Criticism

So here we go again. Another massive hurricane is storming across the Gulf of Mexico. But look at what's happening:

Along the Gulf Coast, federal, state and local officials heeded the bitter lessons of Katrina: Hundreds of buses were dispatched to evacuate the poor. Hospital and nursing home patients were cleared out. And truckloads of water, ice and ready-made meals, and rescue and medical teams were put on standby.

Well how about that. After getting beaten with a stick in the public mind, the Government is changing the way it responds to a situation. To borrow (steal) from David Brin "Criticism is the only antidote to error." What's made this administration so dangerous is that they are very, very good at avoiding, vilifying, or just ignoring most of the criticism directed their way. Patriotism and partisanship, up till this point, could shield Bush from most criticism. But they couldn't use their old stand-byes to fight the fallout from Katrina. They just have to do a better job. It's their only choice. Now if only criticism of the Iraq war was as effective. There would be fewer deaths for us to argue about.