Re: How Bush Blew it
By Evan Thomas
Newsweek September 19, 2005 issue
Katrina and the Blame Game

THERE IS PLENTY OF BLAME to go around in the lack of immediate local, state and federal response to the Hurricane Katrina crisis. President Bush has accepted responsibility for federal failures. However, his well-known enemies continue to target him without holding the Louisiana governor or New Orleans mayor's feet to the fire.

Clearly, the Katrina disaster has been reduced to mindless, hateful politics beyond reason and common sense, deepening social, political and economic divisions that are dangerous to our national health and security. Maybe the time has come for nonpartisan elections and government. Our survival may very well depend on it.

Daniel B. Jeffs
Apple Valley, Calif.

***

Below is the unedited letter sent to Newsweek on September 14, 2005:

The lack of immediate local, state and federal response to the Hurricane Katrina crisis notwithstanding, there is plenty of blame to go around. President Bush has accepted responsibility for federal failures, however, his well-known enemies continue to target him without holding Louisiana's governor or New Orleans' mayor's feet to the fires generated by the same partisan reactionaries.

Unfortunately, there are dangerous, yet painfully familiar, games being played in the process. Using a horrific natural disaster for rancorous partisan attacks by biased news media, racial antagonists, radical activists and opportunistic politicians is simply unconscionable.

Indeed, the escalating blame, shame and demonization game going on over the tragic losses and devastation caused by Katrina amounts to little more than self-serving exploitation of human suffering for political gain.