Oh, we've all been there.

There are two sides to every sword. Some pols (like Bill Clinton) want to be the focal point and what better way to be seen on TV, news, etc. than go to the scene of some disaster. The other side is Bush, who truely cares for people and goes to make them feel that someone cares.

Yes both get in the way - but at least one is there to help and comfort.

Just as a side note. During one of the Presidential visits to Florida after one of the hurricanes, Marine One brought in not only the President but also a load of bottled water. Granted, it wasn't as much as a tractor trailer load but every little bit helps.

Sometimes having a high-profile job is going to get one whacked, no matter what.

DC's then-mayor, Marion ("The bitch set me up") Barry was away at the Superbowl when the city got clobbered by a snowstorm. While the city went into rigor mortis, he was blamed for being away. It's not as though he was actually going to pick up a shovel and dig everybody out, but his absence was duly noted and castigated.

"Showing the flag" does have psychological importance. That's why US ambassadors overseas have a disaster relief fund (about $50K) that they can immediately authorize when they deem it appropriate. Fifty thousand ain't a lot when it comes to major disasters, but the picture of an ambassador, on site, shows that attention is being paid. That's worth a lot more than $50K.

You're only human, and humans can be mean. How else do explain all the jokes involving the "short bus"?
Is Kevin still going to judge the Like X to X contest?

The ancient chinese called it the "Mandate of Heaven". This concept was primarily concerned with floods and flood control in the great river valleys. If these systems were allowed to go into disrepair and flooding or drought result (the casualties could be phenominal) the ruler lost he mandate and not only that he lacked virtue. Politics ain't changed a heck of lot has it?

Well done. One difference between Us and Them is that the good guys are able to pull up quickly & admit "My Bad" when appropriate.

Apologies, retractions, gifts -- you're going soft on us, Jay!

Julie, I thought women liked "sensitive" men.

Oh wait, thats only hippies, who are hard-lined women (who aspire to BECOME men).

It's good to know you can apologize when you get it completely wrong Jay. Sometimes those who've never been in situations Like Leadership from a military leader in a time of war ) think they know better. It's rarely the case, and thanks for rectifying what I found offensive.

It's easy for someone who hasn't held an elected office to fail to appreciate the irresistible pressures that politicians are under to make the right appearances at the right times and right places.

Very nicely done. And you're welcome. Glad you understood what you were missing - the human factor.

As to Kofi Annan and the UN, I couldn't agree more. I think we should send them al back to their country and demolish the damn building. Hell they all live here free.

Jay, is this a thread where we can share with the blogosphere who we think are schmucks? I have a few, a short list, still a list...

I'd never paid much attention to Willis and still won't but my list, unfortunately, includes a few rightwingers. Still schmucks. Worse, actually.

What I think it is is that, I agree with BillatINDC about the need for a certain restraint. Meaning, although I have a list of schmucks-and-worse-than-schmucks as to some bloggers (and the emails to prove it), it isn't productive to either author or to read authored personally maligning content. No one enjoys that beyond a certain flare -- and it leads to no result that is good, so why do it.

It makes sense to throw rocks back when someone throws them at you but it hasn't accomplished much throughout history near or far to do so, just accomplishes an escalation of more rocks. I think misinformation should be confronted and I try to do so when and if I can but I also try to leave the personal maligning out of things and focus on the reports, the information itself.

Again I write, I try to. No one's perfect, just that I make the effort, not caring at all for those I read who do otherwise, who use the internet to "blog" about other people as a form of putdown and worse, trashing.

- Its interesting that no one rushed down to Florida... press corps in tow.... to get to the bottom of that supposed huge block of FEMA money that went doen the public dole drain in a county that was essentially untouched by any of the storms....Nor did the Dem's say anything....Since public doles are their very essense, and even Liberals see the hypochracy once in awhile......

Just out of curiousity--if you all have taken The Pledge, why is Oliver the Racist (I'm part Cherokee, and I find the "Redskins" an offensive mascot) linked, twice, in your blogroll?