Yesterday Rep. Jack Spratt (D - SC) and former DNC Chairman Don Fowler managed to neutralize hurricane Gustav before Obama could exploit it for political purposes.  Here’s the video again if you missed it:

Today the South Carolina GOP (via press release) is calling on Obama to repudiate these comments:

BREAKING: Statement from South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson

“The outrageous behavior of two of the Obama campaign’s highest profile supporters in the south is despicable, a cynical politization of life and death. I call on Barack Obama to immediately denounce Fowler and Spratt and demand sincere apologies from these members of the Democratic leadership.”

I don’t know why Obama, specifically, needs to apologize for and repudiate these comments.  After all, he didn’t make them.  And Spratt/Fowler don’t work for his campaign.  But even so, someone from the Democrats should apologize to the public for this.  I mean, rooting for a hurricane?  Rooting for death and destruction for political gain?  That’s pretty atrocious.

And it not only speaks to Democrat callousness with hurricane Gustav, but it casts a pall on all the political haymaking Democrats did with hurricane Katrina.  The mask has been pulled from Democrat empathy and exposed cruel, exploitative and cynical politics.