Katrina Recovery Efforts and the Conservative Ambivalence for Government

Via Economist's View, we have these comments from Paul Krugman on the lethargic federal reconstruction effort in the Gulf Coast, which has only managed to spend about $100 million of the $17 billion allocated for recovery. In describing this failure to execute, Krugman cites conservatives' "head's I win, tails you lose" attitude towards managing government:

Apologists for the administration will doubtless claim that blame for the lack of progress rests not with Mr. Bush, but with the inherent inefficiency of government bureaucracies. That's the great thing about being an antigovernment conservative: even when you fail at the task of governing, you can claim vindication for your ideology.