That Rove. . . is there anything he can't do?

Today's CNN/gallup poll shows only 13% of those surveyed think failures in the aftermath were Bush's fault.

Who says people can't think for themselves.

Isn't that amazing considering the media DELUGE of negativity and blame put on Bush this past week???

"It's all Rove's fault."

Man, that is so simplistic. The reality-based community is much smarter than the likes of us--just ask them!--and they have a far more nuanced understanding of how Rove controls you, me, and the forces of nature. Here's how one commenter at Kos described it:

Rove and the GOP are slowly resuming command of the images we are seeing. Instead of the horror we've watched, we'll see more and more touching stories of survival. Then more feel good (about ourselves) stories. Slowly we'll begin to feel as if everything will be okay.

The tide is definitely turning. I have seen the "Nagin used to be a Republican" meme making its appearance on many lib sites. The writing is on the wall, and they are gently easing him towards the plank.

Instead of the horror we've watched, we'll see more and more touching stories of survival. Then more feel good (about ourselves) stories. Slowly we'll begin to feel as if everything will be okay.

This morning, an NPRnik (can't remember which), said Bush was doing something "in spite of" (or maybe because of?) the damage the response has done to his popularity ...

wag that dog.

I've seen in some places, including Geraldo pontificating on Fox, they're trying to downplay the bus fleet. One common meme is 'where would they have gone?'

This shows the incredibly limited thinking of these people. The simple answer is 'anywhere beyond the area likely to be affected by the hurricane.' It's that friggin' simple. People who are out of harms way, even in discomfort, are better off than wading through waistdeep poison. Get out of the danger zone, pull up to the city hall of whatever town you find yourself in, walk in and explain these people need some help for a week or so until the situation has developed further and the next step is known.

Even keeping the buses in the NO vicinity but on high ground would have been a major improvement. When destinations like Houston became official the means of moving over 10,000 people would have been at hand. The crowding and resource limits would have been alleviated that much sooner.

Even just sitting still the bus fleet could have been useful. Simply offering an alternative shelter from the rain to those jampacked into the Superdome and Convention Center could have saved some lives.

That fleet was a resource of immense value but was utterly squandered.

'where would they have gone?'

Your answer is absolutely correct, epobirs. They should have gone to every single church, community center and/or gymnasium that was N, NW, NE of the city. Anywhere there is higher ground BEFORE the storm hit. Those places might have been adversely affected by the actual hurricane, but at least the people would have been out of the city before the levee broke, which everyone knew was potential.

They might to have been able to get everyone (who wanted to leave but couldn't), but the fact is THEY DIDN'T EVEN TRY!

I "did" preview: "They might NOT have been able to get everyone......

but the fact is THEY DIDN'T EVEN TRY!

Its the victim mentality - doing anything would be futile, so why bother doing anything.

Where would they have gone??? Christ, haven't these people ever looked at a road map? Gee, guys, I dunno -- how about AWAY.

Damn. I would pay money to see someone go off on these dorks in their air-conditioned studios.

Not only weren't the buses used to evacuate the poorest citizens of New Orleans, they weren't even used to give people a ride to the Superdome ! (where no food or water or blankets or supplies had been pre-positioned, and which was wholly unsecured by police...who didn't have boats...or the authority to shoot looters... Why did Kark Rove allow that to happen? Those buses weren't even moved to higher ground so they could be of use later, and are now under water and destroyed.

On National People's Radio this morning, I heard an "expert" opine his fears that Halliburton would be in charge of the re-construction of the Big Sleazy. That's right: Halliburton. He wasn't calling from New Orleans, so it's possible he wasn't toxic, or already drunk.

Doesn't that "expert" know what we all know? That Halliburton already did it's part? By building "Karl Rove's Fantastic Tesla Weather Machine! " (patent pending)...with war-profit money...and entrenched it deep beneath an all-white, males only golf course?

Here in Oklahoma they're opening Falls Creek, probably the biggest Baptist camp in OK for 3,000 evacuees. There were so many volunteers that by mid-morning they'd turned away a few hundred people. They had more people than they had work to be done. Then they announced everything is on stand by. The evacuees are probably still coming, but not right away.

We also had a couple of small towns get together and set up shelters for unmarried moms and their kids. They got all the way down to Houston and the women said they changed their minds about going. So the town offered the housing to anybody that wanted to go.

Personal note: One of my coworkers got activated by the OK NG for Katrina duty. He just got back from a tour of Iraq.

Here in Maine, they're thinking of opening the former Loring Air Force Base.

The average daily temp in January in NOLA is 51 degrees. The temp at the same time in Limestone is 11.

Cold hurts up here.

Some new revelations about who was keeping the Red Cross away from the Superdome. Looks like Blanco's people weren't letting them in, working on orders from The Rove©, no doubt.

Holy crap.

Holy. Crap.

Is it just me, or is this just a pattern on the left? They see an opportunity and jump at it with limited information. More facts come out, proving their initial assumptions wrong.

The media just drops the story, quietly.

Oh yeah blame bush becuase of the kyoto treaty why dont the eco-weenies for GREENPEACE go and stop being so stupid

I just saw this picture over at protein wisdom. Ugh. What a mess.