My 382 word LTTE on Bush, Responsibility and Accountability

[expatriot]

I started writing this earler today and then reframed it around his speech tonight. I am off to bed. Will look at comments tomorrow morning before I send it off. Thanks.
on edit: added line breaks in between paragraphs.
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Bush’s admission of responsibility “for the problem” is nothing more than a pathetic plea bargain to avoid accountability. Upon his emergency and disaster declarations of August 27th and 28th, Bush, as chief executive of the federal government, accepted primary responsibility for the relief and rescue efforts. The Stafford Act grants Bush the authority to deploy the armed forces in a disaster area to protect life and property for ten days and to unilaterally assume direct control of relief efforts at all levels of government if he believes state and local resources to be misappropriated due to either incapacity or incompetence.

Bush is legally obligated to maintain “situational awareness” of major threats to American life and property but he appears to have contracted this duty out to the media. Who knows how much longer the desperate survivors of the Gulf Coast would have had to wait for Rove to respond if it were not for fear of the political fallout due to the passionate reporting on the increasingly dire situation.

No number of whitewashed damage control photo-ops of Bush embracing black children with feigned compassion or of his trademark swagger with his sleeves rolled up will ease the collective trauma of seeing one of the greatest American cities left to drown in desperate agony unaided while our President strummed blissfully on a guitar in California.

While Bush’s campaigns of cronyism, under-funding and privatization have pummeled our public sector mercilessly for years, this great nation could have responded immediately and overwhelmingly if Bush had given it priority. Active duty and guard units across the country could have been deployed to the Gulf Coast within the first hours and days of the crisis to provide immediate relief and security if it were not for their Commander in Chief’s dereliction of duty. While our President advocates a policy of pre-emptive action abroad, he supports a policy of delayed response here at home.

Bush says that he is responsible for the problem and for the solution. America can’t afford any more of this man’s solutions. We can’t afford any more month-long August vacations paid for by September tragedies. The American people have risen to the occasion to assist their displaced brothers and sisters of the Gulf not because of Bush’s leadership, but in spite of it.

[Kenneth ken]

1. excellent! n/t

[DELUSIONAL]

2. Right on!

The Commander and Chief didn't use his existing power -- he failed.

[baron j]

3. Perfect.

There should be awards for LTTE.

[hwmnbn]

4. BAM!!!!...

You hit it out of the park! Wonderful letter. You systematically knocked down all his bullshit and nailed his whole pResidency in the final paragraph. Beautiful.

[chalky]

5. Can I get a "HELL, YEAH!"

Love, love, LOVE that last paragraph:

Bush says that he is responsible for the problem and for the solution. America can’t afford any more of this man’s solutions. We can’t afford any more month-long August vacations paid for by September tragedies. The American people have risen to the occasion to assist their displaced brothers and sisters of the Gulf not because of Bush’s leadership, but in spite of it.

:applause:

[CoffeeCat]

6. Holey Crikey!

That was a damn good LTTE!

I hope it is printed in full.

Do you know how many people will be ecstatic to see this?

Many people--while having their morning coffee or reading the paper after dinner--will be inspired, relieved and grateful for your words.

DAMN GOOD JOB!!!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. Excellent

you have summed up Bush's responsibility in a precise manner in your first two paragraphs. I'm bookmarking this thread so I can refer back to it as needed.

[CitrusLib]

8. Awesome!!!

[Lochloosa]

9. One question....

May I borrow it?

[expatriot]

14. Have at her! it'd be my honor. :) nt

[expatriot]

16. if you borrow it, consider suggestions in Response #10

I sent it before I read the suggestions but they are good points to consider.

[Lochloosa]

19. Thanks, I'll let you know what happens....

[gratuitous]

10. Very good

One or two points: I'd take the reference to Rove out of the second paragraph, and replace it with "the administration." We all dislike Karl Rove and his cynical political manipulation of every situation, even a tragedy. But I think there's enough culpability here to spread the blame to the entire corrupt Bush administration.

In the fourth paragraph, I'd recast the first sentence to change the immediate problem from Bush's prioritization to Bush's indifference. Being the president of all the citizenry instead of just his benefactors, friends and cronies has never been a priority for Bush. But the rest of the graf sums up your point very well.

The last paragraph is fine gold.

[expatriot]

15. ah shucks. good points. i just didn't read the comments before I sent it!

These are good points for anyone thinking of borrowing it to consider.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

11. "... month-long August vacations paid for by September tragedies...."

Good one.

[StudentOfDarrow]

12. Great job!

Keep it up.

[expatriot]

13. Newer, 345 word version and thanks to all for your encouragement!

My paper recommends that letters be under 350 words and that words over that number will be subject to either delayed publication or editing for length so I needed to get it under 350 and here it is.

******************************
Bush’s admission of responsibility “for the problem” is nothing more than a pathetic plea bargain to avoid accountability. Upon his emergency and disaster declarations of August 27th and 28th, Bush, as chief executive of the federal government, accepted primary responsibility for the relief and rescue efforts.

The Stafford Act and National Response Plan grant Bush the authority to deploy the military in declared disaster areas to protect life and property for ten days(S403.c) and to assume direct control of all relief efforts(S402.1) if he believes state and local resources to be misappropriated due to either incapacity or incompetence.

Bush is legally obligated to maintain “situational awareness” of major threats to American life and property but he appears to have contracted this duty out to the media. Who knows how much longer it would have taken Rove to respond if it were not for fear of the political fallout due to the passionate reporting from the Gulf.

No number of damage control photo-ops of Bush embracing black children with feigned compassion can ease the collective trauma of seeing one of our greatest cities left to drown in desperate agony while our President strummed blissfully on a guitar in California.

While Bush’s campaigns of cronyism, under-funding and privatization have pummeled our public sector mercilessly for years, we could have responded immediately and overwhelmingly if Bush had given it priority. Active duty and guard units across the country could have been deployed to the Gulf within the first hours of the crisis to provide relief and security if it were not for their Commander in Chief’s dereliction of duty. Bush advocates pre-emptive action abroad, he appears to advocate a more delayed response here at home.

Bush says that he is responsible for both the problem and the solution yet America can’t afford any more of this man’s solutions. We can’t afford any more month-long August vacations paid for by September tragedies. The American people have risen to the occasion to assist their displaced brothers and sisters of the Gulf not because of Bush’s leadership, but in spite of it.

[sepia_steel]

17. Wow!!!

We can’t afford any more month-long August vacations paid for by September tragedies.

So perfectly put! GREAT LETTER!

[ArkDem]

18. This LTTE could very well change the world!

[hippiegranny]

20. the last paragraph ROCKS!!!!!

wow, that is great, just GREAT!

[Joe Chi Minh]

21. A particularly telling and elegantly made point in your letter,

and the bitterest of ironies, is expressed by your insight: "while our President advocates a policy of pre-emptive action abroad, he supports a policy of delayed response here at home".

Don Quixote, having more senior moments - tilting at imaginary weapons of mass destruction abroad, while positively courting real weapons of mass destruction at home. Don Quixote's lady love wasn't called Katrina, was she, by any chance?