Persistent amnesia: ABC's Vargas, MSNBC's O'Donnell ignored Bush levee comment
SUMMARY: ABC World News Tonight anchor Elizabeth Vargas failed to note the apparent conflict between a newly released videotape that shows President Bush receiving a warning that New Orleans levees could be topped and Bush's later comment that "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." MSNBC chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell similarly failed to note this contradiction during an interview with deputy White House press secretary Trent Duffy.
On the March 1 edition of ABC's World News Tonight, anchor Elizabeth Vargas reported the release of a videotape that shows President Bush, on the day before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, receiving warnings from National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield that the New Orleans levees could be "topped," which he said was "obviously a very, very grave concern." The video appears to contradict Bush's claim, made two days after the storm, that "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." But Vargas failed to note this conflict in her report. MSNBC chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell similarly failed to note this contradiction during a March 2 interview with deputy White House press secretary Trent Duffy.
The videotapes released by the Associated Press also show further evidence that contradicts Bush's September 1 claim: that he had indeed been warn about the threat to the levee system posted by Katrina, and that Bush reportedly expressed concern about the levees breaching while the hurricane battered New Orleans. As reported in a March 2 New York Times article, then-Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Michael D. Brown stated at a August 29, 2005, midday videoconference that "he had spoken with President Bush twice in the morning and that the president was asking about reports that the levees had been breached."
Vargas and O'Donnell joined a growing number of journalists who seem to have entirely forgotten about Bush's September 1 statement that the levee breaches were completely unexpected. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield interviewed Duffy on March 2, and she too made no mention of the conflict. Further, numerous major newspapers failed to address this issue in their March 2 coverage of this story, as Media Matters for America noted.
From the March 1 broadcast of ABC's World News Tonight:
VARGAS: We learned more today about the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. The Associated Press has released a videotape showing video conferences that included President Bush and then-FEMA director Michael Brown one day before Katrina struck. During the conference, Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center makes a dramatic warning.
MAYFIELD: I don't think anyone can tell you with any confidence right now whether the levees will be topped or not. But that's obviously a very, very grave concern.
VARGAS: President Bush assured officials on the video conference tape that the government was fully prepared.
From the March 2 edition of MSNBC News Live:
O'DONNELL: Let me ask you about these new tapes that are out that show the president saying the day before Katrina struck, "We are fully prepared." In hindsight, were we fully prepared?
DUFFY: Well, Norah, as the president said, that he wasn't satisfied at the federal level. We pre-positioned more manpower and materiel and medicine before the storm than -- in Katrina -- than we did for any other storm in our history. It turned out not to be enough, and the president said -- and he was the first to take personal responsibility for that fact.
O'DONNELL: You at the White House, and others at the Department of Homeland Security have tried to make the case, "Look, there is nothing new on these tapes." And yet, we get to see federal officials issuing these very dire warnings to the president, and yet, at the end of this briefing, the president doesn't ask a single question. Why wasn't he more engaged?
DUFFY: Well, Norah, I completely reject that. The president knew this was a very devastating and deadly storm, which is why on August 28th he went before the news cameras -- and I'm not seeing a lot of this tape being aired on any networks -- but the president on August 28th, before the landfall, said to the American people and to the citizens of the Gulf Coast, this is a devastating and dangerous hurricane and please move to safe ground. He then took the extraordinary step of signing emergency disaster declarations ahead of landfall so that we could do the pre-positioning necessary, and finally, he took part in the urging state and local officials to do a mandatory evacuation.
O'DONNELL: Is there a political concern now at the White House? I mean, you have to defend this now. The president is once again put in the spotlight of how he handled hurricane Katrina. This is in the wake of the Harriet Miers nomination, the NSA spying, the Dubai port deal. The Democrats are making the case that this is an administration that is out of touch and lacks competence.
DUFFY: Well, I think the Democrats, next thing they will suggest is that we created Hurricane Katrina in the kitchen and launched it on the U.S. I totally reject that argument. The president was very well engaged, and again, Norah, what we're focused on is working to help the people in the Gulf Coast. All this is great theater. But in the bottom line, at the very end, what matters most is helping people rebuild their homes and their lives. We have $100 billion headed to the Gulf Coast. It's the right thing to do, and we need to focus right now on rebuilding the Gulf Coast and helping this vital portion of America get back on its feet.
