Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

That depends on who you are.

1) In his infinite wisdom, which we are not supposed to question, the Potemkin President has suspended the prevailing wage rule in areas that are most in need of good jobs:

President Bush issued an executive order Thursday allowing federal contractors rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to pay below the prevailing wage.

In a notice to Congress, Bush said the hurricane had caused "a national emergency" that permits him to take such action under the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act in ravaged areas of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.

This did not go unchallenged by two of organized labor's biggest friends in Congress, Rep. George Miller of California and Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, both Democrats.

[The Davis-Bacon law requires federal contractors to pay workers at least the prevailing wages in the area where the work is conducted. It applies to federally funded construction projects such as highways and bridges.]

This Kos diary has a link to the prevailing wage scale by job description and by county/parish in Louisiana. Nothing like jerking around people who are looking for jobs to try and get back on their feet after losing everything in the hurricane. I bet Bush's corporate contributors are giving a hearty cheer.

2) Rep. Richard Baker finds his Christian side: "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did." Baker explains later he didn't intend flippancy but has long wanted to improve low-income housing. (Source: The Stakeholder)

Susanhu at Booman Tribune has the low-down on Rep. Baker's interst in public housing.

3) 11 Republicans voted against the $51 billion package ( H. R. 3673) for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Oliver Willis reports. One was Tom Tancredo (R-CO). One of Tancredo's constitutents observed, "Seems he thought the government of New Orleans was just too corrupt to be trusted with money, so he’d prefer to have somebody else dole it out like an allowance to a third-grader. " May-be.

4) The RWNM has found a silver lining; there's a new e-mail making the rounds which says New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco refused President Bush's pleas to declare an emergency in Louisiana before Hurricane Katrina struck. The message is supposedly based on "a post from a fellow over in Merritt Is, FL, a reporter who's been researching what went on before the storm hit." Fortunately, Snopes.com is on top of this and the other Hurricane Katrina urban legends that have arisen.

5) Bush advisor Karen Hughes has a new job as under-secretary for good manners to improve America's image abroad. She's in charge of making sure everyone knows which silverware to use, sits with their ankles crossed, holds their pinkies out when drinking tea, and other important things to remind the rest of the world that we're not imperialistic warmongers. (Yes, she really does have this job and no, I have no idea what the correct title is.) Her first act today was to declare that looters in Louisiana are hurting America's image.

[UPDATE] Her real title is the State Department's undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, where her job is to improve America's global image. As one Kossack observed, "The George W. Bush theft prevention program. PR it to death and it will go away. "

Is there a silver lining for Democrats? How about "Bush approval rate hits 39%"? (AP/Ipsos)

[UPDATE] Here's a silver lining for Dean Democrats: Today at 4:15 p.m. ET, Howard will appear on CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. Make sure you tune in! I will be en route to pick up the boys from daycare. Can someone put together a summary of what Howard says? Thanks!

Remember, IOKIYAR.