Waiting for a Leader

Sacrifices may be necessary to make sure that all these things happen in an orderly, efficient way. But this administration has never been one to counsel sacrifice. And nothing about the president's demeanor yesterday - which seemed casual to the point of carelessness - suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis.

Confidence in the President has so eroded that; even the NY Times has biting remarks at his performance. When will this President put politics aside and forgo the photo-ops and smirks? His arrogance is demoralizing to those millions in the Gulf Coast suffering from this disaster. His promises mean nothing. It is clear that Americans must go it alone without clear and effective leadership.

No, no, no radical right wing, we are not blaming Mr. Bush solely for this natural disaster, we are blaming him for everything else - his and this government's economic incompetence regarding the needed funding to protect New Orleans from this type of tragedy; his delayed response and call to action, with glazed eyes and speech-by-number sound bytes; his lack of understanding and prioritizing the American people, sending National Guardsmen to Iraq when they would have been more effective here on home soil. This removal from responsibility is not the mark of a leader and certainly not presidential. The American work ethic has come to dictate that one is hired with the expectation that he or she will perform the duties to the best of their abilities - attempt to be prompt and responsible, respectful and courteous, willing to admit mistakes and move on only to perform better. Not every job is for every person. In the case of this Administration, we now know that this is true.

The disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi is overwhelming, upsetting, and very real. There is no time for spin. But, does BushCo really care? Note that over 50 percent of residents in this area are black and poor. In fact, the Gulf Coast represents one of the poorer areas in the United States. It is implied that we live in a pay to play society and "those" folks - the ones left behind struggle enough to keep afloat everyday. And now they are wading down Canal Street with nowhere to go and no expectations that they will survive. This is not the America I signed up for...