Katrina, meet Ernesto

Although it's too early to accurately speculate on Tropical Storm Ernesto's eventual landfall destination (if any) the timing and forecast track of this storm is bordering on the transmundane. Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Mississippi coast a year ago Tuesday and the president is planning to be there to say a few words and talk to Mayor Nestle, er Nagin.

The Federal Government's response to Katrina is part of a two-pronged democrat strategy for re-taking the House and Senate in the fall. The other prong is of course Iraq. Help is coming from every direction for this plan, from Spike Lee's documentary to a morning column in the WaPo:

For Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.), three images define George W. Bush's presidency: Bush throwing out the first pitch of the 2001 World Series at Yankee Stadium, Bush with a megaphone atop the rubble of the World Trade Center -- and Bush staring out the window as Air Force One traversed the Gulf Coast thousands of feet above the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

The above is not part of the democrat plan, rather it's a reaction thereto. We're liable to see more republican spine punting as November approaches unless something changes the current dynamic.

And that something might be called Ernesto. The Hurricane Center track forecast is indeed very interesting. If it becomes a 'cane and hits any point of land in the United States it might well change that dynamic, especially if all branches of government mobilize quickly, similar to the 2004 Florida storms.

Such a reaction might snatch away the Katrina prong overnight, but on the other hand it might enhance it since dems could say "this is how he should have handled Katrina" with the standard racial overtones thrown in for good measure.

But it certainly would be harder for the dems to continue focusing on Katrina if Ernesto or another storm comes and is handled well. Tracking polls tend to react more to current events. Now, if it were to hit New Orleans, who knows.

Katrina was almost a preternatural event, very much like September 11th. Although both might have been predicted by various experts, they were the type of cataclysmic events nobody really expects to occur, making them almost surprise attacks when they do. Follow-on events will not be seen the same way. Can you blame Max Mayfield for retiring?