My Turn: Bush points way to recovery

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, President Bush spoke passionately and persuasively Thursday night about the magnitude of that disaster, the need for bold new initiatives to recover from it, and the need to cope better with future disasters.

Speaking in historic Jackson Square in the center of New Orleans, with the statue of Andrew Jackson in the background, President Bush reviewed the enormity of the toll taken by Katrina on the people and property of New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast.

The president also took responsibility for the failures of the federal government to fully anticipate and readily respond to the enormous challenges posed to the region by Hurricane Katrina.

President Bush used much of his speech to outline a vast reconstruction plan, to rebuild New Orleans and the rest of the hard-hit Gulf Coast, to make the region even better than it was before Hurricane Katrina. He noted the need to begin that reconstruction now, even as rescue and recovery efforts continue apace.

I believe President Bush deserves high marks for acknowledging the scope of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, and the urgent need for a concerted response by federal, state, and local government, plus the private sector, to restore the Gulf Coast to its former glory.

Some of the president’s critics were quick to point out his speech was not a “bullhorn moment,” referring to his stirring New York City speech right after 9/11. This invidious comparison ignores the obvious fact the circumstances of a terrorist attack and a natural disaster are deeply dissimilar.

The tragic events of 9/11 were caused by a discernible enemy, upon whom we could focus our anger, then rally around the president in a vigorous response.

Conversely, Hurricane Katrina was an act of nature, too horrific to fully comprehend, with no discernible human enemy. With no one to blame but Mother Nature for the cause of Hurricane Katrina, we turned for someone to blame for its effects.

Clearly, there was blame enough to go around. However, the rush to judgment too often ignored the reality that the federal government, despite its considerable power and resources, is not intended to be the first responder in coping with natural disasters. Local government has the primary responsibility, then state government, then the federal government. That said, there were failures at all three levels. These problems need to be identified and fixed.

Finding and fixing all the problems caused by Katrina will not be easy. It may well require an independent, bipartisan commission, like the 9/11 Commission.

The actual reconstruction of New Orleans and other areas hit hard by Katrina poses many other vexing questions: about how and where to re-build, who pays, who benefits, and who suffers. President Bush has pointed the way.

It will take his best efforts, and ours, to get from here to there.

Thomas B. Vaughn is a professor at Motlow College and co-host of the radio show “Viewpoints,” which airs on WCPI 91.3 FM.