Minority Retort - This is your moment, Democrats. Don't blow it. By John Dickerson

Minority Retort - This is your moment, Democrats. Don't blow it. By John Dickerson: "Democrats were furious that President Bush didn't take responsibility for the Katrina relief catastrophe. Now they're furious that he did. President Bush's careful admission that he is responsible for the botched federal response to Hurricane Katrina 'to the extent that the federal government didn't do its job right' is a familiar Washington gambit: 'turning the page.' Bush's acceptance of responsibility answers cable news' echo-room charge that someone needs to be held accountable. Now the president—having embraced his inner Truman—can move on and change the message.

Liberal pundits had already declared the end of his presidency, but with this rhetorical feint Bush muddies the discussion. He's giving away lots of federal goodies. He's making a prime time speech from Louisiana on Thursday night. Pretty soon, the media and the country might start letting Bush off the hook. Now any Democrat who carps on those federal failures can be brushed off as a hack merely playing politics. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), not immune to playing politics, warned Monday during John Roberts' nomination hearings that 'Katrina victims should not be used to score political points.'

Still, Democrats have been given their best chance in five years to win back the country. Are they going to blow it?"