Posted by
Rogue Historian on Thursday, August 31, 2006 12:43:37 AM
I think GWB should read Adam Smith. Bush's spate of pandering to race-baiters and hate-mongers probably originates from a genuine place. I firmly believe that Bush is a very nice man who is genuinely appalled by human cruelty and suffering. However, his compassion has led him astray.
There is a vast difference between conspiracy and incompetence. Bush's administration seriously bungled the Katrina recovery, but so did every level of government. Bush has accepted "full responsibility" for the failures of the Feds. I admire him for it. But the consequence of over-playing the compassion card is that it creates an unrealistic expectation. A disaster the size and scope of Katrina (or Whitey, see below) cannot be effectively managed. That is what a disaster is: an unmanageable contingency.
I think Bush's acceptance is emblemmatic of how Americans have lost a sense of proportion. Guilt should be proportional to responsibility. If I drive drunk and hurt an innocent person, I bear full and total responsibility. If my second-cousin does the same, I should feel compassion for the victim but not guilt or shame (assuming I couldn't have stopped the event).
The current moral climate in America is eerily reminiscent of 1984, the novel. Americans need to rediscover the courage to call things as they are. True compassion must be built on a base of reason and proportion. Bush can't spend enough money, or go to the Big Easy enough times, to convince his detractors that he isn't a racist.