page. The official new mantra coming out of Washington is that anyone who dare hold the government accountable for their actions and inaction is simply playing "the blame game."

As we all know, no one sticks to a script better than loveable lapdog Scottie McClellan. This exchange with David Gregory -- whom I'm hoping is on a good blood pressure medication -- is a classic.

Q Scott, does the President retain confidence in his FEMA Director and Secretary of Homeland Security?

MR. McCLELLAN: And again, David, see, this is where some people want to look at the blame game issue, and finger-point. We're focused on solving problems, and we're doing everything we can --

Q What about the question?

MR. McCLELLAN: We're doing everything we can in support --

Q We know all that.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- of the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA.

Q Does he retain complete confidence --

MR. McCLELLAN: We're going to continue. We appreciate the great effort that all of those at FEMA, including the head of FEMA, are doing to help the people in the region. And I'm just not going to engage in the blame game or finger-pointing that you're trying to get me to engage.

Q Okay, but that's not at all what I was asking.

MR. McCLELLAN: Sure it is. It's exactly what you're trying to play.

Q You have your same point you want to make about the blame game, which you've said enough now. I'm asking you a direct question, which you're dodging.

MR. McCLELLAN: No --

Q Does the President retain complete confidence in his Director of FEMA and Secretary of Homeland Security, yes or no?

MR. McCLELLAN: I just answered the question.

Q Is the answer "yes" on both?

MR. McCLELLAN: And what you're doing is trying to engage in a game of finger-pointing.

Q There's a lot of criticism. I'm just wondering if he still has confidence.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and blame-gaming. What we're trying to do is solve problems, David. And that's where we're going to keep our focus.

Q So you're not -- you won't answer that question directly?

MR. McCLELLAN: I did. I just did.

Q No, you didn't. Yes or no? Does he have complete confidence or doesn't he?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, if you want to continue to engage in finger-pointing and blame-gaming, that's fine --

Q Scott, that's ridiculous. I'm not engaging in any of that.

MR. McCLELLAN: It's not ridiculous.

Q Don't try to accuse me of that. I'm asking you a direct question and you should answer it. Does he retain complete confidence in his FEMA Director and Secretary of Homeland Security, yes or no?

MR. McCLELLAN: Like I said -- that's exactly what you're engaging in.

Q I'm not engaging in anything. I'm asking you a question about what the President's views are --

MR. McCLELLAN: Absolutely -- absolutely --

Q -- under pretty substantial criticism of members of his administration. Okay? And you know that, and everybody watching knows that, as well.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, everybody watching this knows, David, that you're trying to engage in a blame game.

Q I'm trying to engage?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes.

Q I am trying to engage?

MR. McCLELLAN: That's correct.

Q That's a dodge.

While I admire Scottie's zombie-like ability to stick to the script and his ability to coin new terms like "blame-gaming," I think he might be protesting too much. As Jon Stewart pointed out tonight, when you're this insistent that you don't want to play the blame game, it means you're to blame.

It's at times like these that I like to reflect on the wise words of President Bush:

America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected.

Encouraging responsibility is not a search for scapegoats, it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings a deeper fulfillment. We find the fullness of life not only in options, but in commitments. And we find that children and community are the commitments that set us free.

That was from his inaugural address. Haven't heard much about personal responsibility since then. Maybe it only applied to important issues like presidential blowjobs and not minor stuff like the death of thousands because of ineptitude and incompetence.

(Via Atrios, TBogg and First Draft.)

Sex is for Fags!

Just go look for yourself. Hysterical.

(Thanks to TBogg for passing this along.)

"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job"

ThinkProgress has been doing a great job pushing back against the admin's Blame America First campaign. Here's an excellent timeline of our great one's leadership during this time of crisis (or mild discomfort, for any Fox viewers out there). (Via Atrios)

Gouge Away

I've read some incredibly stupid things in my life -- TV Guide, Son of Sniglets, Katherine Hepburn's Me. But this article by John Stossel, titled "In Defense of Price Gouging," just may be the dumbest yet. Here's just a sample:

Consider this scenario: You are thirsty -- worried that your baby is going to become dehydrated. You find a store that's open, and the storeowner thinks it's immoral to take advantage of your distress, so he won't charge you a dime more than he charged last week. But you can't buy water from him. It's sold out.

You continue on your quest, and finally find that dreaded monster, the price gouger. He offers a bottle of water that cost $1 last week at an "outrageous" price -- say $20. You pay it to survive the disaster.

