White House White Wash

This is excerpted from a report that came out yesterday from the folks at PEW Research:

The American public is highly critical of President Bush’s handling of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Two-in-three Americans (67%) believe he could have done more to speed up relief efforts, while just 28% think he did all he could to get them going quickly.

At the same time, Bush’s overall job approval rating has slipped to 40% and his disapproval rating has climbed to 52%, among the highest for his presidency. Uncharacteristically, the president’s ratings have slipped the most among his core constituents – Republicans and conservatives.

However, the public also faults state and local governments, as well as the federal government, for the response to Katrina and its aftermath.

While 58% think the federal government has done only a fair or poor job in reacting to the devastation along the Gulf Coast, about half (51%) give sub-par ratings to state and local governments in Louisiana and Mississippi.

This is a fairly broad indicator that it is not only crackpot lefties and inveterate Bush-haters who think the federal government failed badly in the response to Katrina.

We understand that the state and local response was inadequate, and we seek an impartial and thorough investigation to ensure that all levels of government respond much more effectively to the next disaster, or terrorist attack, that will surely come our way in the future.

The proposal to start a Republican-dominated investigation, under the direct supervision of the President, is unacceptable. Even if the President and his crony government enjoyed the confidence of the majority of Americans, this partisan approach to such an important investigation would fall short of our need, but in light of the well-founded misgivings and apparent lack of confidence reflected in this and other polls, the proposed Bush/GOP-controlled investigation is not only inadequate, it is insulting to the hearts and minds of Americans.

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