Go figure. The photo-op president just isn't getting the response that he used to get these days. After so many lies for so long, people either don't believe him or take a wait and see attitude.
"Let's see what happens in six months, how much of what he says happens," said Kettelhut, 65, visiting Las Vegas from Kingman, Ariz. "You can say whatever you want. It's what happens down the road that counts."But don't worry, there are still a few apologists out there.
Samuel Lewis, 31, questioned why Bush did not act faster and said the president's remarks were empty promises. "He is telling me he is going to rebuild my city ... but what about all the stuff I lost? What about jobs?"
"I've been in Third World countries where situations of this sort were handled better," said New Orleans resident J.J. Smith, 61, a retired communications specialist for telephone companies who watched the speech in a Baton Rouge, La., hotel bar.
"At that point, words alone would have been significant ... But now it's after the fact, so actions are more important," he said.
"He knows what happened here," Parker said. "He's been here. But he's just the middle man. Congress has the say-so."
