White House ramps up recovery effort - for its ratings

Well it's been a full week since the disaster and the White House is leaping into action on recovery efforts for - no, not the hurricane victims silly - his tanking approval rating, which is currently sitting at the bottom of Lake George, formerly known as the city of New Orleans.

The Head Gears of the propaganda mill are now all back from vacation and guided by the deft, devious hand of Rove, have spared no expense to bring the spin machine back into top running condition. They deployed the cabinet members to the stricken zones and the president himself will be making "an unprecedented" second trip to view his victims up close and personal. (Meaning they will handpick a few attractive black kids and a token white poor person for a staged photo-op, where Bush can hug them and hold back a few tears, while he struts around trying to look presidential.)

But not to worry folks, he's making those crisp decisions he was resting up for, now. The The WaPo tells us although, (throughout the four years of a raging war he started himself), he typically worked a fairly set schedule; he is now "getting in earlier than his usual 7 a.m. start and working as late as 9 p.m., at least two hours past his normal quitting time."

Poor guy. Shifting the blame for your own callous indifference and incredible ineptitude is such hard work.