Bush is right that we need a militaryresponse to catastrophic events. Congress can assure that, while preserving the doctrine of posse comitatus with sensible and explicit exceptions.

What we need is better definition and execution of disaster responsibilities at all levels of government and more leadership on both the state and federal level to use the laws already in place.

Our geopolitical goals in the Middle East are enduring, and our maturing grand strategy now accepts that long-term political change demands a deeper involvement.