Meanwhile

As Bobo's column avoids utter stupidity, the main editorial page actually lives up to what the NY Times Editorial Page is supposed to be:

Pointing out Bush has AGAIN been AWOL in a time of need:

George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life yesterday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom. In what seems to be a ritual in this administration, the president appeared a day later than he was needed. He then read an address of a quality more appropriate for an Arbor Day celebration...

...It would be some comfort to think that, as Mr. Bush cheerily announced, America "will be a stronger place" for enduring this crisis. Complacency will no longer suffice, especially if experts are right in warning that global warming may increase the intensity of future hurricanes. But since this administration won't acknowledge that global warming exists, the chances of leadership seem minimal.

At everytime of crisis in his Presidency...Bush has been inordinately non-responsive. From seven minutes reading the "Pet Goat" to waiting three days to react to Katrina.

His paralysis is no surprise, as he was completely laissez-faire in leading up to both of those incidents. There was no action to prevent 9/11 despite flashing warnings or to prepare for the coming Hurricane -- in both incidents Bush continued inordinately long "vacations" on Rancho de Coo-Coo Bananas, laughably defending it as allowing him to make "crisp" decisions. Given such non-chalance to danger that falls outside how he expects the world to be, it is hardly shocking that when reality does, in fact, occur he is the proverbial dear in the headlights.

Constantly avoiding thought of "worst case scenario" is a pretty damned bad way to govern -- and it has occurred systematically and repeatedly. After four years, seven months and two weeks, it is clear that George Bush spent five minutes picking out an ideology slightly more thuggish and selfish than his Dad's and pretty much went from there. The man has never suffered, he wasn't born poor, didn't fight in any wars, there was never a "crucible" of struggle through which he could form an experience ... outside of being a shiftless drunk.

Scary when you sit down and think about it.

When they are operating on their preferred ideological construct, Bush and his advisors are always confident and assured (even if many of their policies are plainly nutty). Selling the Iraq war for instance was a masterpiece of staged sales craft (even if malicious and plainly wrong). But even there, they are unable to understand or act upon the possibility that things will not necessarily go as they expect.

Ideological rigidity leads to inflexibility at times of need. We have a slothful and unimaginative individual as President of the United States...he's a fine salesperson such as it is, but all three characteristics combine to make his the worst possible President you could have at virtually any time, let alone one at a time of disaster.

Well, we've been lucky throughout most of our history, I guess it had to run out sooner or later.