Situational Awareness

Not much blogging here lately between late-summer travel, the start of the semester, conference planning, and a national disaster that dwarfs my ability to say anything useful.  (And really, that's the greatest tragedy, isn't it?  Not as much blogging.)  I'm always amazed by those who are able to immerse themselves into the political coverage and blogs and spin and come out with something cogent but I have neither the time nor the inclination to keep up with the inundation of words our political classes are trying to pour into the space left by the receding floodwaters.

So I'm grateful to those who have waded in with the goal of keeping our attention, our sympathy, and our ire focused right where they belong.  Doug Tonks has been providing a steady supply of clear-minded commentary on Katrina and the aftermath.  In his most recent post, Doug links to this article in which the Washington Post's Dan Froomkin observes that the mainstream media have finally started admitting what these folks were saying long ago.

It's about time the press started observing that Bush's willing departure from the "reality-based community" has led to terrible consequences, not just abroad but right here at home.  Like the hero of one of those postmodern novels his base claims September 11th rendered irrelevant, Bush has decided to create his own reality from the comfort of his seemingly permanent vacation.  Unlike most of those characters, reality has lashed back at him.  Maybe the jury's no longer out on global warming?  How about the importance of civic infrastructure?  The Department of Homeland Security?  The benefits of patronage?  Brownie?

Anyway, it's nice to see our media growing its adult teeth back, at least temporarily, although it's come a couple thousand people too late.  Apparently letting Americans die needlessly only becomes a problem once you start doing it at home.  (Incidentally, the Froomkin article ends with a discussion of how the Bush administration has used Katrina to hand out more no-bid contracts to old friends.  Read the whole thing.)

So the last couple of weeks haven't been any fun at all.  Well, not entirely: if I want incisive commentary on current events I can always go straight to old Flash covers.

Comments

[Douglas Tonks]

Thanks for the link, Marc, as well as the kind words. I hadn't intended to write so much about Katrina for so long, but it's the subject that just can't be ignored. The Superfrankenstein link was appreciated, too--nobody can connect comic book covers to current events like Tom Peyer.