Remember Katrina? Remember Bush's pathetic response to Katrina? What you might not remember was who Bush was hanging out with while he was ignoring the plight of the people of New Orleans...



That's right: John McCain. Happy birthday, Johnny. Way to keep the president focused on what really matters.

This time, though, it would appear that instead of their usual policy of ignoring things that affect people making less than $5 million (all of whom are, to McCain, middle-class), the Republicans are actually going to pay attention if a hurricane hits New Orleans... because it's going to disrupt their convention.

First, McCain and his entourage visited a relief center in Mississippi today. This, of course, might do more harm than good, as a visiting presidential candidate requires not only Secret Service protection but also coordination with local public safety resources - resources that could probably be better put to use actually engaging in the relief effort instead of providing a presidential candidate a photo-op pretending to engage in the relief effort.

Second, they're changing their convention plans from a celebration - though I honestly have no idea what they have to celebrate - to a "service convention." Bush has apparently cancelled his appearance at the convention - probably even more welcome news for McCain as he tries to distance himself from a failed president - and the rest of the convention is probably going to be muted as well. I honestly can't knock that at all. As someone on another blog said, sometimes the right thing and the politically-expedient thing are the same.

But third - and this is the part that really chaps my hide - is this tidbit from the Politico, which has sources within the GOP:

McCain was scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech Thursday, but now may do so from the devastation zone if the storm hits the U.S. coast with the ferocity feared by forecasters.

Seriously? John McCain would divert massive resources from the relief effort - which will need to be huge even if the hurricane does minimal damage, but even more so "if the storm hits the U.S. coast with the ferocity feared by forecasters" - to make a political speech? A lot of cops, firefighters, security services, infrastructure, etc. would be necessary to provide for McCain to make his acceptance speech from the "devastation zone;" I know this from having been locked out of my workspace for about five hours by the Secret Service at Invesco on Thursday night. These things don't just happen. Is John McCain really so focused on November 5, and not on January 20 (or, for that matter, on the people of New Orleans), that he would really divert precious resources from actual disaster relief to a photo-op when they're needed most?

Sen. McCain, please do the right thing and stay the hell away from the Gulf Coast for the next week like Obama is doing. The people down there need to devote all their resources to getting people out of the area, bracing for the hurricane, and rebuilding and helping people afterward, not to backing up the Secret Service so you can get a photo-op and look presidential.

Labels: Hurricane Gustav, John McCain, Politics