You resent the price gouger. But if he hadn't demanded $20, he'd have been out of water. It was the price gouger's "exploitation" that saved your child.

It saved her because people look out for their own interests. Before you got to the water seller, other people did. At $1 a bottle, they stocked up. At $20 a bottle, they bought more cautiously. By charging $20, the price gouger makes sure his water goes to those who really need it.

Yes, yes. Because in the postapocalyptic wasteland of New Orleans, where the disaster hit right before payday and knocked out the ATMs, everyone has exactly the same amount of disposable cash on hand. Wealthy suburban soccer moms and dehydrated and destitute senior citizens should simply gather at the 7-11 and we can auction off the Poland Spring bottles to the highest bidder. Because Adam Smith's invisible hand of the free market is wise and just, even if it seems to be bitch-slapping the poor and needy.

I'm surprised that Stossel didn't go the extra mile and accuse local officials of being "ration babies," before grabbing the last bottle of water to wash his socks. I mean, he has the money presumably, so why not? Let the market rule.

Let Them Eat Photo Ops

In an earlier post, I noted Bush's habit of populating FEMA with old campaign cronies. Well, Think Progress has discovered that the hackery at FEMA goes even deeper. The Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff were, respectively, an event planner and a media strategist for the Bush-Cheney campaign.

Maybe that's why the government's main response to the catastrophe has been staging more and more photo ops for the president. It's what they're trained for. And, as Dan Froomkin notes, it's their standard approach to a crisis.

Too bad that's not their goddamn job.

UPDATE: Every time I try to mock them, the administration's clowns take it as a dare and go one step beyond. Turns out firefighters have been trying to get to New Orleans for a while, and on Monday they finally got a chance.

"... as specific orders began arriving to the firefighters in Atlanta, a team of 50 Monday morning quickly was ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew’s first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas."

Great Moments in Compassionate Conservatism

Fox News was telling me all weekend how things were just great down in New Orleans, except for the last few dead-enders who seem to think they are entitled to all sorts of things, such as water and medicine. Maybe now it's time to begin taking stock of what all happened last week. Unlike the usual nattering nabobery you find around this joint, I'd like to cite a few sterling examples of our leaders' compassionate conservatism.

We all remember the delightful image of W cavorting about with a guitar last Tuesday. Sure, some folks claim that a geetar photo op shows that the prez is out of touch, but those folks are wrong. Bush was clearly trying to boost everyone's morale with a light-hearted joke. You know, like when something bad happens, and then it gets real quiet, and then someone tells a joke and breaks the tension. Sometimes the joke works, sometimes not. Remember a couple years back when Bush made the jokes about how he couldn't find them danged WMDs? Now that was some knee-slapping compassionizing! Anyone who thinks Bush's latest crisis-related joke ain't funny needs to get their aloof gland removed.

Cheney responded with sensitivity and understanding, as you'd expect. This guy's got more compassion in his heart stent than most people have in their iron lungs. Some of you libruls might claim that the fact that Cheney didn't leave his Wyoming duck blind until late Thursday calls into question his compassionistic chops, but don't even smurf it. Let's not forget that this man is so compassionate that he was just about the only guy compassionate enough in the 1980s to tell the pro-apartheid government of South Africa that "we care".

Condi Rice -- excuse me, that's Dr. Condoleeza Rice -- is probably the best at being compassionate and looking FABULOUS at the same time. That's why, after taking in a Broadway musical last Wednesday, she spent Thursday buying $7,000 shoes in Manhattan. Her free-spending ways surely uplifted some heards in the Big Easy, just as those shoes uplifted her fallen arches.

Even leading congressmen were eager to show just how compassionate they are. Take Dennis Hastert, for example. He donated several thousand dollars to relief funds late last Thursday. He got the money by selling a car at an Illinois antique auto show earlier in the day. Which he went to after attending a fundraiser for a buddy of his. Which is why he was unable to, like, get to DC and do his job in getting the relief package through congress. And hey, the thing where he said that it would be a waste to rebuild N.O.? It was a joke! He was taking a page right out of the book of the Compassionator in Chief! Hahaha, Denny, you're a riot!

