BUSH LOSING POINTS ON KATRINA

I've been busy the past couple of days coordinating my company's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts with other companies in our industry. I've had quite a few conversations with Republicans and Independents whose reactions to Bush's performance during the crisis range from disappointed to disgusted. He's not winning any political points for this one. Dan Froomkin rounds up reactions in the press:

"Sacrifices may be necessary to make sure that all these things happen in an orderly, efficient way. But this administration has never been one to counsel sacrifice. And nothing about the president's demeanor yesterday -- which seemed casual to the point of carelessness -- suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis."

National Review's Corner blog was full of harsh critiques yesterday. Rod Dreher wrote: "We don't need mere emoting. . . . But we do need our president to make an emotional connection of some sort with his suffering countrymen.

Bush CAN'T do more than emote because he just plain doesn't "feel the pain" of anyone except his rich buddies when they bogie a hole or are accused of corruption, fraud, etc.