Katrina lessons in Bush response to fires

In an interview, Perino said that both Katrina and today's speedy news cycles have made White House officials aware they must get the word out quickly for it to count. Before, conversations about supply lines and local needs would happen only quietly, or a presidential trip wouldn't be announced before it was completely arranged.

Now, she said these things are publicized as soon as possible.

"We're conscious of talking faster," Perino said. "We need to keep up. If you don't, people might accuse you of not doing what you should be doing."

Bush also has scotched plans to travel to St. Louis Thursday, laying on a trip to California instead to inspect the response for himself. This in spite of the continuing crisis, and Perino's statement earlier that discussing such travel was premature and perhaps inappropriate precisely because of that.

To be sure, the public relations piece of handling a tragedy is tricky. Overkill brings accusations of interference or crass political opportunism. Too little attention, or waiting too long to visit, raises doubts about compassion.

"I've got some doubt about the value of President Bush coming out here. How many times did he go to New York or to New Orleans and still, made promises but hasn't delivered?" California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi said on MSNBC.

Of course, the most important piece of disaster response isn't slideshows and presidential words of comfort. It's getting food, medical care, shelter and recovery teams to the area, not to mention staying committed during months (or years) or rebuilding.

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To this end, Pentagon officials said Katrina taught them to be more forward-leaning. The military has already sent resources to California, but also is trying to predict what requests might materialize in the coming days. For instance, a battalion of Marines — some 550 people — is training for firefighting duties.

"One of the lessons that we, as a nation, learned is that in a crisis, you don't wait to be asked; you lean forward, you prepare your capabilities and you ask, very pointedly, 'How can I help?'," said Paul McHale, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense. "And that's a different mindset. It's a sense of urgency."

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