Yes, the President said that yesterday. Unfortunately, it was President Bill Clinton.
"Our government failed those people in the beginning, and I take it now there is no dispute about it," Clinton told CNN. "One hundred percent of the people recognize that -- that it was a failure."
Nice to hear Bill sort of gets it (he does some "there will be a time for analysis later" dancing).
But then his partner in the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund got his two cents in about sonny boy. Said former President Bush:
"What can he do? He can just go out and do what he's doing today, showing that the federal government's involved, has been involved, will continue to be involved ... He cannot listen to every critic from the editorial page of The New York Times."
Wow. That is just...wow. Let's parse this:
"What can he do?" His job as the Commander-In-Chief of, among other things, the Dept. of Homeland Security, which is legally tasked with protecting American citizens.
"...showing that the federal government's involved..." Ah, yes, the show! Start up the show! SHOW that the feds are "involved." Brilliant! Because it's the show that matters!
"...every critic from the editorial page of the New York Times." Okay, the GOP doesn't like the NYT (although they SHOULD, since the NYT helped them launch an illegal war in Iraq and helped them bury federal crimes committed by Karl Rove that would probably have derailed the 2004 election). But really, Mr. Bush, do you really think that the only critics are on the editorial page of the Times? Here's a short list of some critics you might be more used to listening to: Newt Gingrich, Shepherd Smith, the Times-Picayune, Republican Senator Vitter.
Pathetic.