Bush's mea culpa, 50 cents won't buy you a latte
By Beth Teitell
Thursday, September 15, 2005

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government, and to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility" - President Bush speaking in the East Room on Tuesday.

I'm so glad Bush is taking responsibility, aren't you? I'm not sure what it really means, but it sure sounds good.

That is, until you start thinking about it. And stupidly, I have been. And now I can't get rid of this nagging feeling, this strawberry seed of doubt lodged in my back molar.

With all due respect, wouldn't it have been better if he took responsibility before Katrina hit? That's when responsibility was really needed, after all. Before the need to stand on a rooftop and flag down a rescue helicopter.

I know what you're probably thinking: Pre-catastrophe responsibility? Never heard of it. Everyone knows that responsibility is what you take after the fact, as a calming gesture. Even steroid-popping ballplayers know the proper order of events: You do what you want, and then, when things go bad, you act shocked, shocked at how events have unfolded and step up to a mike - don't worry, one is always near - and fall on your sword.

The post-event FR (full responsibility) is like the Alka Seltzer you take after gorging on a huge meal. It's a political gesundheit: it's easy to say, you get credit for caring and, in the end, it costs you nothing.

Now that I think about it, it really works well, this morning- after responsibility. But just for laughs, how might it have worked if Bush took responsibility pre-disaster? Katrina hits, the levee breaches and a vacationing Bush gets off his bike, or stops throwing the ball to Barney, and gets on the phone. "Brownie," he says, "what's going on? What's Nagin's plan? Get out? Hmmm. Not so good. Let's get on it."

Well, it's just a thought. As fans of "The O.C." and "CSI" know, Mr. Responsibility is scheduled to address the nation this evening, but in the meantime, I'm wondering if the example he's set will trickle down to the masses, the way high fashion shown on the runways does.

If so, no one would be happier than me. Which is to say: I take full responsibility for the bag of M&M's I just wolfed down - but not the chocolate birthday cake I'm planning to eat this afternoon.