Crooks and Liars has a funny and infuriating video of the second press conference held by Scotty "Happy Feet" McClellan (which I blogged recently here, showing just how shameless a dodge they're trying to pull. David Gregory of NBC News ain't hearin' it.

Video Here (WMV and QT)

What's even greater is the commentary by Imus et al. afterwards. Click it.

...did the government really fail us?

"It's impossible for me to imagine how you report a story whose subject is death without allowing the public to see images of the subject of the story," Larry Siems of the PEN American Center told Reuters.

[via Mrs. Tool]

I know I'm late to the liberal blog party on this one, but if you haven't bookmarked Crooks and Liars, you need to do so right now. Lots of video of political hypocrisy, and not only on Katrina. Today there's a clip of the Scarborough Country dude going off on fellow Republicans who want him to "shut up" about what a bad job they did, and a timeline that the relentless Keith Obermann put together on what was said and what was actually done. Required reading.

I put a link to the site on my sidebar, but wanted to draw everyone's attention to this valuable resource.

You've got to read this. A pissed-off White House Press Corps rips the hapless Scotty McClellan a new one as he tries unsuccessfully to spout talking points and give the president a free pass. Keep going guys--don't ever stop.

An excerpt:

Q I just want to follow up on David's questions on accountability. First, just to get you on the record, where does the buck stop in this administration?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President.

Q All right. So he will be held accountable as the head of the government for the federal response that he's already acknowledged was inadequate and unacceptable?

UPDATE: Scotty continues to do his best Fred Astaire impression.

Hate to do another reprint--okay, I don't, really--but here's Keith Olbermann(video link) saying a lot of what I've been thinking a lot more eloquently and effectively. Remember, the Bush Administration ran on the platform that they were the chappies who could keep you safe. I don't know if Kerry et al. would have done better, but right about now I'd be willing to give anyone else a crack at it.

Excerpt:
...This is the Law and Order and Terror government. It promised protection — or at least amelioration — against all threats: conventional, radiological, or biological.

It has just proved that it cannot save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water.

UPDATE: Crooks and Liars has video of Olbermann's speech here.

Just because everyone should read it, here's the text of the editorial from Sunday's (online only) issue of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, in the form of an open letter to President Bush.

Pay attention.

Our friends across the pond notice that our reporters are finally asking the tough questions.

And that's a good thing. About damn time.

Check this out.

Video of Shepard Smith and Geraldo Rivera reporting for Fox News out of New Orleans, finally losing the Fox spin and getting real about the horrible situation and the compassion that's needed.

I think it's too early to look for a silver lining, but if there is going to be one I hope it's that the problem of poverty in America gets thrown in the face of the complacent by these reporters who've finally discovered, it seems, what it is they're supposed to be doing--reporting, holding those in power accountable, and making injustice impossible to ignore.

If you're not following the incredibly courageous and harrowing blog play-by-play of the ground situation in New Orleans being published by The Interdictor, you should. Warning though--if you think the government and the national guard are doing a compassionate and capable job helping people down there, this might upset your equilibrium.

...that not all conservatives are like this.

Please. I really want to hear it.

Please?