Finally, let's hear it for Dr. Sen. Dr. Bill Dr. Frist. With all those people suffering, starving, and dying down in LA, MS, and AL, he was so full of compassion that he went and showed his compassion to a whole different group of the frequently downtrodden: the super rich. Frist saw that the wealthy would be feeling real bad, what with all the free positive press the lucky duckies were getting, so he decided to show them some love. Frist opened his heart by scheduling a vote for this week to permanently kill the estate tax. Some might say that this is cynical and incredibly innappropriate, but let's face it: the super rich, who are by nature the most compassionate people in the country, are the ones who will end up paying for all the relief efforts, right? Why not make it just a little bit easier on them to be so compassionate?

Hey N'awlins, can you feel the love?

All Hail Dear Leader

A fitting tribute to the Glorious Son of the Reagan Revolution, created by Kirk Anderson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. From Rising Hegemon.

The Supremes

So it seems the Justices of the Supreme Court are dropping like the characters in an Agatha Christie mystery. First, O'Connor dropped out, and now Rehnquist has passed away. I think the next one to go will be John Paul Stevens, in the conservatory, crushed beneath a giant novelty gavel.

Rehnquist's death, coupled with Bush's decision to reposition Roberts for the top spot, has the blogosphere all atwitter. Many on the right are hailing this as a sign that Bush still has a deft political touch, all appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, since this means he can get his golden boy more than just a spot on the Court; he can get him the spot.

This is going against some of the blogosphere wisdom, but I think this weekend's events bode well for liberals. Most Democrats have agreed that Roberts will in all likelihood be confirmed, a fact that doubtlessly led Bush to reposition Roberts for the Chief's chair. However, by moving the near-certain confirmation to that spot, Bush may have missed his best chance to shift the ideological balance on the Court. Roberts is a former clerk of Rehnquist's and a close ideological ally; therefore, the replacement does nothing to alter the ideological make-up of the Court. Democrats can let Roberts sail through with smiles, and thereby show that they're not "obstructionist" and even give the president a win in the fight that, to laymen, would seem to be the most important.

With that kind of political cover, the Democrats can then go to the mattresses over the replacement for O'Connor. That spot represents the real swing vote, and getting a right-wing conservative in there would fundamentally alter the course of the Court. Therefore, this is the fight that really matters. Oddly enough, I think Bush's manuever only helps the Democrats. Having let Roberts through first and doing it fairly, they can then draw a line in the sand here and stop whoever gets nominated there -- whether it's a Bush loyalist like Gonzales, or a ultra-right woman like Owens, Brown or Clement.

If Bush had played this correctly, he could've gotten Roberts in for O'Connor, had Scalia step up and replace Rehnquist, and then snuck a new conservative for the vacant associate spot. He could've flooded the zone with three nominations and found the focus on Scalia's ascension. That would've guaranteed that anyone shy of Scalia would've been given a light treatment, much as Scalia himself was when his nomination coincided with the move to elevate Rehnquist to Chief Justice back in 1986. He could've cemented a conservative bloc for a generation.

But he missed that chance. If the Democrats play this right -- and, yes, that's a huge "if" -- they can come out of this with a Court that looks roughly like it does now. And for those on the left side of the spectrum, that's by far the best we could hope for.

(Actually, the best we can hope for is that the next Chief Justice takes the gold racing stripes of the robe. That's a Rehnquist legacy we can do without.)

More Yes Men than the Musical Supergroup Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe

This is all over the blogs, but it seems the FEMA FUBAR stems largely from the fact that once again Bush put an incompetent crony into the position instead of someone, oh, qualified and competent.

The current head of FEMA is Michael D. Brown. What was Brown's preparation for his role as the nation's coordinator of disaster relief? Well, he was a lawyer with the International Arabian Horse Association for eleven years. Until he was fired. For incompetence. At the International Arabian Horse Association.

In 2001, he was brought to FEMA by Bush's choice as the new agency head, Joe Allbaugh. He, of course, had gained his background in disaster relief during his work as the campaign manager for Bush-Cheney 2000.

Who needs competence when you've got cronies running a mile deep? I mean, it's not like any of the core supporters are going to get hurt. When you're a Pioneer or a Ranger, you've got a second home up on the high ground, right?

Ready for His Close-Up

Once again, conservatives prove it's never too early to exploit a national tragedy for political gain.

Awesome. I can't wait to see how they stage manage Bush's entrance. They'll probably have him wade ashore like Douglas MacArthur, clad in a khaki uniform and puffing on a corncob pipe. Wouldn't be any worse than his last appearance there.

aFOXalypse Now

Anyone know how I can get a transcript of last night's (Friday's) Hannity and Colmes? I can't find it on the Faux News website. On the advice of Mrs. Thrillhous I tuned in to watch Bill O'Reilly, but apparently I haven't memorized the primetime lineup since H&C comes on at 10.

