Thomas Frediman is at it again. This week he reassured us that the Gulf oil spill is not this president’s Katrina. Obama is doing everything right, and Bush did everything wrong. This in the same week that Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said, “They told us it was under control. Then they told us it wasn’t,” about the spill. It may just be me, but that sounds a lot like the former Democratic governor of Louisiana telling Bush they had the response to Katrina under control. Then telling him they didn’t. Maybe pictures of an oil rig spouting geysers of fire and falling into the sea isn’t as sure a sign of disaster as radar images of a hurricane heading towards New Orleans. Both presidents would have been better off ignoring what somebody else told them and taking quicker control of the situation.
But that’s not what has Friedman in a twist. It seems we’ve missed another opportunity. George Bush shouldn’t have wasted his time standing on the rubble of the twin towers with a bullhorn saying, ” I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.” Obama should never have engaged in all the finger pointing about who’s to blame or “we’ve been on top of this since day one” garbage. Both presidents would have been better off heading straight to Congress and demanding something much more important.
A tax hike. On gasoline.
An extra dollar a gallon at the pump seems to be about right to Mr. Friedman. I guess Rahm Emmanuel is right. Never let a crisis go to waste. After all, a new tax is a panacea for what ails our country. Ram ’em through whenever you get a chance, and there is no better opportunity than when the country is worrying about a real problem.
I’m sorry to pick on Mr. Friedman. He’s not the only one over at the New York Times that seems to have lost their logic gene. In just the past couple of weeks we’ve learned what a terrible thing it is that people aren’t watching the network news anymore, or CNN or MSNBC or (gasp!) reading the Times – they’re watching an evil news network that shall not be named or listening to that pesky talk radio. We’ve learned how bigoted the people of Arizona are, as well as 70% of all Americans, for passing such a “troubling” illegal immigration law. Perhaps, like the administration, they haven’t read the law and don’t understand that if the Arizona law is racial profiling waiting to happen then so is the SEVENTY YEAR OLD Federal immigration law. Oh, and the Tea Party. They’re hillbillies. No, they’re racists. No, they’re – what is it they are now? Please.
I don’t think the Old Gray Lady is just old. I think she has dementia. She remembers what happened in the sixties like it was yesterday. But she just can’t seem to remember that two out of three Americans are against about every position they take today.
A tax hike? On gasoline? As a response to 9/11? They must be crazy.
