Bush actually fires someone.

For those calling for FEMA Director Michael Brown's head, I was about ready to tell people, "Calm down people, Bush never fires anyone." Then, lo and behold, Bush "reassigns" Brown(ie). That was a very good move, I just never dreamed Bush would actually do it, despite all the pressure to do so.

Could Bush actually survive this whole mess? He could, and here's how. If the death toll in New Orleans is far lower than speculated, then that will actually take off a lot of pressure. The mayor of New Orleans has said that the death toll could be as high as 10,000. A total of 25,000 body bags have been ordered. But so far, in an initial sweep of the city, not many bodies have been found yet. I predict that they will find fewer than 500 bodies.

Now, I don't think this absolves Bush from the horrendous federal response to the disaster. There was still an immense amount of suffering. But, with people expecting thousands and thousands to be dead, the fact that the number may only be hundreds, there could be a feeling of "Oh, it wasn't that bad." An unfortunate response, I agree, but probably the reality of the situation. If the death toll is much lower than anticipated, thus averting the catastrophic label that's already been attached, then Bush will make it through, scarred, but will still make it through. In the meantime, the cycle of bad news is probably played out. Americans like happy endings, so now the news will shift to those "Oprah" and "Dr. Phil" moments that detail stories of courage and heroism. In addition, this weekend is the fourth anniversary of 9/11, which will take up a lot of the news. So, oddly enough, what started out as the worst natural disaster in history, may actually start disappearing from the news.