It turns out, not surprisingly, that the areas Bush toured in Biloxi were cleaned up only for his visit and then abandoned. Also unsurprisingly, the only reporting on this issue comes from German TV network ZDF. The American media is apparently taken in by the deception.
Why is this a problem? Let me count the ways.
- The public is deceived. We are shown photos of cleanup and rescue efforts, and we believe that our nation has turned a corner in this crisis.
- Bush is deceived. He sees cleanup going on; he believes that real progress is being made. His keepers don't allow him to see anything different. Or else he is complicit in the deception. (Which is worse? I can't decide.)
- The amount of effort that is dedicated to making select locations look good for the camera directs disaster workers' attentions away from areas where needs are more urgent.
Kevin Drum at Washington Monthly rages about the Bush Administration's shallow promises, backed up only by staged photo shoots. Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu is absolutely right that the people affected by Hurricane Katrina deserve far better,
but I don't know why anyone's surprised at the Administration's posturing. They've systematically destroyed our federal government's ability to respond to catastrophe (by putting inept political appointees in charge and slashing budgets), so now there isn't much they can do besides try to shift blame and create a facade of progress.
Unfortunately for them, facades don't last very long. (Remember the declaration of victory more than two years ago? Yeah.) Unfortunately for us, I the mainstream media has a history of silently ignoring the uncomfortable truth when it comes out. I hope that doesn't happen this time. The accountability-free moments
need to end. (Thanks to Josh Marshall for the phrase.)
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