Taking Responsibility

I was very impressed, initially, to hear that George Dubya has taken responsibility for the piss-poor performance of the federal government during the Katrina disaster. I'm always impressed when someone is a standup kind of person, taking on the mantle of accountability in difficult times. In my mind, there aren't too many more character-defining actions a person can take.

Too bad I don't see this action as defining a character worth admiring. Why?

What does Bush actually mean by taking responsibility? Actually, Josh Marshall asked that very same question. Is he truly admitting that he's responsible for the FEMA fall-apart due to his cronyism appointees? Or is he just saying what he's supposed to say before everyone else in the country says it for him?

I have my own questions about what Bush is actually taking responsibility for. The Bush administration attempted to pin responsibility for the poor federal response on LA Governor Blanco by saying she had not taken the proper steps to get federal assistance. It turns out she did take the appropriate steps. Does Bush take responsibility for trying to foist off the mistakes of his own administration on Blanco?

What about the continuing attempts to keep the media from reporting the story of the dying and the dead in NOLA? CNN had to take the federal government to court to stop it from banning media coverage. It received a TRO on the ban. So what about this story from San Francisco reporter about being banned from covering body recovery in NOLA? Does Bush take responsibility for his Army defying the TRO?

Speaking of the dead, Governor Blanco complained today that FEMA fell down on the job yet again, not signing a contract with a company assisting in recovery of the dead. Finally, she signed the contract, trying to move the process along. Does Bush take responsibility for this final indignity, leaving those dead citizens out in the fetid swamps of NOLA longer than they need to be because FEMA can't handle its paperwork?

And speaking of the dying, does Bush take responsibility for the systematic dismantling of the EPA thru cronyism, making it less than fully able to adequately address the environmental disaster happening on the Gulf Coast?

When President George W. Bush takes responsibility for all that has occurred because of his policies, when he acknowledges that people died because of the kind of administration he runs, rather than allowing his Rove Rangers full rein in trying to foist off accountability and responsibility onto others, then I'll be truly impressed. Then I'll think he's a standup guy.

Until tomorrow,
Liz