Hurricane Katrina Bush's Fault?

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Katrina Bush's Fault?

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan (search), who was camped outside President Bush's Texas ranch for the past few weeks, says Hurricane Katrina (search) is all President Bush's fault, insisting that the president is "[now] heading to Louisiana to see the devastation that his environmental policies and his killing policies have caused."

What's more, she says, "Recovery would be easier and much quicker if almost half of the three states involved National Guard were not in Iraq." By the way, here's an apparently intimate and touching moment between Sheehan and the Reverend Al Sharpton (search) — caught on camera during Sharpton's visit to Crawford on Sunday. But other photos — such as this one — suggest something quite different. (Click on video in the box above to see photo.)

Sheehan is not the only one blaming President Bush for Hurricane Katrina. Germany's environmental minister says, "neglected environmental policies" in the U.S. have led to global warming and catastrophic weather. Minister Jurgen Trittin insists, "The Bush government rejects international climate protection goals by insisting that imposing them would negatively impact the American economy. The American president is closing his eyes to the economic and human costs his land and the world economy are suffering under natural catastrophes like Katrina."

Barbour to Blame?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (search), son of the late New York Democratic Senator Robert Kennedy, says Mississippi Republican Governor Haley Barbour (search) is the one to blame for Hurricane Katrina. In a column posted online, Kennedy says Barbour played a "central role ... in derailing" international efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Kennedy says a 2001 memo from Barbour — then a lobbyist — to the Bush administration persuaded the president to oppose carbon dioxide restrictions. So, Kennedy insists, "Now we are all learning what it's like to reap the whirlwind of fossil fuel dependence which Barbour and his cronies have encouraged."

Despite Democrats' Efforts

A new poll out today shows that despite Democrats' efforts to reach out to religious voters, fewer Americans now say the Democratic Party (search) acts favorably toward religion. Last year 40 percent of those polled said Democrats were friendly toward religion, and now only 29 percent say that.

In addition, 60 percent of Republicans say non-religious liberals have too much control over the Democratic Party. Nearly the same number of Democrats says religious conservatives have too much control over the Republican Party.

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report