So I watched the top of the hour there anyway, wondering how the people starving to death (or dying of thirst or disease etc.) have only themselves to blame. They started with a live report from Shepard Smith, who looked like Martin Sheen in the beginning of Apocalypse Now. He was standing on Interstate 10 with a few thousand people. He talked about old people and babies sleeping on the asphalt. He didn't even attempt to spin it in a positive direction. Hannity tried to get some kind of positive quotes coming out of Smith, but he didn't bite at all. "When's help coming? It's on its way, right?" Smith just stared blankly at the camera. "I don't know. I just don't know."

Then they cut to Geraldo Rivera at the NO Convention Center. He was holding up babies (one 10 month old and one 15 month old) and pleading to let people out. Rivera had tears in his eyes at one point. Both Rivera and Smith reported that the National Guard is not allowing people to leave New Orleans. Both pleaded to the powers that be to let these people get the frak out of the city. (New Orleans is sounding more and more like Escape From New York.)

It must have been quite a shock for them to see real live suffering outside of the snuggly confines of the Upper East Side.

Never get off the goddamn boat.

UPDATE: Crooks and Liars has the video. Unbelievable. I can't believe this came across on Fox. (otto)

Failing Upwards

So here's the situation: hudreds of thousands of people are now homeless. All their worldly possessions have been destroyed. Those too poor to afford insurance have lost everything with no chance of being compensated in any way. Many others have lost their jobs, which in America means they have lost health insurance. The companies they worked at have been washed off the face of the earth; hardly anyone will be able to wait for them to be rebuilt.

There are thousands of able-bodied men and women who have been plunged into a desperate situation. They need steady employment, housing, food, and a quick influx of cash. What would you do in that situation?

I'll bet the armed forces' September recruiting numbers shatters all records.

Friday Random Ten

This image is wrong for so many reasons. For starters, the phrase "Tijuana Picnic" seems like something that would be used to describe a sexual and/or scatalogical act that would be illegal in thirty-eight states, and not a wholesome family outing. But even if it really is a picnic in Tijuana, a.k.a. the Happiest Place on Earth™, then what in God's name is Colonel Sanders doing there? Man, I guess it's like the old saying goes: "What happens in Tijuana, stays in Tijuana."

Anyway, with this kind of musical inspiration, it's time for the Friday Random Ten. Take out your iPod, set it on random, and spin the wheel, raggedy man! If you think you've got the stones, go ahead and include a Coolness Self-Audit. And then set aside a little quiet time for yourself. Go ahead. You deserve it.

Alright, here we go:

1. Charles Wright, "Spreadin' Honey" -- A short, strutting, soul instrumental. Sounds like the kind of thing they'd play in a movie while Shaft strutted down Broadway to get a coffee and/or thrash some mope. A stone-cold groove. 6/10

2. The Roots, "Guns are Drawn" -- Outstanding song from my favorite hiphop consortium. The beat is incredibly funky, and the lyrics nicely political. It's got it all, kids. 9/10

3. Eric B. and Rakim, "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" -- Wow, starting to sense a trend here. More solid hiphop. not one of their best songs, but Eric B. and Rakim on three-quarters speed can still blow the doors off most other rappers. 7/10

4. KISS, "Detroit Rock City" -- Goodbye, trend. Probably one of my favorite songs by the Knights in Satan's Service, though certainly not very cool. And yes, I know I just lost my membership in the KISS Army for that bit of blasphemy. So be it. 6/10

5. Ol' Dirty Bastard with Kelis, "Baby, I Got Your Money" -- ODB may have shuffled off this mortal coil, but as long as we have his music, he'll always live on in our hearts. Remember the poetry? Remember "I don't have no problem with you fucking me / But I have a little problem wit you not fucking me"? Damn, that boy's a Shakespeare. 7/10

6. The Amps, "She's a Girl" -- Mmmmmm, Kim Deal. Maybe it's the aftershocks of her vocals on the Pixies' "Gigantic," but every song she sings sounds dirty to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that. 8/10

7. Belle and Sebastian, "I Don't Love Anyone" -- Nice rollicking folk tune. Light and airy, with just a hint of cinnamon. I mean, angst. 7/10

8. Iggy and the Stooges, "Search and Destroy" -- Iggy Pop in his prime and at his most primal. "I'm a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm, / I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb." I can't wait to see what sort of advertisement they use this one in. After the ode-to-heroin that is "Lust for Life" became the theme song for Carnival Cruise Lines, anything is possible. 8/10

