SoCal Fire: Today's Top Story, Tomorrow's Top Questions

Perhaps the most important question facing us today is this: How long, exactly, will it take Anderson Cooper to fly to Malibu?

2007-10-22-fireonmsnbcweb.gif It's undoubtedly the big story of the day: Southern California is on fire. Massive wildfires are consuming the southern part of the state, including areas around Los Angeles and San Diego, and a state of emergency has been declared in seven counties. The cable nets have been on the story all day, providing constant updates, coverage and commentary, to which Fox News helpfully added information on how affluent and celebrity-dense the neighborhoods of Malibu are, as if that somehow offset the devastating impact (though Glenn Beck took that to another level). 2007-10-22-fireweb.gif There was plenty of other news today — last night's GOP debate; President Bush's speech about troop funding; Kid Rock's arrest after a brawl at a waffle house — but the enormity of the disaster overwhelmed each of those stories and made them feel, well, a bit less newsworthy (and is it just us or did it feel odd that Bush said nothing about the fires?)

A story like this, although local in focus, is national in scope (think: Minnesota bridge collapse; Utah mine disaster), and it will no doubt be leading the newscasts in ten minutes — and, with no sign of abatement, will likely dominate the coverage tomorrow. 2007-10-22-marthassohotshesonfireweb.gif What's more, these fires probably won't be put out for days, so with additional coverage, the story will take on several lives of its own: first, the devastation; then, the requisite questioning, i.e. "If we know these fires happen every year, why weren't we better prepared for this?" "Might we be better equipped to deal with national emergencies like this if critical financial and human resources hadn't been deployed to Iraq?" (aka, the 'Katrina Question').

But perhaps the most important question facing us today is this: How long, exactly, will it take Anderson Cooper to fly to Malibu?

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