Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Moderator Chris "Tweety" Matthews

Karl celebrated a late Mardi Gras last night.

GOP talking points spilled out of Tweety's pie hole like a backed up toilet during last night's mayorial debate--fortunately I was busy with chores and could only listen...

As I commented over at Moldy City, I can't afford a new TV right now, and if I'd actually been watching when Karl, um, Chris, suggested, without any hint of irony, that it's acceptable for the federal government to abandon the city because it's a DEMOCRATIC STRONGHOLD, I think I would've kicked out the screen.

Between that and the rest of his theatrically driven drivel--rude interruptions, incorrect statements/myths presented as "facts," the standard wingnut "cabdriver" story, etc., etc., genuine matters of public concern were lost. However, this hopefully generated some degree of national publicity, and neither Nagin nor Landrieu embarrassed themselves.

I even noted--with approval--Ray's statement about the "biggest budget" being that of the federal government...and, also in my comment, I mentioned a degree of concern about the political rhetoric of late: Yeah, there's an election going on, but I hope the idea--pushed, if not shoved, by Team Bush--that the mismanaged response was the result of local/state incompetence doesn't cement itself in national public opinion as a result.

Over and over I've pushed this post from Billmon, because I think it effectively sums up the issue. When pressed--or when it was politically expedient--this administration pulled out ALL the stops. When the political stakes no longer mattered, they yawned and proffered a half-hearted finger...in the face of genuine tragedy and dire need. And, when confronted with this abysmal, miserable failure, they've either played the blame game...or let their surrogates like Tweety do it for them.

You can find more about the debate--with additional links--here, here, here, here, here and here.

Meanwhile, more on the "Ray Nagin as Useful Idiot" theory here. h/t YRHT and Library Chronicles.

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