Suddenly, Sludge

As the sludge rolls onto Louisiana’s coast, suddenly the anti-government bashers are silent. Suddenly, everyone in Louisiana, from Governor Jindal on down, believes in “big government.” Suddenly, everybody’s a Democrat, a leader who will step up to the plate with lots of money and resources and big hands to help. And just as suddenly, no Republican leader wants to remember George W. Bush, who, five years ago, partied and golfed while a cherished American city drowned. And just as suddenly, no one wants to remember John McCain, who suggested, weeks after Katrina, that Katrina victims could get all they needed to rebuild from Home Depot and FedEx. Let’s rally behind our active and even pro-active president, who has a real chance to school his predecessor on what a real leader can do in times of crises. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has already served notice that whatever this disaster ends up costing the American taxpayer, BP will pay. Pay, and pay, and pay, and, of course, the “drill, baby, drill” proponents are strangely silent. And this morning, as that horrible, poison sludge makes its tragic, putrid, photo debut, we will all believe in “big government.” —Sara Miller