To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.

Honolulu, Hawaii (APE) - Flying aboard Air Force One overnight, President Bush made a surprise visit to the 50th state to inspect personally the damages from yesterday's 6.5 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. He met briefly with Hawaiian governor, Linda Lingle, promising whatever resources the state needed to avoid a Katryna-like disaster. Miraculously, no one seems to have died from the powerful quake at this point, and the majority of people have been able to return fairly rapidly to their homes.

Bush announced that in a further safeguard to make sure that this disaster was handled appropriately, he was reappointing Michael Brown as a special assistant to homeland security Secretary Michael Chertoff. The administration felt that Brown would bring infinite experience to the unfolding disaster. unconfirmedsources.com

unconfirmedsources.com: Bush Declares State of Hawaii Disaster Area