I don't know why you're so defensive about this, Tom. Accusing the Democrats of having as powerful a message machine is actually undeserved flattery, since they only aspire to do so well. As they must, to start winning elections.

I find the "blame game" tactic offensive, because it's intended to ridicule legitimate questions about the adequacy of the response to this disaster. Are you satisfied with it? Do you think that it's out-of-bounds to criticize the government's performance?

This tactic is a clear signal that the investigation that Bush vows to oversee will be a farce. It validates Democratic resistance to proposals in Congress for an investigation dominated by Republicans, in favor of an independent commission. It's a sign of business-as-usual by the Bush Administration--"the buck stops here" applies only to Democratic Presidents, and not to Bush.

"The buck stops here" isn't just a general principle in this case; it has a clear focus. Leaving aside criticism of Bush's personal response to the disaster, the fact remains that the DHS was created by the Bush Administration, and Bush chose Chertoff and Brown to build and lead the national disaster response system. The facts coming to light about Brown's utter lack of experience, and evident utter lack of competency, reeks of cronyism and political patronage. Brown was a criminally-negligent choice to head FEMA. Questions of funding for preparedness programs and preventative measures like levee-strengthening are, at root, about the Bush Administration's priorities. They're about the question "is America safer now than it was on September 12, 2001?"

There is a definite chain of causality between Bush's choices and the outcome we see today. Nibbling away at the issue by pointing fingers at others for individual missteps can't completely obscure Bush's fundamental responsibility as President.

The gift of The Daily Show is to tap into, and express, the sentiments of a large part of the population. Stewart's concluding remarks congratulating the media on finally growing a spine got a wildly positive reaction from his studio audience because, I'm quite sure, he gave voice to the disgust so many people feel that the media's been the doormat of the Bush Adminstration for so long. This is just plain crazy, Tom:

when the Republicans come out with a talking point, the media do not instantly snap it up and present it as their own.

Playing the media victim has, I guess, become an ingrained instinct on the Right, but it just doesn't wash, and nobody outside the Right is buying it any more.