SIVACRACY.NET

The Associated Press has a video of Michael Brown actually sounding anxious and determined in a pre-Katrina briefing that pretty clearly shows President Bush receiving the warning that the levees might fail.

I mean, I don't expect this to do much to public confidence in President Bush's performance; the last 34% seem fairly resolute despite the vice-president's shooting spree, the meltdown in Iraq, the sudden recognition that port security isn't quite what it ought to be (a recognition prompted by the Dubai Ports World deal, but far broader than that), and Afghanistan's security situation becoming so terrible that President Bush can land for only a few hours and then mutter awkwardly when asked about prospects for public safety.

But the video adds a further Daliesque touch, the melting clock marking time in a highly surreal landscape.