Zero-tolerance

Will he instruct the National Guard to fire on people stealing food and water?

Or will it depend on whether they're "looting" or "finding."

Josh Marshall is right. There are consequences -- usually unintended -- for the decisions Bush and the Republicans in Congress have made over the past five years. Massive tax cuts, year after year. A war of choice. A war of choice that was done on the cheap that will now cost hundreds of billions of dollars. The cronification of FEMA. On and on.

Bush says "Let's not play politics with this." Since when? Everything has been "playing politics" with this administration.

Even the New York Times is shrill.

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: a long laundry list of pounds of ice, generators and blankets delivered to the stricken Gulf Coast. He advised the public that anybody who wanted to help should send cash, grinned, and promised that everything would work out in the end.

And so much for the Dept. of Homeland Security. We knew Katrina was coming. In fact, Katrina was supposed to take an even greater toll on New Orleans as it was a "Category Five" hurricane through Sunday. In any case there were days to put some sort of basic response in place.

What happens when the next disaster isn't "natural?"