...ask the most obvious question. Do you think a real journalist would do that? Not in this country.
my blog announces the winner of a monthly Pravda award. For February it was Vargas for her so called interview with Bush on February 28th as she just edged Brit Hume and his infamous gungate interview with Cheney.
Sad that while the land of the free has stenographers a real journalist such as Shi Tao in China was willing to to prison in pursuit of truth. Think about it?
What's this Katrina thing all about Mr. President? Why are people so concerned? I thought you corrected this by firing Brownie? Why should we be concerned?
While I have your attention Mr. President, How are your twins? Gee, nice to suck up to the almighty. Thank you for your time, Mr. President.
PLEASE
CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE THE PRESIDENT KNEW THAT THIS WAS THE BIG ONE.
HE KNEW AND SAT THERE IN CRAWFORD.
that mediamatters gets away with printing the same lie over and over and over and over.
It's just a technique to take a sound bite out of context and try to smear someone with it.
Brown said on CNN today the context was that the discussion with the reporters at the time was that the information they had was the storm had subsided and they felt the levees were still holding. The context was not a blanket statement that no one had ever discussed topping or breaching of levees. Thus the comment referred to their latest discussions. Also, it goes old having to constantly remind the AP and other media that topping of a levee and breaching of a levee are two different things.
MMFA is simply reporting the stories as they come in... yeah, it's a bit redundant, but so are the number of stories "forgetting" to ask important questions.
Why do you continue to support Bush and this trainwreck of an administration? You're not the only one. Every new debacle is greeted by W supporters with such surprise -- as if it's the first. What will it take for the apologists to get angry? You think these guys have your best interests at heart?
They get warned, they ignore the warning, what they were warned about happens, then they claim nobody anticipated XYZ happening. Is this an illness or what? "Bin Laden determined to attack"-"Sectarian divisions or civil war possible if Saddam toppled"-"Levees may fail" I am sure I am neglecting other warnings.
Bush: "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." Yet, Bush doesn't end his month-long vacation until Wednesday following the storm.
Condoleezza Rice : "I don't think anybody could have predicted that these people would take an airplane and slam it into the World Trade Center, take another one and slam it into the Pentagon; that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane as a missile"
INGREDIENTS:
Brownie Ingredients: * 1/2 cup butter * 1/2 cup oil * 1 cup water * 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa * 2 cups flour * 2 cups sugar * 2 eggs * 1 teaspoon baking soda * 1/2 cup buttermilk * 1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Frosting: * 1/2 cup butter * 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa * 1/3 cup buttermilk * 1 package confectioners sugar * 1 cup chopped walnuts * 1 teaspoon vanilla
PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Mix 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup oil, water and 4 tablespoons cocoa together in small sauce pan. Bring to boil. Add cocoa mixture to flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
Add eggs, baking soda, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 20 minutes.
Prepare frosting while brownies are baking. Put all frosting ingredients in medium saucepan and heat. If frosting is too thin, add a little more confectioners' sugar. Do not boil.
Frost the brownies immediately after removing from oven. Cut into squares when cooled.
Serves 24.
My question is, what would have been different? How many people would have left their homes even if all the experts had said get out? There was a Discovery Channel story I saw several years ago, predicting this same scenario. Why didn't they listen? At some point you have to listen to the radio, tv, or local news and say, "hey, it might be a good time to seek shelter".
I live in a hurricane prone area. We've ridden many a storm out. There is a mindset that you can do it. I'm not sure anything would have changed if Bush/Nagin/FEMA/ The LA Gov et al would have been on the same page.
As for the headline. It was taken out of context, plain and simple.
I dont know. I of course am NOT a professional on the subject of emergency levee bracing or emergency management. Wouldnt it be great if there were a dept of government that was tasked with protecting the American people who employed JUST SUCH EXPERTS? Wait, there is its called FEMA and the Dept of Homeland security what THEY could have done IS THEIR JOBS.
No doubt many people ignored warnings they should have heeded. That's a very valid point. However, it was known ahead of time that there would be many people in N.O. who, for whatever reason, would be stuck there. Subtly suggesting that the people who remained deserved whatever they got does not absolve FEMA from guilt for falling down on the job that the agency should have been prepared to do.
