I don’t mean to underplay the potentially serious nature of Hurricane Gustav when it hits the US coastline, probably tomorrow. But Bush and Cheney not going to the Republican convention this week, answers a lot of the questions that Carl Hiaasen raises in his column this week.
It’s a good get out. Bush gets criticised for over-flying the aftermath of Katrina rather than being down on the ground. So this time he’s proactive.
In the meantime, as the media coverage here in the UK escalates, and impending arrival of the hurricane dominates the news, we shouldn’t forget that more than eighty people have already died – especially in Haiti. In Cuba, 300,000 people were moved and there are no reports of any casualties. Say what you like about Castro (Raul that is), but the regime does seem to know how to look after its citizens.
And let’s not forget that elsewhere in the world, there is plenty of ongoing suffering – especially in Birhir, India, where widespread flooding has left over a million people homeless and a frankly unknown number have died.
While in China, the Sichuan province, still getting over its terrible earthquake earlier this year has suffered a further quake killing yet more people.
For some reason, these natural disasters don’t quite merit the on-the-hour coverage from multiple places of events with live satellite two-ways.