If the Cameras Are On, Bush Promises a Lot...

When Bush makes promises, they're usually a page one story; when he doesn't fulfill his promises, the story is lost somewhere in the back pages. Bush fell down on the job when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi and then he tried to make up for it with some public relations appearances and by promising Trent Lott to rebuild his expensive home. Okay, that didn't go over with the voters too well so he flew in and made promises to rebuild New Orleans. Karl Rove was very pleased with the prime time coverage, the statue of Andrew Jackson and the lights he set up for the event (which were turned off immediately afterward). Too bad Karl Rove doesn't have any talent in helping Bush keep his promises or get the facts right in the first place.

Matt Crenson of AP has a followup almost a year after Katrina:

Nearly half of New Orleans was still under water when President Bush stood in the Crescent City's historic Jackson Square and swore he would "do what it takes" to rebuild the communities and lives that had been laid to waste two weeks before by Hurricane Katrina.

"Our goal is to get the work done quickly," the president said.

He promised to spend federal money wisely and accountably. And he vowed to address the poverty exposed by the government's inadequate Katrina response "with bold action."

A year after the storm, the federal government has proven slow and unreliable in keeping the president's promises.

(snip)

...More than 100,000 families moved into trailers or mobile homes parked either in the yards of their damaged houses or in makeshift compounds.

Meanwhile, FEMA flailed and flip-flopped on its contracting policies for trailers, mobile homes and other temporary shelter. The first big contracts were handed out non-competitively to four well-connected companies - Shaw Group, Bechtel Corp., CH2M Hill Inc. and Fluor Corp. Then in October FEMA director R. David Paulison promised to rebid the contracts after Congress complained that smaller companies, especially local and minority-owned firms, should have a chance to compete for the work.

A month after that, FEMA said the new contracts would not be awarded until February. That deadline came and went, and then in March a FEMA official announced that the contracts weren't going to be rebid after all.

Like I said, promises made and then nothing. Unless you're a wealthy friend of George or a wealthy campaign contributor, you're out of luck. Our government has become a racket.