Bush demands action on Katrina housing aid?

From the New York Times:

NEW ORLEANS, March 8 - President Bush demanded on Wednesday that Congress provide Louisiana with the full $4.2 billion he has requested in housing aid for this storm-battered state, even as the House and Senate began considering whether some of that money should go to other states in the region.

Visiting New Orleans after taking more criticism last week for his handling of Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Bush said he fully understood the "pain and agony" of people frustrated with the pace of reconstruction. He urged local officials to speed the removal of debris and said the federal government would rebuild the levees to provide greater protection against floodwaters like those that swamped the city six months ago.

Are we seeing a pattern yet? Lots of tough talk and empty promises, not much action, plenty of finger pointing.

What's becoming clearer and clearer is that Bush is a lame duck who couldn't lead a Shriner's parade around a Wal-Mart parking lot. Every single Bush initiative has been a failure, he has squandered all of America's good will and his own political capital, and now his own party, which happens to run Congress at the moment, doesn't even take him seriously and is starting to outright rebel against him. Not that state and local governments have done much better. But still. The Federal government has the resources, but apparently not the leadership or the will, to make this right.