Presidential Paralysis

GWB: President George W. Bush looks out over devastation from Hurricane Katrina as he heads back to Washington DC Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005, aboard Air Force One. White House photo by Paul Morse
White House photo by Paul Morse

One year later… Hurricane Katrina continues to wreak havoc on the nation and its hapless President. This moment on Air Force One, as Bush surveys the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, symbolizes the impotency of his government’s response… a sense of paralysis that permeates his ineffective actions on multiple fronts.

As the President floats high above reality in his perfect bubble, the aerial view may be spectacular, the altitude intoxicating, the service exquisite, but meanwhile, there is a burning chaos that eats away life on the ground.

He had better hope he never has to land.