This Is Not a Time

"This is not a time for politics," McClellan said.

"This is a time when the whole country needs to come together to help those in the region...This is not a time to get into any finger-pointing or politics or anything of that nature."

Yes, once again we have a national catastrophe (remember 9/11?), poor preparation (remember Iraq?), a President reluctant to leave his vacation (remember...well, pretty much all the time?), and, because people are dying...because it's, well, you know, a pretty serious situation that's gonna take time, gonna take years to address, and because Bush and everyone around him is, you know, workin' hard on it, we should suspend all judgement about the Government's handling of this catastrophe for...well, forever...because, after all, this is not a time to get into any finger-pointing or politics or anything of that nature.

Let me just say: this IS a time to ask questions about the ineffectual nature of the rescue efforts. This IS a time to ask about this Administration's handling of funds that were meant to prepare for just such a tragedy as this. This IS a time to hold the ones who delight in holding power responsible for using that power for the good of the people they govern. And this IS a time, once and for all, to throw off that twisted logic that says: if people are dying, no one should ask questions about why they are dying.

It is precisely the beauty of this country and the remnants of democracy that we still hold onto that gives the people the right to ask questions without waiting for permission.

This is the time.