playing politics

after last winter's tsunami and after hurricane kitrina, when bush didn't seem to do anything for the first couple of days and the criticism of the president hit the airwaves, there were some people who would criticize the criticizers for "politicizing the tragedy" or "playing politics."

i have some sympathy for that viewpoint. it's wrong to use a disaster to score cheap political points.

but it's also worth remembering that not all political points are cheap. criticism of a politician can get him to act better the next time a disaster strikes:

Eager to show it has learned from the slow responses to the Asia-Pacific tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, the White House announced Sunday evening that it would provide an "initial contribution" of $50 million for relief efforts in Pakistan.

so remember next time: sometimes playing politics produces better results. isn't that how a representative democracy is supposed to work?