Classical Values :: Damning reactions are tough to coordinate . . .

September 08, 2005

Damning reactions are tough to coordinate . . .

Another day, another moral lecture. Trudy Rubin, writing in today's Philadelphia Inquirer, blames problems in New Orleans on Bush's "tax cuts for the rich," and says we're losing the "support" of our "friends" around the world.

A trip to Paris last weekend made me painfully aware of the global impact of Hurricane Katrina.

The tardy national response to the suffering and death in New Orleans shocked both those who admire and those who criticize the American superpower. It caused foreigners to ask whether America is indeed a power in decline. If it can't protect its own, how can it aspire to lead others?

The Bush administration, which seems to believe its own spin, may not recognize the damage done to America's image. It should be paying attention. Unless reversed, the foreign perception of American incompetence will further erode America's influence and interests abroad.

The question I was asked repeatedly at a conference in Paris was: "How could this happen in the world's most powerful country?" At informal discussions at this gathering of Mideast specialists, I found most attendees believed the New Orleans debacle would contribute to a hasty exit of U.S. troops from Iraq.

While there's more (including a rather odd comparison of Bush at New Orleans to Putin at Beslan), it's pretty much a rehash of Sunday's lecture which she began by announcing that "there's something ghoulishly fitting about talking by phone to Baghdad while watching the chaos in New Orleans." (More here.)

Certainly, it's a feat of mental coordination. Especially considering that Ms. Rubin managed to do all that and attend a "conference in Paris" characterized as a "damning reaction from America's friends." Such friends obviously need help from journalists like Ms. Rubin.

Once again, I think "ghoulishly fitting" pretty well sums it up.

MORE: While only 13% of Americans blame Bush for New Orleans, this hard core corps are doing the best they can to hound the rest. I'm struck by the fact that Katrina only exacerbated social problems which that 13% would blame on Bush anyway. Whether the blame-Bushathon will succeed remains to be seen. People might get as tired of it as I am. But then, I was tired of it before the hurricane.

Long drive today; back much later.

posted by Eric on 09.08.05 at 08:15 AM

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Comments

These moralistic types remind me of what we used to call mugwupms, they sit on the fence,(mug on one side, wump on the other) try to support and or condemn everything, do nothing to help and see all the problems after they happen.
An I.Q. at least equal to hat size is probably a requirement for that position.
Blaming someone else is a most convienient way of avoiding personal effort/expense.
We need more doers, (only people who do nothing avoid mistakes) less blamers.
Hugh

h.scheie · September 8, 2005 11:24 AM

At least Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop survived (it appears) and their "killer" Hurricanes. I see you're now quoting Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman???? Oddly enough, my father is now somewhat critical of Reagan, having just read a new book about him. He loathes George Bush. We both liked the David Brooks column in the Sunday Times. I thought the Coast Guard did a tremendous job, as did the Louisiana utility companies, the Red Cross, local churches, New Orleans police, etc. But where were the food and water drop shipments? That's a big boo boo. Even Matson has a better emergency response plan in place. These people weren't lost in the Sierras. They were on national TV waiting days for food and water (in that hot New Orleans sun). The Coast Guard was out there right away rescuing people (their job -- well done). The dramatic arrival of the "calvary" on Friday was pathetic. How did they get there? Via the Panama Canal? Aloha.

Ug Lee · September 8, 2005 03:01 PM

The French Quarter is fine. That's because it wasn't built on a drained swamp, but an island.

I read that the state of Lousiana kept the Red Cross and the Salvation Army from providing food or water. They didn't want to do anything that might encourage them to stay:

http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html

http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/2005/09/weve_got_it_und.shtml#010817

I'm sure that's why food and water were not dropped, and I think it's a disgrace. Now they're using fatal force to remove people who don't want to leave. I'm not trying to blame anyone for the flood, but there's a lot that's gone wrong with the way the victims are being treated. I don't see think people should have been evacuated by force, but I don't think they should blame others for the damage caused by their decision to stay behind.

Eric Scheie · September 8, 2005 06:48 PM

Video of Red Cross denial of entry here:

http://thepoliticalteen.net/2005/09/08/garretredcross/

Eric Scheie · September 8, 2005 08:06 PM

They should have evacuated!

Red Peters · September 8, 2005 09:03 PM

I was going to fisk that editorial but I didn't think it was worth it. I will, however, make two points:

1) Great powers do not suffer natural disasters such as hurricanes? Was not Mt. Vesuvius right in the middle of the Roman Empire?

2) Present-day France calling America a declining power is like a corpse calling a middle-aged man senile. Harsh, I know, and tragic, as France was onxe the center of Western civilization, but that is just the tragedy of it and the irony of that comment.

Steven Malcolm Anderson the Lesbian-worshipping man's-man-admiring myth-based egoist · September 9, 2005 01:09 AM

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