From the 23rd Floor

Wait, Karl Rove is in charge of the reconstruction efforts?

It was nice of George to step forward and address the nation 2 1/2 weeks after one of the worst natural disasters the country has ever suffered. That he waited so long doesn't exactly mean he's feeling contrite so much as it speaks to the political expediency of the moment. What with poll numbers dropping so low (oh, that little ebb amongst the Republican stalwart!) all that awful press, all that FEMA bumbling. Now isn't the time for finger pointing. No, sir! Now is the time to take a couple weeks to see if your plan to blame local and state officials gains any traction, and if not, well, then, head on down to offer a Marshall Plan. And make sure all that unprecedented federal spending lines the pockets of your buddies!

Of course, some of those so-called fiscal conservatives start getting itchy about throwing so much money at black folks. They're worried, like Republican Senator Jim DeMint, that "throwing more and more money without accountability at this is not going to solve the problem." I don't have time to look right now, but I'd hazard a guess that Jim has supported every Iraq spending bill that's come up since he was elected in '04 without caring all that much that we've been unloading upwards of over a billion a week in that fiasco without much in the way of what legitimitly could be be called accountability.

Cathy's here. I'm writing from my in-law's apartment. We're heading out to celebrate my new job.