Our opinion:A proper response
Monday, September 8, 2008 11:24 AM PDT
So far, so good. That, at least, is the verdict on the Bush administration’s response to the latest massive storm to hit the Gulf Coast, and it stands in stark contrast to the nearly inept reaction to a similar crisis three years ago when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.
Hurricane Gustav made landfall Monday, and by Wednesday President Bush was already on his second trip to the region hit by the big storm.
There was little doubt the president was trying to cast off the memory of the flawed response to Hurricane Katrina three years ago with his more “hands-on” approach.
Yet the effort by the president and his administration deserves more than just a passing nod. This time, at least initially, it appears as if the Bush administration got it right.
Sure, Gustav was not the storm Katrina was, but the impact from the storm Monday was still impressive.
The Bush demonstration was a great opportunity to make up for past mistakes, and it looks like that is exactly what it did regarding the response to Hurricane Gustav.
