Thursday, September 15, 2005

"My job is to recriminate"

Great article by Michael Kinsley on the clarity of all the post-Katrina hindsight. Kinsley takes all the Monday Morning quarterbacks to task.
Of course, my job isn't to predict and prepare for disasters. My job is to recriminate when they occur. It's not easy. These days the recriminations business is overrun with amateurs, who are squatting on all the high ground. The fetid aroma of hindsight is everywhere.
The whole thing is great.

It's easy to talk about the possibility of the levees failing, but it's another to have warned that the floodwalls were structurally flawed before Katrina blew in. I haven't seen one report where someone had identified that weakness in the flood control system. It's easy to be a doom merchant if you don't know any specifics.

For the record, it will be horrific if the roof of the Lincoln Tunnel collapses during rush hour or if the Eiffel Tower falls during the height of the tourist season or if the Hogan Stand suddenly gives way during the All Ireland Final.

There. I've warned you people.