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Bill Maher:
America must recall the president. That's what this country needs. A good, old-fashioned, California-style recall election! Complete with Gary Coleman, porno actresses and action film stars.
Mr. President, this job can't be fun for you anymore. There's no more money to spend. You used up all of that. You can't start another war because you also used up the army. And now, darn the luck, the rest of your term has become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people.
Yeah, listen to your mom. The cupboard's bare, the credit card's maxed out, and no one is speaking to you: mission accomplished! Now it's time to do what you've always done best: lose interest and walk away. Like you did with your military service. And the oil company. And the baseball team. It's time. Time to move on and try the next fantasy job. How about cowboy or spaceman?!
Now, I know what you're saying. You're saying that there's so many other things that you, as president, could involve yourself in...Please don't. I know, I know, there's a lot left to do. There's a war with Venezuela, and eliminating the sales tax on yachts. Turning the space program over to the church and Social Security to Fannie Mae. Giving embryos the vote. But, sir, none of that is going to happen now. Why? Because you govern like Billy Joel drives. You've performed so poorly I'm surprised you haven't given yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man.

Keith Olbermann

With friends like these (Keith Olbermann)

SECAUCUS — It should be no surprise that criticism of the president, or the federal response, in the wake of the disaster that followed Hurricane Katrina, has been portrayed as partisan pot-shooting. That is the default setting of our world, after all. We take sides on everything.
Well, except for 9/11, when Mr. Bush's approval rating was 90% and his disapproval, 6%.
And also, except for right now, when the idea that only Liberals or political opportunists are being critical, is not just intuitively nuts — it's factually ludicrous. Read this:
The language is, to say the least, uncategorical. "Democrats have seized on the administration's performance in handling Katrina to bash George W. Bush," the nationally-syndicated columnist writes. "But Republicans are not much happier with him... When Republican House members participated in a telephone conference call September 1, the air was blue with complaints about the handling of Katrina... the GOP lawmakers were unhappy with their administration's performance." That's from today's column from Robert Novak — not exactly known as a thorn in the administration's side.

For the President, it actually gets worse. Many editorials in major newspapers have been almost venomous towards Mr. Bush and the federal response. An excerpt from one this morning: "Mayor Nagin's responses to this crisis, while flawed, have shown better leadership than both Governor Blanco's and President Bush's." That's from today's official editorial in The Union-Leader of Manchester, New Hampshire. That's the newspaper that has previously identified itself as the most conservative in the country. It has six national columnists: Novak, Jonah Goldberg, Charles Krauthammer, Michelle Malkin, Deroy Murdock, and George Will. Not exactly a hotbed of commies. And what it wrote about Mr. Bush today is nothing compared to what it wrote about him last Wednesday — decrying his decision to continue with his ordinary schedule, "...as if nothing important had happened the day before." "A better leader," the paper continued on August 31st, "would have flown straight to the disaster zone and announced the immediate mobilization of every available resource to rescue the stranded, find and bury the dead, and keep the survivors fed, clothed, sheltered and free of disease. "The cool, confident, intuitive leadership Bush exhibited in his first term, particularly in the months following September 11, 2001, has vanished. In its place is a diffident detachment unsuitable for the leader of a nation facing war, natural disaster, and economic uncertainty."
E-mail:

KOlbermann@msnbc.com

Brian Williams

Did Bush blow it, as reported in Newsweek? (link)
It was sobering to hear last night that a body was found five blocks from where the President drove through the French Quarter. While this is a story of resignations and blame, the massive relief effort and mea culpas... it's also so important to remember that the worst fears of some families are still being confirmed with each new discovery, long after the hurricane passed over the region.
Of special note this week is the journalism of Evan Thomas (and the others listed at the end of the magazine's massive effort this week) in Newsweek. Of particular note in our business is the part of the story that deals with how the President learned what he learned about the crisis. Thomas reports that he was given a DVD compilation of the evening newscasts to watch on board Air Force One on his first trip to the region. The President told me the last time I spent time with him that he does not watch the evening newscasts (an aide reminded him that a videotape compilation is brought to the residence each evening should he desire to watch) and prefers instead to watch ESPN or "any baseball game" on television, in season... (I'm honor-bound to point out that after getting home from work some evenings, I've found that exact programming to be the perfect tonic during normal times). After so many Americans wondered aloud if their government officials were watching the same coverage they were of this crisis, the Newsweek reporting would indicate the President had other matters occupying his time, and was NOT seeing the blanket coverage that had so many Americans riveted to their televisions and consumed in sadness and anger. And so he received an audio/visual briefing en route that presumably helped him understand the scope and human dimension of the storm damage and the response.
On this particular evening newscast tonight, we'll have a special profile of the man sitting across from the nominee this week: Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. It's a revealing interview (sharp-eyed viewers will note it was conducted pre-Katrina, as the Senator has grown more of his hair back since then, post-chemo) and we found it a very revealing conversation. We'll hear from David Gregory on the President's claim of responsibility today, Tom Costello has some fresh reporting from New Orleans, and Pete Williams will head up our coverage of the Roberts hearings.
Beyond that, the pieces are still in motion here, and it became clear at today's afternoon editorial meeting in particular...that the stories yet to do are staggering. Just as we will head back to the region soon, there is work for all of us. Enough to fill the days, weeks, months and years ahead. But first, there's tonight's broadcast... we hope you'll join us.