Rusty posted: "Subtly suggesting that the people who remained deserved whatever they got does not absolve FEMA from guilt for falling down on the job that the agency should have been prepared to do." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read my post again Rusty. I didn't nor would suggest people "got whatever they deserved". Those are your words, not mine.
I'm asking all you monday morning QB's (quarterbacks for you white tower liberals) what would have changed? This was a Cat 3-5 storm depending on who you believe. Doesn't matter, that's one hell of a blow either way. Should Bush have done more? Yes. Should the Gov have done more? Yes. Should Nagin have done more? Yes.
It was a natural disaster(except for the tin-foil hat crowd that says Bush seeded the clouds....oh never mind) and natural disasters have a way of throwing every one a curve now and again. Stop blaming and start helping.
I did help.
The point, in my mind, is not whether folks didn't leave, etc... but why there were significant delays, lackluster support, disorganization, photo-ops, b.s... following. Is this what a "caring" administration does for it's constituents? NO. People were left to die and fend for themselves while the keystone cops fell all over themselves... now months later, we STILL have Brownie calling names and people claiming they couldn't anticipate. I even heard one Bush apologist on the radio AGAIN saying it was the fault of the Gov of LA...
Please, even if all state and local authorities blew it... we all knew the big one was coming. Our gov't should be better than that. The response should have been better. It wasn't. That's the crime.
BY LARA JAKES JORDAN and MARGARET EBRAHIM Associated Press Writers
AP Photo/ALEX BRANDON
See Expanded Coverage Katrina Six Months Later
WASHINGTON (AP) -- As Hurricane Katrina loomed over the Gulf Coast, federal and state officials agonized over the threat to levees and lives. Hours after the catastrophic storm hit, Louisiana's governor believed New Orleans' crucial floodwalls were still intact.
"We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said shortly after noon on Aug. 29 - the day the storm hit the Gulf coast.
"We heard a report unconfirmed, I think, we have not breached the levee," she said on a video of the day's disaster briefing that was obtained Thursday night by The Associated Press. "I think we have not breached the levee at this time."
In fact, the National Weather Service received a report of a levee breach and issued a flash-flood warning as early as 9:12 a.m. that day, according to the White House's formal recounting of events the day Katrina struck.
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Still going to defend the LA Gov?
Whether or not the governor or mayor made mistakes doesn't take away from the fact that the feds sat on their hands and said "well, no one told us". I'm talking about rescue efforts in the days to follow. That's the crime.
Even if the gov, mayor -- hell, anyone on the local level -- COMPLETELY blew it... that still doesn't diminish the fact that the federal gov sat on their hands and didn't help. That's the crime. We ALL knew there was devastation... were was the aide? Where is it now?
Did you not see Army and USCG helo's picking stranded people off rooftops? That is not local level Gov. Did you not see the staging areas and CASH units deployed in support of Katrina? Open your eyes.
You have every right to complain about what is being done NOW, but you don't know or choose not to know the extent to which it takes to mobilize, deploy and coordinate these different entities. Especially right in the aftermath of a major storm. The same thing happened after hurricane Andrew, but I don't remember the whining that we see going on today.
If your honest with yourself, this is just another sling to bash Bush with.
If you believe the 'relief' (immediate and subsequent) was adequate, sufficient, appropriate... well, we differ in that regard. Sure, I saw rescue efforts. I also saw people languishing in their own fecal matter, without sufficient transport, without food or water, no direction... And, no I didn't find that stuff on the nightly news.
Again, my point is... do everything humanly possible. That wasn't done. Bush (technically) runs the show... he should take the blame. The office demands it. FEMA was (is) a disaster -- that too Bush can take credit for.
Bush bashing. Why do you feel obligated to apologize for his ridiculous mistakes? I'm tired of hearing righties perpetually call out "bush bashing". Look around (if you really want to be honest with yourself). . . let me know how this gov't is operating in our best interests. Let me know what's good about Bush's reign.
But he should have done more. He went from Texas to San diego to pose for pictures with a guitar instead of going to the White House or the area hit by the storm. Yes, we saw the choppers rescuing people. But there should have been more and they should have been there sooner.
