No, it is not all Bush's fault, nor is it all the fault of the Republican Party. Mayor Nagin is no Rudy Giuliani, and his failure to adequately plan for the "big one" is a large part of the problem. Likewise, Gov. Blanco hasn't been a sterling example of leadership either. And there has been plenty of bureaucratic SNAFU's and finger pointing among federals organization from FEMA to the military.

That being said, the buck has to stop somewhere, and that "somewhere" is the President of the United States of America. He vacationed while the "big one" that had been predicted for years to destroy New Orleans was bearing down on the city. He was giving political speeches when the storm hit. He did nothing for two days as New Orleans flooded and descended into chaos. Now all he's done is say it's unacceptable, but is doing little to straighten out the mess and get stuff done. Does this man realize he's President?

Whether a Republican or a Democrat occupies the White House, certain leadership qualities are demanded by the person who has the job. President Bush has shown the same quality of leadership that he showed while reading "My Pet Goat" while New York was under attack, looking like a deer in the headlights while waiting for the political puppeteers like Rove to tell him what to do.

In the last two elections, the issues of competence and qualifications were generally ignored in favor of soundbytes, hot button "chickenshit" issues that will never get solved, and who did what in Vietnam. We have forgotten about who can do the job the President needs to do.