Bush Has a Plan

Tonight, in an address to the nation, President Bush laid out his plan to rebuild the physical damage and to repair the emotional damage done by Hurricane Katrina.

Bush went on location to deliver his remarks. He spoke to the American people from New Orleans. Standing in Jackson Square in the French Quarter, Bush explained a number of concrete proposals to provide relief to the victims as the devastated area rebuilds.

The President didn't dance around the issues. In addition to his various programs and promises of aid, he discussed the problems with the government's initial response and the poverty that has permeated that portion of the country for generations.

I have to wonder how we will pay for all that he proposed; and I wonder how many of his promises will become reality. I'm sure there will be many battles over how to pay the bills. Also, I hope that the federal government carefully oversees all spending of federal relief dollars, particularly considering the corruption that is so deeply-rooted in Louisiana.

Putting those issues aside, for tonight at least, Bush delivered a message of hope, that the hurricane ravaged area will not only rebuild but will be better.

I think the President is taking this catastrophe and turning it into an opportunity to really help those previously trapped in the culture of poverty that flourishes in an entitlement society. Bush envisions home ownership and jobs taking the place of hand-outs.

The President wasn't afraid to take responsibility for the problems in rescue and relief efforts that occurred on the federal level.

He didn't highlight any of the unforgivable short-comings of Blanco and Nagin or point out the responsibility of states to be prepared for disasters, natural and man-made. Bush's speech was about going forward, not sniping about past mistakes or finger-pointing.

Clearly, the state and local governments in Louisiana failed miserably. Tonight, the President not only stepped in with federal funds, but also filled that shameful vacuum of leadership exhibited by Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin.

Transcript

(Excerpts)

When communities are rebuilt, they must be even better and stronger than before the storm. Within the Gulf region are some of the most beautiful and historic places in America. As all of us saw on television, there's also some deep, persistent poverty in this region, as well. That poverty has roots in a history of racial discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America. We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy of inequality. When the streets are rebuilt, there should be many new businesses, including minority-owned businesses, along those streets. When the houses are rebuilt, more families should own, not rent, those houses. When the regional economy revives, local people should be prepared for the jobs being created.

Americans want the Gulf Coast not just to survive, but to thrive; not just to cope, but to overcome. We want evacuees to come home, for the best of reasons -- because they have a real chance at a better life in a place they love.

...Four years after the frightening experience of September the 11th, Americans have every right to expect a more effective response in a time of emergency. When the federal government fails to meet such an obligation, I, as President, am responsible for the problem, and for the solution. So I've ordered every Cabinet Secretary to participate in a comprehensive review of the government response to the hurricane. This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina. We're going to review every action and make necessary changes, so that we are better prepared for any challenge of nature, or act of evil men, that could threaten our people.

...In the life of this nation, we have often been reminded that nature is an awesome force, and that all life is fragile. We're the heirs of men and women who lived through those first terrible winters at Jamestown and Plymouth, who rebuilt Chicago after a great fire, and San Francisco after a great earthquake, who reclaimed the prairie from the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Every time, the people of this land have come back from fire, flood, and storm to build anew -- and to build better than what we had before. Americans have never left our destiny to the whims of nature -- and we will not start now.

These trials have also reminded us that we are often stronger than we know -- with the help of grace and one another. They remind us of a hope beyond all pain and death, a God who welcomes the lost to a house not made with hands. And they remind us that we're tied together in this life, in this nation -- and that the despair of any touches us all.

I know that when you sit on the steps of a porch where a home once stood, or sleep on a cot in a crowded shelter, it is hard to imagine a bright future. But that future will come. The streets of Biloxi and Gulfport will again be filled with lovely homes and the sound of children playing. The churches of Alabama will have their broken steeples mended and their congregations whole. And here in New Orleans, the street cars will once again rumble down St. Charles, and the passionate soul of a great city will return.


Bush is doing what needs to be done, plain and simple. There are no hidden agendas. He's not acting to help Laura launch a Senate campaign in 2008. I don't think he cares about his legacy. He's not a slave to self-aggrandizement like the previous president.

I sincerely believe this isn't about political posturing or polls. He's done campaigning. Bush's sole concern is doing what's best for the American people. That's it.