Pawlison: |
|
Mr. President, the water is going down, but we have yet to get the largest pumps going. The press is making something out of it.
|
Cheney: |
|
The goddam press! |
Pawlison: |
|
There's been a new breach in the levees and pictures of that abandoned hospital with all its dead hasn't helped matters. |
Rove: |
|
And the new cover of The Economist shows a big, poor, sad black woman in New Orleans, headlined "America's Shame." |
Cheney: |
|
The goddam press! |
Bush: |
|
Isn't there any good news? |
Rove: |
|
Not much, Mr. President. The polls show that 54 percent of the country thinks you're doing a bad job on managing the hurricane problem. |
Cheney: |
|
The goddam polls! |
Bush: |
|
Karl, then why do you keep sending me down to those awful places in Louisiana and Mississippi? |
Rove: |
|
It's to show compassion and leadership, Mr. President. And to raise your standing in the polls. |
Bush: |
|
Karl, I think you're losing your touch. You did the same thing to me on Social Security. You sent me hither and yon and all that happened is that people got mad about our idea to privatize Social Security. |
Rove: |
|
Mr. President! |
Pawlison: |
|
People are getting impatient. The press says it will take us three months to pump the city dry. And most of the houses will not be repairable because of the poisonous nature of the flood waters. |
Cheney: |
|
The goddam press! |
Rove: |
|
We have to do something to get the press off the hurricane story. |
Bush: |
|
What? |
Cheney: |
|
We could invade the hell out of Syria. |
Rove: |
|
We've already used the "War President" scenario, Mr. Vice President. |
Cheney: |
|
Maybe, maybe not. I'll get on the CIA about "dirty bombs" in Syria or something. It'll be another slam dunk. |
Bush: |
|
That's good, Dick. And don't forget the part about "welcoming us with open arms as we march into Tehran." |
Rove: |
|
Damascus, Mr. President. Tehran is in Iran. |
Pawlison: |
|
Uh, getting back to New Orleans....... |
Rove: |
|
You've been on the job two days. Don't you have anything good to report? |
Pawlison: |
|
There is one thing..... |
Bush: |
|
Yes, yes. Go on. |
Pawlison: |
|
The people are tending to blame the governor and mayor a little more than they blame the president. |
Bush: |
|
Good! Good! Karl, you can build on that. |
Pawlison: |
|
There's just one thing, Mr. President. |
Bush: |
|
What? |
Pawlison: |
|
You and your administration were responsible to holding back on monies for the maintenance of the levees. You could be accused of causing the whole catastrophe. |
Bush: |
|
Look here, mister. I was President of the Rangers. We had lots of games rained out and I wasn't blamed for a single dadgummed one. |
Rove: |
|
Mr. President, I think we should adjourn. |
|
(Pawlison and Cheney leave. Rove pauses at the door) |
Bush: |
|
Karl, get me a new FEMA director. |
Rove: |
|
But we just appointed Pawlison. |
Bush: |
|
I miss Brownie. He never said rotten stuff like that. |
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