I saw, Steph. sighhhhh

I just want to shake him until his teeth rattle.

And then I want to send him in, alone, to spend the night in the Superdome.

I'm so tired of being ashamed of our president. It's not just that he can't or won't solve important problems, it's that he doesn't even see that the problems exist.

Yep. And after seeing his speech a few minutes ago, the shame is ever-enduring.

This is the quote CNN has on its front page from what Bush just said:

Bush in New Orleans: We have got a lot of work to do and it seems dark right now.

Can you believe that he is so inarticulate?

The Saints home opener for the Giants has been moved to Giants Stadium.

Warwick Dunn has called out all the NFL players, except the Saints, to donate $5000 to hurricane relief. The Falcons have already committed over $260,000.

And now Deion Sanders is challenging all pro athletes to donate at least $1000.

Wish someone would challenge the GOP to do the same.

I'm so tired of being ashamed of our president.

And I'm ashamed to be an American, 'Cause we can't do anything. And I won't forget the bureaucrats Who couldn't stop the suffering And I'm sheepishly slouch down next to you and shake my head in shame Cause there ain't no doubt I hate Dubya God damn the USA!

Gah! Not only is foreign aid beneath the feds' interest, so is local domestic aid:

Even before the storm hit the Gulf Coast on Monday, [Mayor Daley of Chicago] said, the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications had contacted emergency response agencies in Illinois and Washington.

In the event of a disaster, the city offered to send 44 Chicago Fire Department rescue and medical personnel and their gear, more than 100 Chicago police officers, 140 Streets and Sanitation, 146 Public Health and 8 Human Services workers, and a fleet of vehicles including 29 trucks, two boats and a mobile clinic.

"So far FEMA has requested only one piece of equipment -- a tank truck to support the Illinois Emergency Response Team, which is already down there," Daley said. "The tank truck is on its way. We are awaiting further instructions from FEMA."

Sooner or later, local agencies are going to say "To hell with FEMA, we're going down there on our own recognizance."

dailykos:

Senate Finance Committee members were informed this morning that Sen. Bill Frist will move forward with a vote to permanently repeal the estate tax next week, likely on Tuesday, ThinkProgress has learned.

One stands in awe of Sen. Frist's timing. Permanently repealing the estate tax would be a major blow to the nation's charities. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has "found that the estate tax encourages wealthy individuals to donate considerably more to charity , since estate tax liability is reduced through donations made both during life and at death." If there were no estate tax in 2000, for example, "charitable donations would have been between $13 billion to $25 billion lower than they actually were."

"I am surprised at the Republican leadership's insensitivity toward the events of the last week. With thousands presumed dead after Hurricane Katrina and families uprooted all along the Gulf Coast, giving tax breaks to millionaires should be the last thing on the Senate's agenda. I understand that the Senate shouldn't grind to a halt as a result of Hurricane Katrina, but there are issues that are of much greater importance both to the people directly affected by the hurricane as well as the nation as a whole than estate tax repeal.

“This shouldn't even be a choice. Families have been torn apart and homes have been washed in four states. These victims deserve the Senate's time, not the handful of millionaires repealing the Estate Tax will affect. I once again urge Senator Frist to reconsider his decision. Gulf Coast families are counting on us. They are suffering, and they have no where else to turn. We owe it to them to make their safety and survival our top priority, and we should give them nothing less. Regardless of how one feels about the estate tax, we should all be able to agree that the Senate's attention should be on the victims of this crisis.

Why have Brown and Chertoff not been fired yet?

Create your own reality now, fuckos! These guys are a waste. Where's Guliani? He and Daley can team up. Or anyone who can actually plan, command and make decisions?

The video for the Koppel/FEMA director interview from last night is here.