Reader: What Would You Do As President?

A conservative reader, challenging me on my criticism of President Bush, writes:

Dear Yellow Dawg,

Why is it that whenever something bad happens in our country, the first thing you liberals do is try to place the blame on President Bush? Do you think he caused the hurricane? Just what the hell would you have done differently with such a horrible situation? Do you know what stresses and constraints he deals with? I didn't think so.

[Name withheld on request]


Dear Reader;

I place responsibility where it should be placed. The war in Iraq: President Bush's fault. If I drive fast and get a ticket: My fault. If you write to a liberal blogger and he makes fun of your opinions in public: Your fault.

See how it works?

Now, Bush's ignorance of global warming and the possible impacts of that on Gulf hurricanes aside, I haven't seen or heard one person blame President Bush for the hurricane itself.

But, allowing people to drown and die of thirst while a lengthy vacation continues: Bush's fault.

I would have done many things differently but, for the sake of brevity, I'll give one concrete example, based on authority I'm pretty damn sure the president has. Sample dialog from the Geiger Oval Office:

Chief of Staff: Mr. President, we have tens of thousands of people trapped in the Louisiana Superdome with no power and little food and water – what should we do?

President Geiger: Is the airspace in Southern Louisiana secure?

Chief of Staff: Yes, sir, it is.

President Geiger: Can we airlift supplies in?

Chief of Staff: Yes, sir. Though the amount of water on the ground may complicate matters.

President Geiger: Does it make it impossible?

Chief of Staff: No, sir.

President Geiger: It's now 9:00 AM. I want 500 pallets of bottled water in or around the Superdome. I want 30,000 Army MRE kits there. I want diapers, bandages, 100 doctors and 500 nurses there. I want all of this there by 6:00 PM. tonight – get it done.

I also want 500 buses there. Give me a status by 6:00 PM on when that will happen. I'm also going to the Superdome tomorrow – arrange it.

Now admittedly, I may be stretching to assume that the leader of the free world has the authority to make such demands, but I think a U.S. president could probably pull it off. That is, unless that president is too stupid to think of things this basic or just flat-out doesn't care.

Which is true of President Bush, dear reader?