It was Thursday, Sept. 1, three days after Hurricane Katrina had ripped across the Gulf Coast. As New Orleans descended into horror, the top aides to Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Louisiana were certain the White House was trying to blame their boss, and they were becoming increasingly furious.

"Bush's numbers are low, and they are getting pummeled by the media for their inept response to Katrina and are actively working to make us the scapegoats," Bob Mann, Ms. Blanco's communications director, wrote in an e-mail message that afternoon, outlining plans by Washington Democrats to help turn the blame back onto President Bush.

With so much criticism being directed toward the governor, the time had come, her aides told her, to rework her performance. She had to figure out a way not only to lead the state through the most costly natural disaster in United States history, but also to emerge on top somehow in the nasty public relations war.

Katrina at least equaled the firestorm after the April 19, 1906 San Francisco earthquake may have killed as many as 4000 as noted here and the death toll was covered up for 90 years for economic and tourism reasons. (As the 100th Anniversary approaches, watch for the Discovery Channel shows. I saw one years ago that was shocking on how the destruction and death toll were covered up. Easy to do without CNN.)

We haven't changed all that much in 100 years; only the names have changed. Somethings are timeless: The lack of morals of politicians remains the same, and they apparently always were, except for the luminaries who got their act together long enough to make us a country, so characters like the Bushinistas can ruin it all.

A democracy squandered. I didn't think it was possible until a little less than four years ago.

And so it goes....