As you say, the governor did a terrible job, the mayor did a terrible job, but the president should have shown some leadership. He didn't. The person at the top is the one we look to during disasters. It was a national problem and FEMA failed miserably. FEMA was reorganized by the administration and funding for FEMA was cut by the administration. It's not bashing them to ask for a little accountability is it? This administration is always asking us to trust them, but they've done little to earn our trust. For once they should trust us by giving a straight answer.
For a site that so nitpicks what wasn't asked, it is amazing that you fail to understand the distinction between the meanin of the word topped and the word breached. No one anticipated that the levees would be breached be a Cat 3 hurricane (look it up, that's what it was), which is what caused the damage. The "topping" of the levees is what Mayfield discussed, as he clarified again today for the media.
You are taking a part of the tape and twisting it to mean something different. Great job.
First of all, Katrina was thought to be a Category 4 storm when it hit - it wasn't downgraded to Category 3 until after the events in question. Second, the Corps of Engineers was in the process of upgrading the levees to withstand a Category 3 storm, but the project wasn't complete (and Bush had recently cut funding for it as well). So the Corps believed that a Category 4 storm had hit an area where they knew the levees were not competent to contain a Category 3 storm.
... sure, there were irregularities in the election of 2000, but really, let's move along ... could Bush have prepared better for terrorist attacks? Sure. He might have done SOMETHING, ANYTHING, but really, can we be sure anything he might have done would have saved 3000 lives? Let's move along ... What? Saddam DID NOT have WMDs? And now over 2500 American soldiers are DEAD? So, it's not about WMDs after all, it's about DEMOCRACY. Let's move along ... What? Democratic Election in Palestine yeilds TERRORIST leadership. Let's move along ... Cheney was drinking and shot a man in the face, and the cops were sent away? Happens all the time in Texas ... let's move along ... Abramoff? Never heard of him. Let's move along ... LIBBY AND ROVE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH OUTING VALARIE PLAME ... oh, they DID? Let's move along ... New Medicare benefits will cost hundreds of millions more than the White House estimate sent to Congress? And the guy who knew the true figures was threatened with FIRING if he told Congress? Ah, it's only Congress ... let's move along ... Shock and Awe killed tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis? Ah, war is hell. Let's move along ... The levees gave way, and now over 1000 Americans are DEAD? Who could have known? Ah, we were TOLD? Not really. They said "topped", not "breached". Topped is OK. Let's move along...
And as we move along, ignoring incompetence, lies, and criminal negligence, thousands of dead bodies follow in Bush's wake, and the more the bodies stack up, a monument to Bush's monumental failures, all his supporters can think to advise is to just MOVE ALONG, and just don't dwell on all that niggling detail stuff. The people are DEAD. We can't bring them back ... let's move along ... to Iran ... and a new hurricane season ... and CIVIL WAR in Iraq ... and keep moving along the more Bush's policies and leadership FAIL, and the more the dead bodies stack up ... move along ... move along ... move along ...
It is going to be a long 3 years for you, and if Hillary runs, a long 7 years.
First come the 2006 Congressional Elections. George W. will have 2 very bad years. Then we will address the 2008 Election.
You say, "Poor Tex. It is going to be a long 3 years for you."
RESPONSE: I've got it EASY. Bush just wiped out my savings (mutual funds nosedived), and added tens of thousands to the debt my children will have to pay. My kids aren't old enough (yet) to join in Bush's hunt for WMDs.
It's going to be a hard REST OF THEIR LIVES for the families of those who died due to Bush's lies and negligence. Families of the 3000 dead on 9/11. Families of the 2300+ dead in Iraq (so far), and it's worse than ever over there ... no HOPE of getting better. Many more will die before Bush is done.
Families of the 20,000 brave Military who are maimed and dismembered, their lives to NEVER be the same, because Bush said we HAD to go into Iraq because he had WMDs. Presidents will change many times as they contemplate that it was BUSH who ordered them to combat on fraudulent basis.
Then there's the 100,000 + innocent Iraqis who are now dead, and ten times that number who have been injured. Or were they just "LIBERATED" with extreme prejudice?
Yes, it's going to be a LONG 3 years ... and beyond, for so very many people. The 7 million who lost good manufacturing jobs who now have (if they are lucky) jobs at McD's or WalMart (or BOTH). There's those seniors who bought into Bush's Prescription Drug plan, who now can't get their medicine. There's the tens of thousands who have LOST their pension benefits, because Bush doesn't hold business to any responsibility. No telling how many will suffer because of Bush's dismantling of environmental and workplace safety regulations (although we're seeing evidence in the MINING industry already).
