The Impotence Of Being Ernesto

Tropical storm, and former hurricane, Ernesto made landfall in Florida today, bringing the total number of hurricanes to hit the US this year to, um, none. Cable news outlets lavished blanket coverage on the rainstorm. The DrudgeReport noted that this was a welcome relief to hurricane-weary residents of Florida, who have had to battle no hurricanes so far this year.

Ernestos stubborn refusal to regain strength was a particular affront to forecaseters, who had been breathlessly noting that he would be traveling over very warm water. It has become a item of faith over the last two years that warm water leads to strong hurricanes, that global warming leads to warm water and that George Bush leads to global warming. Ernesto, adding insult to, well, the lack of much injury, ignored the fact that President Bush was actually in the gulf region today, marking the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.