Balls from Ballsbridge

We've noted before Dubya's preference to appoint cronies to ambassador positions. Leaving aside the fundraising advantages, it helps out when you need an overseas op-ed piece in the face of withering local media coverage. Step forward James Kenny, US Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, in Friday's Irish Times (subs. req'd). We didn't know that it was in the brief of Ambassadors to engage in political spin, but then again you learn something new every day. So here are Kenny's talking points, with response:

[Headline] We will learn the lessons of this natural disaster

Keyword: natural.

an area the size of Great Britain; three times the size of the Republic of Ireland.

Saturday's area comparison from Dubya, which Kenny belatedly realises needs to be tailored for the country he's in.

We are very grateful for this show of solidarity and friendship and thank you for coming to our aid.

"I heartily endorse this event or product."

Could we have done better? Of course. We could have and should have done better, but then that is always true of disasters. Whatever has happened has happened and we cannot turn back the clock.

Culture of life, indeed.

But in doing so, let's be honest with ourselves in casting blame. New Orleans is only one of many cities in America threatened by natural disasters. Miami, Houston, Jacksonville, Charleston, and many other cities are also directly in the paths of hurricanes. Earthquakes threaten Los Angeles and San Francisco. Volcanoes threaten Portland and Seattle. Tornadoes can rip through St Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, and many other midwestern cities in any given year. New York, Chicago, Boston, and all other major cities must confront the threat of terrorism, something to reflect on this coming Sunday, September 11th.

Yes, many cites with many threats. Only one of them below sea level, though. Any chance it might have gotten some extra priority? And how nice to wait 2/3 way through the article for the first 9/11 reference.

Strong leader that he is, President Bush knows where the buck stops, and he is not blaming others for the shortcomings of our disaster response.

So we shouldn't read anything into his repeated use of the phrase "state and local" over the last few days?

Planners in New Orleans did plan for Hurricane Katrina and the city weathered the hurricane itself fairly well. But when the levees burst, it was hardly possible to deal with what was effectively two simultaneous disasters.

Question: would there have been a levee breach without a hurricane?

Could we have responded better had we not been supporting the democratically-elected government of Iraq against extremist violence? Probably not - after all, disaster response is mainly the provenance of the National Guard and they were on the ground within 24 hours once state authorities activated them.

Wrong on two counts. Once an emergency had been declared, as it was on the weekend before the hurricane, disaster response became a federal responsibility. And the state response has to take account of the significant fraction of the National Guard, and their equipment, that is in Iraq.

Was the disaster response slow because the victims were mainly poor African-Americans and Hispanics? Absolutely not.

Racism is simply not a factor as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, herself an African-American native of Alabama, noted when she visited the disaster-stricken areas.

So did we just have the brightness maladjusted on our TV when we saw all those black people in the Superdome and the Convention Center (which, by the way, are two separate places)?

Americans, with the help of their international friends, need to focus 100 per cent on the victims and save the blame game for later.

"Blame game." The central talking point phrase, used by White House Spokesman Scott McClellan eight times on Wednesday.

Mr Ambassador, in your nice Phoenix Park residence: a job well done.