McCain Has Long Used The Troops -- Now It's On To New Orleans

I know, I know, I'm not coming off blogging hiatus until Tuesday, but Martin Bosworth has written a compelling piece today that I had to pass along. Apparently convinced that years of using American troops for his own political gain still makes him a piker in Republican circles, John Sidney McCain has announced that he will make a campaign stop in New Orleans on Thursday after Hurricane Gustav hits and just in time to take advantage of that city's next tragedy.

The GOP's presumptive nominee to become George W. Bush's third term in office will exploit/tour New Orleans' beleaguered Lower 9th Ward with Republican Governor Bobby Jindal -- who has obviously decided he has more loyalty to the Bush-McCain machine than to residents of his own state.

Here's Martin Bosworth:

Barack Obama, who spoke passionately about the need to better prepare ourselves to handle disasters like Katrina, wisely chose not to go to the Gulf Coast, for fear that he would be a distraction and divert necessary resources to protect him. John McCain, on the other hand, is not only going down to Mississippi to hang with fellow GOPer Haley Barbour, but wants to reorient the entire RNC to become some kind of telethon to accept donations while the storm hits. Because nothing says “compassionate conservatism” like rich white folks partying it up and taking a break to solemnly intone that they need your money to help those po’ black folk in that heathen city.

And it’s not like they haven’t spent billions on post-Katrina reconstruction anyway–oh, wait, they really haven’t.

Please go here to read the rest.

And can you imagine what kind of press releases the Republican National Committee would be cranking out if Obama had decided to make the same trip?