That's Enough

We at the Blasphemy Blog are now singing a different tune. We used to avoid criticizing the President of the United States on a personal level, for the simple reason that we don't like to call people names. Since the hurricane blew through, we've been feeling different about that, though, and have been grumbling about this and that with regard to the chief executive's failure to execute. But our blogfriend Billmon has finally pointed to some outrageous behavior that is beyond the pale.

We've been aware for some time that the President used people for photo opportunities. He is a public relations creature in a public relations age, though, and many politicians do this. The President's father famously had his people arrange a crack deal in front of the White House so that he could hold the seized baggie of contraband up to the camera to make a point about the War on Drugs. When we at the Blasphemy Blog were growing up in Indiana, Governor Evan Bayh delayed the arrest of some dangerous fugitives until he could be personally present for the good photo.

All politicians do this kind of thing. It's nasty but it gets the job done, and we don't think it causes much real harm. However, using firefighters as walking props, so that the President can look good as he tours the devastation left behind by the hurricane, is just unconscionable.

It is unconscionable because the President has been on TV for days talking about how he doesn't care about the blame for this or that with regard to the poor government response to the hurricane, he cares about saving lives. Well, no, what he cares about is making himself look good. That much is now clear.

Well, we at the Blasphemy Blog can't forgive the President for that kind of thing, so we're going to add to our repertoire. We're going to say things that make the President look bad, whenever we feel like it.

Many people in this country consider firefighters sacred. The President, through his actions, has profaned them.