By Erick Erickson

In 2005, after the destructive force of Hurricane Katrina, President George W. Bush made a conscious decision to fly over New Orleans to view the damage without landing. His thinking was that the relief effort was more important than him. If he landed, relief personnel would be distracted and police and military personnel involved would be redirected to take care of him. He wanted the citizens taken care of instead.

But the American political press assailed the decision. They portrayed Bush as uncaring, aloof, and racist for not going.

Yesterday, Donald Trump went to Texas to survey the damage from Harvey. He landed in Texas, but stayed out of the hair of relief workers. The press assailed him for going as a distraction. They assailed his wife’s choice of shoes. First they complained Melania Trump wore high heels to board Air Force One. Then they complained about her tennis shoes and cap.

Liberals assailed Mrs. Trump for wearing a cap that said FLOTUS, which they were perfectly fine with Michele Obama doing.

President Trump did the Presidential thing. He did the expected thing. He did the thing the left and media have demanded Presidents do. And he was attacked for it.

I may often take issue with President Trump’s behavior, but he did the right thing and appropriate thing. It was the press and political left that behaved badly.

If President Trump were to go to Houston and walk on the flood waters carrying people out of their homes, the national press corps would attack him for being unable to swim. He cannot win with them and that is why so few Americans really respect or pay attention to the media any more. The press has given up objectivity for raw partisan politics even in times of disaster.