The bad news for the Republican Party seems to be coming out all at once. The way things are looking I think things will get worse before they get better. But the growing list of political trouble spots would really just be bumps in the road and business as usual if the administration had adequately responded to Katrina.

1. FEMA's Katrina relief debacle.
2. Slipping support for the war in Iraq.
3. Tom Delay indicted on conspiracy charges.
4. Sentator Frist's financial dealings investigated.
5. White House leak of Plame's identity and possible involvement of Karl Rove.

This list would have been manageable and any political fallout limited if it were not for item #1. The Katrina relief disaster is what really hurt the Bush administration and will have lasting effects that could potentially magnify any other troubles that arise. Just like how 9/11 solidified support for the president and gave him wide latitude in pushing forward policy initiatives, the seemingly impotent response to this crisis has eroded the president's support and given him no room to move. The reason this has been particularly damaging is because Bush predicated his leadership on "preparedness" and protecting America. Time and time again he stood in front of the American people and told them how he was making them safer with things like the patriot act, the Department of Homeland Security, terror alert levels and the war in Iraq. His administration defined itself with security. The government's Katrina response opens up all kinds of questions and doubt about how prepared the government is for a crisis, whether we are any safer now than we were on 9/11 and the president's leadership abilities. The Katrina response exposes the Bush administration to attacks on all fronts. Suddenly the other four items on the list become a much bigger problem. Take for instance item #2, the war in Iraq; a growing political liability for the Bush administration and the republicans. If support for the war was fading before Katrina now opponents of the war can point to Bush's failed leadership on Katrina as reason to question his leadership on the war. They can also point to the cost of the war in Iraq as money that is needed for rebuilding the gulf coast. They can also claim that the failed relief effort was partly due to the lack of National Guard resources that are currently deployed in Iraq. The other items on the list also become amplified because of the now infamous former FEMA directory Michael Brown; an appointment that has been widely reported to be an example of cronyism in the worst degree. The appointment of a seemingly unqualified person to such an important position raises questions about the level of nepotism going on in the Bush administration.

Allegations of corruption rarely seem to derail political objectives, at least when it just involves plain, good old-fashioned greed. But what will really hurt the Bush administration is the appearance that cronyism lead to incompetence and ineptitude that threatened the safety and lives of Americans. Certainly Bush’s legislative goals will be substantially diminished if not largely defeated, and with another Supreme Court nomination looming he may find himself having the tread lightly.