No telling how many lives could have been saved of the 1300 who died in New Orleans because top leadership in disaster response (BUSH) didn't take the threat seriously.
So, LH, you say "Poor Me." You mean POOR AMERICA, with so much loss and suffering, caused by Bush's ACTION and INACTION, which both have the effect of massive death. Not so much a FAILURE of leadership as a complete ABSENCE.
Yet, you're satisfied with this record. Frankly, this tells us a lot about YOU, your soul, and your priorities. From someone who LOVES America, I tell you, the results of the Bush reign has been terrible, awful, inexcusable, and America will be decades recovering.
There's nothing I can add. You've said it all much more eloquently than I could have. When will we as a nation wake up from this nightmare? I've worked my whole life to leave a better world for my children and grandchildren. This administration has undone what generations have lived and died to build. An America that offers malice toward none, and charity and opportunity for all. I can always tell my grandchildren stories of how I was born in a country that had a government of the people, by the people and for the people. But that was a long time ago.
It's hard, but we must remember: There are SOME who delight in the suffering of others. Perhaps it's that "misery loves company", or seeing others fail (or hurt) makes some feel better about their own suffering.
Still, there are others who JUST DON'T CARE. They are basically sociopaths, who don't WANT others to suffer, they are entirely focused on their own selves, and doing whatever necessary to make money. When others suffer as a result of their actions, they can't be bothered.
The sadists and sociopaths come together as the Rightwing and the Republican Party, and thus we see their crowing and gloating the more the masses suffer and die. If you are moral and compassionate, their delight seems to make no sense.
I'm sure you will dismiss this as "right-wing" propaganda, but nevertheless I will mention it as a "counterpoint" to some of your post. Specifically, to address your comment that things are "worse than ever" in Iraq, I will direct you to the recent news article here: [link to abcnews.go.com]
From the article: Surprisingly, given the insurgents' attacks on Iraqi civilians, more than six in 10 Iraqis feel very safe in their own neighborhoods, up sharply from just 40 percent in a poll in June 2004. And 61 percent say local security is good — up from 49 percent in the first ABC News poll in Iraq in February 2004.
Nonetheless, nationally, security is seen as the most pressing problem by far; 57 percent identify it as the country's top priority. Economic improvements are helping the public mood.
Average household incomes have soared by 60 percent in the last 20 months (to $263 a month), 70 percent of Iraqis rate their own economic situation positively, and consumer goods are sweeping the country. In early 2004, 6 percent of Iraqi households had cell phones; now it's 62 percent. Ownership of satellite dishes has nearly tripled, and many more families now own air conditioners (58 percent, up from 44 percent), cars, washing machines and kitchen appliances.
In the interest of fairness, the poll revealed some negatives which you I'm sure are aware of:
"Fewer than half, 46 percent, say the country is better off now than it was before the war. And half of Iraqis now say it was wrong for U.S.-led forces to invade in spring 2003, up from 39 percent in 2004.
The number of Iraqis who say things are going well in their country overall is just 44 percent, far fewer than the 71 percent who say their own lives are going well. Fifty-two percent instead say the country is doing badly. "
I don't think your "worse than ever with NO HOPE of getting better" comment is accurate with regards to Iraq. Hope is what keeps people moving forward, it is the best chance for peace in the region.
But I will encourage you continue your daily rants against this administration, they deserve plenty of abuse for their failures and it is probably good therapy for you as well. I sincerely hope the Democratic party can put on an optimistic face for the future of America for 06 and beyond, and they will bring a message of hope, and a positive vision for America. I will vote for that, because even though I believe in conservatism as a pholosophy, this administration and the Republicans in general don't deserve my vote with their record. The Republicans need a wake-up call, they were very poor winners. They did not know how to govern with the majority, IMO. They need a timeout.
From former HR chief at UN:
[link to cnn.netscape.cnn.com]
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Human rights abuses in Iraq are as bad now as they were under Saddam Hussein, as lawlessness and sectarian violence sweep the country, the former U.N. human rights chief in Iraq said Thursday.
