Iraq. New Orleans. Wall Street.

All vying for space on Bush's tombstone:

In each of these three events we can pick out the same pattern –- initial incomprehension, a long period of stasis during which conditions got worse, an inability to adopt appropriate policies because of objections based on ideology, until finally, at vast expense, a resolution of some sort is stumbled upon. And in none of these instances has answering questions about the administration's conduct been a strong point.