I like this headline (from Sign on San Diego's Fire Blog)

Bush tours burn sites, takes off

Schwarzenegger shakes hands with Bush, watches him go.

Everyone talks about how nice it was he stopped by, go back to actually fighting fires, picking up the pieces.

Bush is touring, Christi something or other from Headline News is happy we're watching her, you're welcome Christi something or other.

President Bush just finished getting a first hand look of wild fires and says the nation owes debt of gratitutde to thousands of fire fighters on front line. He also pledged immediate and long term federal help to those who need it in the area.

And now back to the burned houses and this really cute guy named Reggie taking us through the rubble. I like his shirt. I'm falling in love with CNN news.

Just saw Bush walking off the plane.

"Why hello Arnold, good to see you, did you hear how good of a job we're doing on this whole thing, he he. We're such good aid hander outers aren't we."

"Cali-four-nia needs much more help. Cali-four-nia needs more assistance."

"Chill out man. You shoulda seen those other guys that the news media keep talking about, that whole pesky tornado thing, water man, ain't my favorite. But this fire thing, we're doing such a good job."

"Cali-four-nia has been doing such a good job."

"California, federal government, FEMA, it's all the same. We should all pat ourselves on the back and think about how good we are at our jobs because now they totally can't bug me about that whole city that was underwater that I ignored. Go Chargers! Wait, huh, they left, oh, okay."

The President is approaching. Air Force One is landing. The Press is waiting.

I haven't waited for a GW press conference since... well since... well I don't know. I remember waiting for Bill Clinton to be on David Letterman.

CNN promises it really is coming up, because they just had footage of Air Force One landing. Patience.

Sign on San Diego is way more positive than any other news source...

Good old Sign on San Diego is keeping the positive vibes going with reports of fires being contained, fire fighters able to get ahead of the once out of control flames and the return of residents to their homes.

“The worst is behind us,” said Ron Lane, director of the county Emergency Operations, at a news conference featuring Michael Chertoff, chief of federal Homeland Defense.

President Bush is expected to visit San Diego Thursday to view the fire damage, according to the governor's office.

There are still out of control fires burning, but with the weather looking up and the helicopters better able to fly and drop water, it looks like a turning point. (They've been promising a turning point for a while, so we'll call this cautious optimism.)

It's still fire, fire, fire but hope is in the air!

Federal disaster declaration has been signed by President Bush. Money will be available for those that are not insured and those under insured. Plus there will be money for temporary rentals. Lower winds and more humidity are expected to help fire fighters today. I-5 has been reopened in area of Camp Pendelton. Still one lane of traffic in some areas.

And from the Union Tribune:

At least a half-million people have been forced from their homes. That's roughly one in every six county residents scattered in shelters, hotels and spare rooms of friends and relatives.
Nearly 1,300 houses and other structures have been razed as flames have charred about 300,000 acres since Sunday. The property tally is expected to climb.

The tone of both the national news media and local media seems to have changed, there may be an end in sight. And the weather seems to be in a much better mood lately, keep your fingers crossed.

President Bush is expected in the area tomorrow.

Live Footage of the Fire.

For footage of the fires in San Diego: http://www.10news.com/video/14036255/index.html

Since they began Sunday, the fires have burned at least 373,000 acres, or 583 square miles -- an area the size of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Affected areas stretched from north of Santa Barbara more than 200 miles south into Mexico. Flames climbed halfway toward the Nevada line, chewing through chunks of seven counties and devastating numerous communities.
At least 346,000 homes in San Diego County alone -- roughly one in three, according to census data -- were ordered to evacuate, sheriff's officials said. State officials were still struggling to estimate how many people had fled.

President George Bush is expected in the Southern California area on Thursday. Stay tuned.