There's a new Vanity Fair article on the Bush years - her's a preview of it....
Ex-aides say Bush never recovered from Katrina
WASHINGTON — Hurricane Katrina not only pulverized the Gulf Coast in 2005, it knocked the bully pulpit out from under President George W. Bush, according to two former advisers who spoke candidly about the political impact of the government's poor handling of the natural disaster.
"Katrina to me was the tipping point," said Matthew Dowd, Bush's pollster and chief strategist for the 2004 presidential campaign. "The president broke his bond with the public. Once that bond was broken, he no longer had the capacity to talk to the American public. State of the Union addresses? It didn't matter. Legislative initiatives? It didn't matter. P.R.? It didn't matter. Travel? It didn't matter."
Dan Bartlett, former White House communications director and later counselor to the president, said: "Politically, it was the final nail in the coffin."
...
Lawrence Wilkerson, top aide and later chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, said that as a new president, Bush was like Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee whom critics said lacked knowledge about foreign affairs. When Bush first came into office, he was surrounded by experienced advisers like Vice President Dick Cheney and Powell, who Wilkerson said ended up playing damage control for the president.
"It allowed everybody to believe that this Sarah Palin-like president _ because, let's face it, that's what he was _ was going to be protected by this national-security elite, tested in the cauldrons of fire," Wilkerson said, adding that he considered Cheney probably the "most astute, bureaucratic entrepreneur" he'd ever met.
Now
they tell us. (But of course, back then no one knew who Palin was, so they lacked the basis of comparison.)
Oh Jen, what a drag. Wallet losing is so unsettling.
As previously reported, the last time I lost mine, I highly recommend including something that looks like a minister's id in your wallet. There is no other reason I got mine back last time with all card intact and no fishy business. No cash of course, but that was my own damn fault.
Thanks for the wiki link Steph. I'm loving Chuck more every minute.
As for Katrina doing Shrub in...I honestly believe that administration was never righted (no pun intended) after 9/11.
"Katrina to me was the tipping point," said Matthew Dowd, Bush's pollster and chief strategist for the 2004 presidential campaign. "The president broke his bond with the public. Once that bond was broken, he no longer had the capacity to talk to the American public. State of the Union addresses? It didn't matter. Legislative initiatives? It didn't matter. P.R.? It didn't matter. Travel? It didn't matter."
I wouldn't call it "breaking a bond," but I agree that Katrina was a tipping point. It wasn't so much a lack of capacity to talk to the American public -- more that, after Katrina, America no longer wanted to hear what he had to say.
Puppy picspam. [link]
This is how they're currently sitting. By my desk. My foot is under there somewhere.
Barb! I was cleaning out my desk and found a packet of letters for you that I never sent. of course, now I can't find your address. Can you please e it to me? msgullo at gmail dot com. Thanks!
My uncle just became my friend on Facebook. I'm not sure how I feel about this.
I have too many categories of people in Facebook, I'd like it if FB had group level access control.
Sorry to hear about your job Shir.
Dude, Jesus was WAY cool.
I love it that he was exactly the kind of person his most vociferous followers would condemn as a bleeding-heart Dirty Hippie these days.
Whenever my mom gets snotty about people wearing less than Sunday best to church, I fire back with "So Jesus had a dress code for the lepers, beggars, and whores he ministered to, did he?"
Hilarious & Crazy Signage, Part 12
My fave is the sign that says "Dog Crossing" with another sign below it that says:
Old Dog
Young Dog
Several Stupid Dogs
Please Drive Slowly
Also the "Please No Defecating on Subway" sign. (The CTA could use such a sign, based on one experience I had.)