``Under Saddam, if you agreed to forgo your basic right to freedom of expression and thought, you were physically more or less OK,'' Pace said in an interview with The Associated Press. ``But now, no. Here, you have a primitive, chaotic situation where anybody can do anything they want to anyone
``It is certainly as bad,'' he said. ``It extends over a much wider section of the population than it did under Saddam.''
He said militia and insurgents are responsible for threatening morgue staff in Baghdad not to perform autopsies on bodies of apparent victims of torture and killings.
After reading Leatherhead's post I logged on to respond just as you did, but as I scrolled down I saw you beat me to the punch. Well said.
If your mutual fund nosedived I believe that shows your inability as an investor. As the market has been growing for the last four years for you to be losing simply shows your poor investment skills. Anyone losing money in this market must be presumed to be a fool of an investor. The President had nothing to do with it.
Yes, that's the Bush apologist's "comeback" to the fact that ALL mutual funds nosedived. They blame the INVESTOR. Funny how "wise investors" all lost their shirts about the time Bush was in office.
However, I understand the twin rebuttals available to Bush supporters are all you have, so you have to use them. First, that you rightwingers are just smarter investors than anyone else, and you MAKE money while all others are losing. We, of course, have your WORD on that, just like those who return from VEGAS talking about the big hands they won.
Second, you must always BLAME someone else, preferably the victim. Katrina? Residents of New Orleans' fault for living there. Medicare "whiners" who now can't get their prescription drugs? Their fault for not being wealthy enough to just BUY them. And on and on.
If you have information that shows that investments like mutual funds have INCREASED in value for long-term investors while Bush has been in office, bring it forward. Otherwise, your snide sneers about poor investment strategy is just a load of crapola. Bush has, overall, been TERRIBLE for our economy, and this doesn't even take into account the SEVEN TRILLION he has BORROWED to make the economy seem better than it is.
As the market has been growing for the last four years...
Not quite. Since you didn't specify what you meant by "the market," but did reference Bush, I'll assume you mean the market as tied to the U.S. economy and refer to the Wilshire 5000. The Wilshire 5000 troughed in October of 2002 and essentially remained there until March 2003. From that measure, the market has been growing 3 years. The other broad market indexes, e.g., DJIA and S&P 500, show a similar trend.
If you happened to invest everything right at the bottom, you would have done pretty well...14.48% average annual return for the Wilshire 5000. However, much of the return came in 2003 and 2004. The 2005 return was anemic by comparison at 4.57%.
In any event, the Wilshire 500o is still more than 11% below its historical high. Likewise, many investor portfolios (less subsequent savings) are still well below their peak values.
CD
For ALL Americans and tex just did a great job of showing two reasons why. Bushs overall incompetence, he is a catastrophe that walks like a man, and the rightwings constant commitment to view everthing in terms of damage control FOR President Gump. You are right though it will be a bad three years, with this guy continuing on and you guys watching his back so he has no reason to change the all incompetence all the time way he does business how could it be anything else
I agree, but aside from what you stated George W. is doing a "Heck of a Job".
WASHINGTON - In the hectic, confused hours after Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast, Louisiana's governor hesitantly but mistakenly assured the Bush administration that New Orleans' protective levees were intact, according to new video obtained by The Associated Press showing briefings that day with federal officials. "We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said shortly after noon on Aug. 29, according to the video.
[link to hosted.ap.org]
So was Nagin. But there is not one city or state in this country that is prepared to handle a disaster like Hurricane Katrina. The local officials were to blame, sure. The governor was to blame, right again. You might even fault those citizens who wanted to ride out the storm since they've been through it so many times before. This was a NATIONAL DISASTER, not a local disaster. The hurricane devastated parts of at least 3 states. Bush assured the local authorities that Federal Assets were available and that the Federal government was ready for the storm. Turns out, they were not.
While people were dying in NO, George was at first, on vacation at the Crawford Ranch. Then he posed, sharing a cake with John McCain. Then he flew to San Diego to have his picture taken pretending to play the guitar. While New Orleans was dying, he could have at least pretended that he was our President!
worrierking, yes there is plenty of blame to go around. When we discussed THIS topic many months ago, it was pointed out over&over again (by myself as well as others here) that New Orleans did in fact have a PLAN for just such as disaster. A PLAN they not only DIDN'T use, BUT seem to completely ignore.
