Same Story, Different Day

A SL Tribune editorial demonstrates again the strange lengths to which some people will reach to make a strange point. The Tribune claims that hurricane Gustav helped the GOP, despite shortening the GOP convention, by allowing McCain to look presidential and by providing the means to abbreviate the time Pres. Bush would spend at the convention and address the convention.

The Tribune contrasts McCain's visit to the emergency operations center and McCain's presidential appearance, with Pres. Bush's supposed bungling during hurricane Katrina. The Tribune then criticizes Pres. Bush for appearing to tend to the emergency of hurricane Gustav.

Maybe the point to be made about the preparation for Gustav and the conduct of emergency relief agencies is not that the GOP was able to benefit from the "spin" it generated from Gustav, but that everyone learned some valuable lessons from Katrina and those lessons were applied in a positive way. Republicans and Democrats, government agencies and citizens all worked together to avoid a more serious disaster.