9. Interpol, "PDA" -- A nice sample of the recent New New Wave revival. Turn Off the Bright Lights is a solid CD, though this would be a second-tier song from that one, I think. 8/10

10. Stereolab, "Brittle" -- From the album Switched On, a driving little bit of wall-of-sound electronica that should've made Robert Moog proud. (And the album title reminds me I need to chase down an old collection called Switched On Country. It has an outstanding moog version of "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town.") 7/10

Judging by all my mediocre scores, I'm part of the MTV generation that neither feels highs nor lows. I have a 7.3 average, which puts me right between the Captain & Tennille and Captain Beefheart on the Cool-o-Meter. Not sure how I feel about that.

Alright, please feel free to drop your own FRT in the comments, or add some mockery of my own mediocrity.

Eschatonic

Good God Atrios is on fire.

Choking on my own rage here.

Crickets

So, we have one of America's greatest cities destroyed due in part to this Administration's willful neglect of numerous warnings and budget slashing to pay for rich people's tax cuts.

What do we hear from the Democrats?

...chirp...chirp...chirp...chirp...

Katrina Determined to Strike U.S.

"I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees."
--George W. Bush on "Good Morning America," September 1, 2005

He meant anyone except for all of these guys. Oh, and these folks, too.

The Return of Lucky Ducky

Remember back when the Wall Street Journal's editorial board called the poor "lucky duckies" because they didn't have to pay much in taxes, what with being dead broke and all? (And, while you're remembering, remember the excellent Tom the Dancing Bug cartoons as well.)

Well, it looks like the Lucky Ducky theme is back again, as seen by Jonah Goldberg's utter display of stupidity over at The Corner:

CLASS CARDS & DISASTER [Jonah Goldberg]

Several readers complain that it's in fact true that the hurricane will disproportionately affect poor people. I don't really dispute that in the sense most mean it. Yes, the poor will have special hardships. Obviously so. But what I objected to, and still object to, is the reflexive playing of the class card. Is it really true that some middle class retirees who heeded the advice of the government to leave town, only to watch their homes be looted after a lifetime of hardwork for a better life are suffering less than a poor person who lost his rented apartment? What's the metric for measuring this sort of suffering? What about the small businessman who worked his entire life to build something he's proud of? What about the families who lost loved ones, but had the poor taste to make more money than the poverty line?

Whatever happened to the idea that unity in the face of a calamity is an important value? We're all in it together, I guess, except for the poor who are extra-special.

Wow. It's hard to believe he crammed so much stupidity and condescension in a single post. But then again, this is the guy who manages to get his own doughy pantload into his Husky-sized Dockers every single morning.

Where to begin? Maybe we should start with his comment -- typed with a hanky clutched to his chest, no doubt -- that there should be some kind of "unity in the face of a calamity." That's a great ideal, I'll agree. But why does Goldberg define "unity" as the poor sucking it up and nobly suffering on their own, and not think that the other classes have a duty to help them out? I mean, were the country club set offering rides to the homeless on their way out of town? No? Then cram it with walnuts, ugly.

The real stupidity of Goldberg's comment is the fact that he's so wrapped up in his own world (as usual) that he doesn't understand that things really are different if you're poor. In the privileged, pampered world of Jonah Goldberg, I suppose these people only exist to fight your pipe dreams abroad and do your dirty work at home. There's no real appreciation of their needs and their circumstances, and how they might be different from the world where you get your wealth and job because of your mommy.

And make no mistake, during a natural disaster, the poor suffer disproportionately. They didn't have the cars and the credit cards to make a hasty retreat as the hurricane advanced. And now, in its wake, the poor will doubtlessly suffer tremendously because of the lack of adequate housing, food, or medical care, all things that the middle class and rich will have no problem accessing. Their suffering will be actual suffering -- not, "heavens, the carpet is damp now" suffering.

It's quite likely that many people will die. Many "extra-special" people.

Come Out, We Have the House Surrounded

My fellow Americans, it looks like Operation Yellow Elephant has marched on Washington.

Well, whaddya know?

It was all about the oil.

President Bush answered growing antiwar protests yesterday with a fresh reason for US troops to continue fighting in Iraq: protection of the country's vast oil fields, which he said would otherwise fall under the control of terrorist extremists.

Same as It Ever Was

The Onion has unveiled a new look this week, but it's still bringing the funny.