A four-day hiatus from the computer is a good thing from time to time. This weekend was all about the TV and the newspapers. I've seen journalists actually punching holes in White House spin. I've seen them angrily interrupting bullshit proclamations of Administration apologists and spin doctors. Even right-wing pseudo-journalists like Joe Scarbarough and Tucker Carlson are peeved and calling foul about the federal response (though they're also trying to blame the locals) to Katrina.

Refreshing, but look what it took to get the media to do its job!

I loved the staged "Bush in the hangar" event last week, where hack Haley Barbour pointed out how great a job Bush had done by not doing anything for three or four days. Bush looked inept, obviously posed, impotent--just like he did during that fake televised conference call with Pataki and Giuliani, designed to make him look presidential after he did nothing on 9/11. This was the same sort of event: put some maps down, point at them, have Bush look concerned. He still came across as moronic and uncomfortable.

When you have to repeatedly stage events to make a President look like he's in charge, it's a testament to his inadequacy. Finally the talking heads--even the dimmest, like Chris Matthews--are waking up and realizing that this guy is the least popular president in decades and there's good reason for it.