Way Back On His Heels
Why Katrina's aftermath threatens to undo President Bush's agenda
Vice President Cheney, fresh from his monthlong mountain vacation in Wyoming, got a strong taste of the anger and frustration sweeping through the hurricane-ravaged Gulf States last week. Sounding upbeat, he stopped on a street of ruined houses in Gulfport, Miss., and told reporters the relief effort was " very impressive" so far. At that point, a man a few steps away interrupted with an outraged obscenity: "Go f - - - yourself, Mr. Cheney." The vice president, who is normally insulated from such things by his staff and the Secret Service, soldiered on with his trademark lopsided smile. (He had, after all, once directed the same expletive at Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy on the Senate floor in a fit of pique.) But the incident showed how emotions remain raw in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Many victims are still deeply upset with the pace of the government's response and the fact that it took four days to get relief efforts aggressively underway in New Orleans and elsewhere.
Cheney's visit was designed as part of a White House campaign to convince Americans that the administration was, finally, on top of the relief effort. But a new rash of polls showed that the expletive-spewing stranger in Gulfport wasn't alone in his discontent. A Zogby International survey found that 60 percent of Americans rate Bush's handling of Katrina poor or only fair (although other polls show that few people find the president solely responsible). Bush's job approval has dropped to 41 percent, an all-time low. Fifty-three percent of Americans said the country is on the wrong track. While the war in Iraq and rising gasoline prices are part of Bush's problem, another big reason is the public's perception that Bush and his team dropped the ball in the hurricane's immediate aftermath.
Making matters worse for the White House, the press corps also has turned surly. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan spent much of last week refusing to answer angry reporters' questions about the federal response or lack of it. McClellan argued that the administration was trying to focus on helping hurricane victims and wouldn't play "the blame game."
Investigation. For his part, Bush said he would "lead" an investigation into what went wrong at a later, undetermined date. But there was widespread support in Congress for a more immediate inquiry. Susan Collins, Republican chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, promised to hold hearings in the next few weeks. And there was a move on Capitol Hill, led by Democrats, to create an independent commission.
"This is all about delivering services, and this administration is not good at delivering services," says Joe Lockhart, a Democratic strategist and former spokesman for President Bill Clinton. "This is about whether the government works or not."
Lockhart's point is being made by more and more Democrats as they try to capitalize on the chaotic response to Katrina. They say the Republicans, with their distrust of government and their preference for cutting programs, services, and taxes, can't be trusted to perform when times get tough. This strategy could serve as a rallying cry in next year's midterm elections and beyond.
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