Chuck Todd: 'Shadow of Bush and Katrina Does Hang Over This Convention'

Now that Hurricane Isaac missed Tampa thereby dashing liberal media hopes the Republican National Convention would be destroyed by it, so-called journalists are taking up a new theme to rain on Mitt Romney's pending nomination.

Take NBC chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd who said on Sunday's Nightly News, "When you think as this storm moves to and closer to Louisiana, the specter, the sort of shadow of Bush and Katrina does hang over this convention" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

LESTER HOLT, HOST: Chuck, I know there's a sense of wanting to clean the slate after a pretty rough ten days for Republicans. Now you’ve got this storm churning offshore. May not make a big deal in Tampa, but is there some concern about the tone of the convention if we’re seeing communities along the Gulf Coast suffering some heavy damage?

CHUCK TODD: Well, look, there are folks with the Romney campaign who think, “Boy, Romney can't catch a break ever since he named Paul Ryan.” Got a little bit of momentum after the Ryan pick, and then he's interrupted by two storms - one a political storm Todd Akin, which we just brought up, but now an actual storm.

And when you think as this storm moves to and closer to Louisiana, the specter, the sort of shadow of Bush and Katrina does hang over this convention. It is something organizers are concerned about. And I, don't be surprised if Tuesday gets changed again. They've already gotten rid of Monday, but they could change it again and have to squeeze it into some form of say two and a half days, Lester, basically out of sensitivity.

"The sort of shadow of Bush and Katrina does hang over this convention."

So the media spent a week predicting Isaac would hit Tampa wreaking havoc on Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Now that they're wrong, and it appears to be heading to New Orleans, the goal is to dredge up Hurricane Katrina, and replay that for Americans.

For those that have forgotten, so-called journalists across the fruited plain spent months seven years ago blaming George W. Bush for that natural disaster despite most of the failures surrounding evacuation and rescue residing with the then Democratic governor of Louisiana and the then Democratic mayor of New Orleans as well as decades of corruption and malfeasance associated with levee repair.

Now, seven years later, it appears that playbook is going to be dusted off to use as an attack on Romney/Ryan.

It would be laughable if there weren't so much at stake.

But if the media are going to play this game, let's take it one step further.

Let's assume Isaac as it moves across the Gulf increases in strength and packs a wallop as it mirrors Katrina's path. Let's also assume - God forbid - a New Orleans levee fails and 2005 is really replayed in some version.

Will that be the White House resident's fault as it was in 2005, or will the governor - who just so happens now to be a Republican - be blamed this time?

Yes, that was indeed a rhetorical question.

(HT Marc Sheppard)