Silver Feet

Where to begin?

It's very difficult to organize thoughts that have been swirling around my head in the days since the first horrific reports started coming from New Orleans, Biloxi and the other Gulf Coast communities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. But after hearing our president lamenting the loss of his friend Trent Lott's house, I had a moment of clarity.

We've got a lot of rebuilding to do. First, we're going to save lives and stabilize the situation. And then we're going to help these communities rebuild. The good news is -- and it's hard for some to see it now -- that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house -- there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch. (Laughter.)

I found his comments to be insensitive, but pretty much par for the course for someone who has led a life of privilege. While it's unfortunate that Mr. Lott has lost his house (one of his houses?) he certainly will recover. I think it was inappropriate to mention it at a time when people without the resources to get out of the way of Katrina were living in unimaginable (for most of us, at least) conditions. Whatever his intent, most people will infer that the president considered Mr. Lott to be in the same situation as the rest of those whose homes were destroyed.

The first mother provided an additional bit of insensitivity during her visit to the Houston Astrodome:

Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them.

I'm sure she didn't mean it the way it sounded, but isn't that the point? If you're interested, you can listen to her unedited comments for yourself (requires RealPlayer).

I think both the president and his mother are oblivious to how these comments sound to the average person. Compassionate conservatism indeed.