Powell
Powell slams hurricane response.
I like Colin Powell. I appreciate his trying to deflect the racism card that has been batted around. I agree that it's more an economic issue. It's just that unfortunately the face of poverty is too often African/American.
Gotta Go
Kenny
I like Colin Powell. I appreciate his trying to deflect the racism card that has been batted around. I agree that it's more an economic issue. It's just that unfortunately the face of poverty is too often African/American.
Gotta Go
Kenny
posted by Kenny at 1:57 PM
1 Comments:
I agree, Kenny...it's nice to have a prominent African American deflecting the race card, right now...which is a silly non-issue that sucks up limited attention that is needed on ways of dealing with this situation...
I do take some serious issue with Colin in this interview, however...
I'm not quite sure why Colin Powell thinks that he should be consulted an expert on the matter...my suspicion is that he's still upset about being left to hang out to dry on making the case for going to Iraq...though he did make the case to go without seriously considering that he might be wrong, up front...he's entitled to his opinions, of course...but even within areas of expertise -- namely military leadership -- he's been known to have more than a few mistaken public opinions:):):):):)...there's one, in particular, that comes to mind at this moment:):):)...
And he doesn't say anything new...no, "It's been too slow because"...just it's been too slow...which Brown and Chertoff acknowledge...they just see it more reasonably, I think...that this was a terrible tragedy that overwhelmed our ability to handle it...we hope that we do better in the future...but that human beings are not gods...they have limitations...and there's no reason to hold them to that standard...particularly when it does no good at all, really...
And, particularly when the primary government responsible for this situation are the New Orleans and Louisiana governments which seem to be successfully deflecting blame from themselves, right now, by focussing it on the White House...which is kind of a lame way of saying, "We don't plan on doing anything better in the future...because we're too scared to admit that if we think there are things to improve...that people will blame us for this tragedy...and avoiding that blame is more important than saving people in the future"...
It's a terribly cynical game, Kenny...and Colin Powell appears --from this interview, at least -- to be playing right along, unfortunately...very dissappointing, given that he is banking on his reputation as a Republican idealist...
In fact...what's peculiar about this interview, at least...is that Colin has no suggestions at all for how things might be improved...just an observation of the obvious...that we can always do more...and doing more means recognizing failures (although, to do that constructively...we'd need to name them...not just keep singing the same chorus that things didn't go as planned over and over again)...which is kind of a lazy way out of it, for most people, really...rather than thinking seriously about how to improve responses in the future...
And I don't see Powell saying anything new, here...
And...lest anyone forget...
There are still people who are in need of serious help with very basic needs, right now...
And now they have one less person to help on that...with Michael Brown giving up all responsibilities in Louisiana...
And damnit if it is terribly unfair that those who are taking no responsibility for a situation...denigrate the contributions of someone doing his best to do good in this situation...
Instead of just focussing on improving the response now and in the future...
The politics behind this, Kenny, are really dark...it's very sad to see America give into its darker impulses yet again...this time in its criticisms of important effort...rather than in the execution of that effort...
Even as our generosity is abundant in this country...so's our self-righteousness, I suppose:)...
How sad:(...
I've got to get some sleep, Kenny:):)...I'll talk with you soon:):):)...
Ben
Post a Comment
<< Home