Subject: A Comedic Bunch: Chaotic airline administration, government incompetence, distraught travelers. Welcome to the wonderful world of air travel in the Bush era. This latest round of bumbling is only too typical. The Federal Aviation Administration can't issue proper maintenance directives without a major carrier service breaking down? Please. Congressional hearings make for good theater but won't change what's wrong with the system. Deregulation and soft oversight have prevailed in air travel for decades, and we see the sorry result. It's time to re-regulate the airlines and give the boot to people like Department of Transportation general counsel D.J. Gribben, who parrots the conservative line that a "market-based" approach will solve our air travel woes. The public needs regulators who regulate, not this comedic bunch of do-nothings.