The Press Is Waking Up

After a nice almost-five-year nap, it looks like the press is starting to wake up and take a look around at the present state of our leadership. Paul Krugman (who, in fairness, has never been asleep) leads the charge in today's NYTimes:

I don't think this is a simple tale of incompetence. The reason the military wasn't rushed in to help along the Gulf Coast is, I believe, the same reason nothing was done to stop looting after the fall of Baghdad. Flood control was neglected for the same reason our troops in Iraq didn't get adequate armor.

At a fundamental level, I'd argue, our current leaders just aren't serious about some of the essential functions of government. They like waging war, but they don't like providing security, rescuing those in need or spending on preventive measures. And they never, ever ask for shared sacrifice.

Even the normally way right-wing Manchester Union-Leader

("A better leader would have flown straight to the disaster zone and announced the immediate mobilization of every available resource to rescue the stranded, find and bury the dead, and keep the survivors fed, clothed, sheltered and free of disease")

and The Washington Times

("Troops are finally moving into New Orleans in realistic numbers, and it's past time. What took the government so long? . . . We expected to see, many hours ago, the president we saw standing atop the ruin of the World Trade Center, rallying a dazed country to action. We're pleased he finally caught a ride home from his vacation, but he risks losing the one trait his critics have never dented: His ability to lead, and be seen leading")

can't ignore it any longer. The list of journalists coming around is long and getting longer: Koppel on Nightline, Anderson Cooper, Aaron Brown, Jack Cafferty, Paula Zahn, even Limbaugh's girlfriend Daryn Kagen (no, I'm aware of no FOX News personnel who've stopped partaking of the Kool-Aid, but I'll be happy to list them if they jump on the bandwagon). Crooks and Liars is a great place to see some of this on video, so click over and scroll through. There seem to be too many press outbursts at the moment to take note of every one, but I'll try to pass along those that really catch my eye.