The Smear Begins

Desperate to save face, Rove goes right to page one of the playbook. Smear your enemies, blame everyone else. Why sufffer the slings and arrows of accountability when that works so well?

This from Salon.com. Hat tip to Democratic Underground.com for the link.

Karl Rove has dispatched George W. Bush back to Louisiana and Mississippi this morning, presumably with marching orders to show the sort of respect and compassion he failed to muster his first time around last week. Meanwhile, all the president's men -- and the president himself -- are trying to shift the blame for the Katrina response from the White House to state and local officials.

As usual, however, the White House spin game is a little less than honest. The Washington Post reported on Sunday morning that a "senior Bush official" had complained that, as of Saturday, the governor of Louisiana -- who just happens to be a Democrat -- had not yet declared a state of emergency. Kathleen Blanco, meet Cindy Sheehan. Or Joseph Wilson. Or Paul O'Neill. Or John McCain.

Only this time, the media is on to the game, at least belatedly. As Scott Rosenberg notes, Gov. Blanco did, in fact, declare a state of emergency. She did it on Aug. 26, when George W. Bush was on vacation. The Post has posted a correction.

Shall we say "had to post a correction because they were caught?" No fact checker at the WP? Why bother. Wastes time getting out the spin. And the nation has been asleep for so long, no one's complained too much yet. Until now. Until we may have a tragedy where the dead may surpass 9/11. Where the enemy doesn't have a face. And so the only face in the reflection of the stagnant pools of death, is the face of the one in charge, the one who might have helped saved even ONE LIFE if he had moved faster in 9 different ways in the last nine days. Presdient Bush.

More at Salon.com... (requires day pass)

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/index.html?blog=...