Project Katrina

I’ve been meaning to write this up for a couple days after I first noticed it. Now of course I hope it goes without saying Barack Obama shouldn’t be using Hurricane Gustav as a marketing or press opportunity.

But still, how events like this are dealt with in a presidential campaign still shapes the public’s perceptions. And Obama is way behind John McCain in something that should be stupid simple.

Now I am not suggesting that Obama hop on a plane to New Orleans and get photographed on a levee. But what I am suggesting is that the party that let Katrina happen and the terrible state of New Orleans three years later, shouldn’t appear to be out in front on Gustav.

I mean don’t we have somebody in the Democratic party smart enough to present Obama’s stance on New Orleans and Gustav in a dignified manner, showing both his deep concern and involvement (which I am sure are is true)? Well it would appear they don’t.

As of noon on Sunday (8/31) Obama’s official website was still promoting his convention acceptance speech, with no mention of Gustav on the front page. Then by the morning of Monday (9/1) his site looked like the below screen capture. No personal message from Obama, just a link to the Red Cross.

Now take a look at McCain’s site, which has been this way since the early afternoon on Sunday (8/31).

And we wonder why we keep losing elections. Whoever fell asleep at the wheel on this issue at the Obama campaign needs to be looking for another.

The Boston Globe has by far the most amazing photo essay on the flooding in Cedar Rapids Iowa. Many more photos here.

The Independent reports in detail on their journey to Beichuan, maybe the city hit the hardest by the recent earthquake.

Reaching Beichuan is a long march into hell. When you finally emerge scrabbling through the dirt into the town, what lies before you is a breathtaking vision of horror. Official estimates say China’s worst natural disaster in 30 years has claimed 50,000 lives so far, but looking at the devastation here, it is hard not to imagine the final toll will be much, much higher.

Beichuan county in Sichuan province used to be home to 160,000 people, and most of them lived in the now-forsaken town of the same name, nestling in one of the world’s most beautiful valleys. But everyone is gone, either dead or having abandoned their flattened home.

Beichuan was too close to the epicentre of this week’s earthquake to stand a chance. At least 80 per cent of it is destroyed, with many thousands of bodies still buried in the rubble. It’s hard to imagine this place ever functioning as a town again.

There is still no access by road. People’s Liberation Army soldiers rally behind red flags at a rescue station three kilometres away, before starting the trek into the heart of this shattered place.

Talking Points Memo has this little tidbit today:

As both The Wall Street Journal and AP report, it’s unclear why Jackson is resigning. Or, rather, it’s unclear what reason he’ll give for resigning. We hotly anticipate his statement this morning, but chances are you won’t hear any mention of the grand jury investigation that’s probing the depths of his cronyism. Both pieces make mention of the fact that with the country facing a mortgage crisis, Jackson might not be the best man for the job. He’s certainly not the best man to be working with Congress, since he’s stonewalled Congress’ questions about the investigation and allegations that he retaliated against Philadelphia’s public housing director when he didn’t agree to dish a property to one of Jackson’s buddies. Oh, and the senators who chair the two oversight committees think Bush ought to fire him.

And to think this man was a vital part of working to rebuild New Orleans.