I was out on the road all day yesterday so I didn't get a look at the threads till last night...when I saw FIVE threads devoted to this topic I thought...oh no here we go again. I was too tired to comment at the time, but figured I'd add my thoughts today.
While there is a long list of mistakes&missteps to DIRECTLY&SOLELY blame Bush and/or his administration for...I don't believe Katrina is one of them. Yup, the federal government was SLOW responding, BUT the CITY&STATE levels were, IMO, more culpable for what transpired by their lack of vision or action. Katrina was NOT a surprise. And those levees had been questionable as far as their effectiveness&condition for decades.
Blame Bush& FEMA?..sure, ok. BUT the Governor&Mayor deserve even more criticism than they do in this particular matter.
All of these threads have gone way off topic so you didn't miss anything. The topic was Bush and Co. claiming they couldn't have foreseen a catastrophe like Katrina coming, when clearly they could have. Predictably, it has been deflected into finger-pointing at state and local officials to divert attention from the federal failures - the same tired old song and dance.
Rusty, yeah this topic does seem to be a finger-pointing exercise. If nothing else hopefully it's been a eye opener and a lesson on HOW operations should be handled for any future disasters.
Years ago (about 10-11) we here in eastern Massachusetts experienced 4 days of what could easily be described as typhoon rainstorms. Everyone around us had flooded basements. We live at the bottom of a hill and the water that flowed down the hill was so deep and fast that it knocked down our cellar door off it's hinges and our basement was quickly filled with 4 feet of water with no sign of the flow subsiding. We called our fire department. Talk about useless. They had no clue on how to help, NOR did they have any pumps left (we later found out they only have FOUR). We ended up (with our neighbors help) building a trench to divert the water away from our cellar door.
When the rain FINALLY ended (and our area was declared a disaster by then Prez Clinton) FEMA arrived promptly in our neighborhood (we didn't even need to call them)...they were going door to door all over town checking for damage and seeing how they could help. We received enough money to replace our water heater& furnace with enough left over to get ServePro in to clean up the water damage. I commented to everyone I knew that while MOST government agencies are, IMO, mostly ineffective and getting any satisfaction means going through TONS of red tape--we were really impressed with FEMA....of course FEMA wasn't part of Homeland Security at the time, NOR was President Bush in office.
Of course what happen in New Orleans was a million times worse than what we experienced. But I've always appreciated what FEMA did for us. And considered them a top-notch agency.
No doubt Bush&Co. did NOT take the warnings seriously. Perhaps they expected that Louisiana& New Orleans could handle things till they arrived. As it turned out everyone got it wrong and people remain displaced even today. Sadly, their suffering is probably lost on Bush (I get the feeling he hasn't a clue about how the rest of us live). The Federal government should have responded sooner--This doesn't EXCUSE Blanco or Nagin-- we should be able to rely on help from our local, state and federal government when disasters strike
You're right about FEMA - they are, generally speaking, a good agency that does a good job. The people they have on the ground are as dedicated a group as you'll find everywhere (same with most state EMAs). I hope people don't lose faith in FEMA altogether just because of Katrina. I'm glad they were able to help y'all out.
Or do all of todays journalists who interview leading republican political figures act like giddy little boys and girls meeting Lindsay lololan? I've never seen an emerican prez treated so much like a king in all my days. The American people are paying a steep price for all the things the Bush team could never have conceived....
planes into towers.....no wmd.......protracted insurgency.....levees being breached.....
Everytime Bush said something couldn't be conceived, we find piles of evidence indicating it "was" concieved by many others. But Bush will never be held accountable for his lack of vision as long as real journalistic values are so hard to find in todays two-party-one view-american mainstream media news outlets.
I was infuriated this morning when I heard a Good Morning America report that skimmed past the pre-Katrina briefing video, and deflected attention toward Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, focusing on her alleged ineptitude. How many times do they think we're going to fall for these transparent diversions?
I don't understand why the lib blogs and web sites are obsessing over this!
In the video Mayfield talks about the levees being topped, not breached as Bush mentioned. There is a significant difference between the two. If the levees were topped maybe a foot or two of water goes into NOLA, not 15 feet of water.
Bush probably was warned that the levees could be breached, but the video released by the AP is not proof of that.
By repeating this lie over and over again libs are acting like... like... CONSERVATIVES!