The fix is in: DeLay nixes Katrina probe

Bush on Tuesday: Buffeted by criticism over the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, President Bush said Tuesday he will oversee an investigation into what went wrong and why-- in part to be sure the country could withstand more storms or attack.

Today's news: The House majority leader late Tuesday tried to deflect criticism of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina by saying "the emergency response system was set up to work from the bottom up," then announced a short time later that House hearings examining that response had been canceled.

Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said House Republican leaders instead want a joint House-Senate panel set up to conduct a "congressional review" of the issue. (. . .)

But DeLay countered that assessment later in a news conference by saying that the onus for responding to emergencies fell to local officials.

"It's the local officials trying to handle the problem. When they can't handle the problem, they go to the state, and the state does what they can to, and if they need assistance from FEMA and the federal government they ask for it and it's delivered," DeLay said.

And there you have it. DeLay wants a group of Republicans to-- behind closed doors-- come to the conclusion that this administration is blameless. It's the ultimate triumph of putting the party over the nation in classic Soviet-era politicking.