K-9

I guarantee I will not seek to make ANYTHING partisan about this. I am sincerely interested in the context. In another lifetime, I supplied emergency satcom to disaster mitigation organizations all over the world. From earthquakes in Japan to hurricanes here, these response teams HAVE to be extremely cautious about how they go about their business. The storm is over but the potential for people to put themselves in harm's way is still very real. I am willing to bet that there are STILL pockets of natural gas that have to be dealt with for instance. It's dangerous work much of the time.

Dog days of February. That is priceless. GO BILLS!!!

Please find a link. I'd really like some context here. Any idea of which specific relief efforts they were talking about? In the meantime, can you think of any reason why a required permit might be important for some of the work that needs to be done?

Wow, I just assumed that Marine One must have landed in NO. Even though I put a TON of blame on his advisers for the mistakes he made in terms of rhetoric, for him not to land and get up close to the destruction is totally on him. Even if he was advised not to, a president has to say, "Phuck it, those are my people down there."

I recall Bush personally surveying the damage from Marine One as well in the aftermath of Katrina. Perhaps I'm "misremembering?" Anyway, as I said upthread, what doomed Bush and forever stamped him as bungling Katrina in the eyes of many was that his rhetoric did not match the images we were being bombarded with. And if things worsen and people become less patient with no power and living in shelters, etc. the potential is there for Obama to have his own "helluva job, Brownie" moment as well. And I GUARANTEE that Fox News and the Drudges of the world are busy looking for just such an opening with this disaster.

If you read the comments, there's one at the bottom of the page that suggests Democrats are planting these candidates in the Republican party. I thought that was funny.

Here are the pics. First link is before pic. Notice house with white roof at bottom center of pic: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qrskxh8v64cj&lvl=19.24&dir=359.05&sty=o&form=LMLTCC After pic with same house at lower left. Unbelievable. http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1195049.1351695367!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/breezy-point.jpg

Did you see the before and after pics of Breezy Point? Someone posted them in the Off the Wall forum. Shocking doesn't cover it. It's amazing nobody died in that inferno.

I don't know what piece to what trivia, but I focused solely on governors because their responsibilities represent a microcosm of those that a president would also have to administer. Senators, congressman, etc., simply don't govern the people as chief executives the way governors do. Governors who run for national office are often touted as having the requisite experience for that very reason.

I was just looking at winners and governors. I had no idea that it included all candidates across other political offices. I can't believe there aren't others that failed to carry their home states.

I'd be interested in seeing what Obama said about privatizing FEMA. I haven't seen or heard him say anything about getting rid of FEMA. Any suggestions on where I can find what he said about it? As to what Romney said when asked the question in the debate, he left no doubt about what his thoughts are concerning FEMA; it would be eliminated. And again, given the scope of this latest natural disaster, it's a fair question to ask of the man who seeks to be in a position where he would have to dedicate federal resources to disaster mitigation in the future.

Bottom line SwampD: that "surfer" is a p.u.s.s.y that just doesn't want it bad enough.

The Q is retarding his development for however long he has to continue to dominate it. GO BILLS!!!

I racked my brain for a while and couldn't remember it and I believe it was a Trivial Pursuit question as well. I like Ike! I googled his approval ratings and apparently he was well regarded. Another in a long line of Republican leaders that would no longer recognize his own party. On another tac, did you catch the photo op of Romney in Ohio loading the truck with canned goods and water for shipment to NJ? He was getting badgered to answer the question about his stance on privatizing FEMA. I think it's a fair question given the circumstances and the sheer scope of the damage across so many states.

I don't disagree with your point. I think that surfer just really sucks at sneaking out there to catch a wave. I mean if the beach is officially closed then the guy with the badge has a point in just doing his job but the surfer should risk the fine anyway if it's that important to him. If it's not closed, I don't see how a badge can do anything more than advise him.

We agree, then. We're damned lucky to have these under and sometimes non paid people in our society willing to risk so much for others. That's my point.

Yeah. The other two were Wilson and Coolidge. And again, that's just my cursory twenty minute google effort so I wouldn't hold anyone to that. Romney better convince Rove and the Koch boys to spend some money in Massachusetts before it's too late. But with all the charitable drives he conducting in Ohio, I don't think he'll find the time, let alone the inclination. EDIT: Have to add an 8th to the list. Teddy Roosevelt carried N.Y. state in 1904. That makes 8 former governors elected president since 1900 that carried their states.

Your point seems to be that rescue workers only become rescue workers simply because they can't keep themselves from rescuing people. Maybe if more of these rescuers died while rescuing people, fewer people would be apt to become a rescuers who simply like to spoil all the fun for all the thrill seekers out there. And if we're REALLY lucky someone with a video recording device can capture a thrill seeker killing themselves in the process. Personally, I can't think of greater fun than live footage of a drowning surfer floundering in the waves and frantically waving his arms as he takes his last breath and disappears beneath the waves, never to be seen again. Or at least not until a few days later when his bloated corpse washes up on the beach. And I insist that only that person's immediate family should have the responsibility to recover the body as well. This might serve to dissuade other idiots from spawning additional thrill seeking idiots.

Was talking to someone up in Mass. and I asked him what people thought up there and he said Obama will carry the state with no problem. Of course, this is nothing new. In a tracking average of 36 different polls, Obama is up 56 to 40 in Massachusetts. But I got to thinking how other former state governors who became President did in their respective home states. According to my cursory research there have been 7 former governors since 1900 who went on to win the Presidential election, four in my own lifetime. Every single one of them carried their home states. Is there any electorate better able to gauge the ability of a candidate to govern than an electorate that actually was governed by that candidate? EDIT: Have to add an 8th to the list. Teddy Roosevelt carried N.Y. state in 1904. That makes 8 former governors elected president that carried their states since 1900.

I've never met a rescue professional or volunteer with that mindset. Seems there is always some thrill seeker that puts himself in harm's way only to end up in need of a rescue. Makes sense to curtail that activity when you can if it means not subjecting rescuers to the same peril.

If Christie had said that he wasn't impressed with the federal response, would that have been considered political? ^This.

Because if he gets in trouble out there he will put rescue personnel in harm's way? Because others perhaps not experienced may be tempted to do the same? A combination of these factors perhaps?

Does Romney need to request to go into NJ to do photoshoots? Why can't he just go into NJ if he feels like it? I don't think it would be wise politically, though.

That is some seriously sad commentary on us as a species.

Let the looting begin!