It's about time

Former President Bill Clinton on Monday said the government "failed" the thousands of people who lived in coastal communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and said a federal investigation was warranted in due time.

"Our government failed those people in the beginning, and I take it now there is no dispute about it," Clinton told CNN. "One hundred percent of the people recognize that -- that it was a failure."

Even Poppy has to face facts, although he defends his son:

The elder Bush echoed Clinton's sentiment, telling CNN's Larry King that he is "not satisfied" with the handling of the hurricane's aftermath.

Nonetheless, he defended his son's performance.

"What can he do? He can just go out and do what he's doing today, showing that the federal government's involved, has been involved, will continue to be involved ... He cannot listen to every critic from the editorial page of The New York Times," the elder Bush said.

I understand the elder Bush's attitude, especially as he is in the position of defending his own son. But the buck stops on the President's desk. W. appointed those people. They screwed up. W. is responsible for appointing them in the first place.

Even if Chertoff and "Brownie" turned to Bush right now, in the Rose Garden, and said: "Hey, you f*cked up! You trusted us!," George W. would still be responsible for the government's failure. That's what it means to be the POTUS.