One great improvement over yesterday, we're no longer brushing off the offers of foreign aid. And Condi cut short her shopping trip in NYC. Cheney, it seems, is still on vacation).

Article in the Washington Monthly detailing the chronology of how the current administration has systematically gutted FEMA and buried our ability to respond: January 2001: Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster management.

As with prior hurricanes in Florida, and earthquakes in California, it seems clear to some people who is to blame:

The FEMA director and the Dept. of Homeland Security Director seem to have impressions of the situation that have no backing in actual reality. Their opinions and talking points are handily routed by the reports of people actually on the ground there.

In fact, it seems that, according to Brown (FEMA director, a man who's previous job must have been some stellar credentials, except for the whole getting fired part), "the federal government did not even know about the Convention Center people until today." The "today" in that statement was Thursday, September 1. Oddly-enough, the rest of the country seemed to know about those people while Bush was still on vacation.

And speaking of which, no look at a colossal disaster is complete without dropping in on the Big Guy. Sometime either before of after the latest staged photo-op, Bush had time to comfort some victims in Biloxi, Miss.:

To the tune of, "America Fuck Yeah!" (accoustic mix)