Bush takes responsibility for Katrina failures

[Sanaz]

Post reported. Be glad it's only to the moderators and not to the FBI.

Um, he should be. Not by me, but by the proper authorities after a trial shows his actions and decisions to be treasonous. Why would that cause you to be upset? I thought you loved America, and I am surprised that someone who directly threatens the safety and future of this country (and your life to some extent) would hold your support.

 

[Zarn]

Bush was accepting blame on the behalf of the Federal government. Oddly enough, it was the local government that failed. Anyone that thinks otherwise doesn't understand chain of command. Southern states, counties, and cities NEVER like federal involvement, so the Feds always wait.

 

[amadeus]

Um, he should be. Not by me, but by the proper authorities after a trial shows his actions and decisions to be treasonous.

How exactly do I know that?

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

The President ought to be ashamed of himself. Pointing fingers or playing the blame game takes the focus off the efforts to save lives in the Gulf Coast.

There'll be a time for blaming yourself later, George. Now is not the time.












OK, now my serious take on this...

This is a very wise political move (when I say wise, I mean wise for Bush). The attempt to shift blame from the federal government failed on the political stage last week, and it failed on the merits as well, today, at least according to what Congress is starting to find out.

In other words, SOMEBODY in the federal government is going to get blamed, therefore better to be the finger-pointer than the scapegoat. Better to set yourself up as the person who is going to purge the administration of incompetence, than to find oneself the number one target of such an investigation.

It's like OJ promising to find the real killer...

 

[Zarn]

No, it is not like OJ looking for the killer. This is not the fault of the president. This is not disputable. It is fact. It is impossible for the president to be at fault. Pay attention to what some others are saying.

 

[gunkulator]

This is not the fault of the president. This is not disputable. It is fact. It is impossible for the president to be at fault.

I'd say this nicely sums up the neo-con position on virtually every issue.

 

[Zarn]

I'd say this nicely sums up the neo-con position on virtually every issue.

You think you can debate facts?

This isn't propaganda as I'm not a conservative. This is fact. You people need to analyze rather than assume.

Don't be a sheep. Look at the situation and law yourself. Look carefully.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

I'm looking carefully and here's what I see: FEMA screwed up massively while the President was on vacation. Then, when the President finally got back from strumming guitars and eating cake, he did nothing to reprimand the head of FEMA, nor did he intervene to untangle the situation. Had Brown not handed in his resignation, he would still be in office today. Those are the facts.

This isn't propaganda as I'm not a conservative.

I think you got carried away with asserting lies as facts.

 

[Zarn]

I'm looking carefully and here's what I see: FEMA screwed up massively while the President was on vacation. Then, when the President finally got back from strumming guitars and eating cake, he did nothing to reprimand the head of FEMA, nor did he intervene to untangle the situation. Had Brown not handed in his resignation, he would still be in office today. Those are the facts.



I think you got carried away with asserting lies as facts.

It's called chain of command. Read the other posts. It is clearly stated.

 

[IglooDame]

It's called chain of command. Read the other posts. It is clearly stated.

And is Bush not captain of that particular ship?

 

[Zarn]

And is Bush not captain of that particular ship?

Why do you people think this is a legit debate? In the political chain of command, the smaller government has to apply for help before the larger form of government takes over. Simple.

I won't debate you people on this. It isn't one. You don't want to accept the truth, and things like this are scary.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

In the political chain of command, the smaller government has to apply for help before the larger form of government takes over. Simple.

The little troll email posted a page ago is outdated and maliciously incorrect. Governor Blanco sent a request for aid days before the hurricane even hit. A recent congressional investigation found the state government did all required to prepare for the disaster.

Besides, what kind of a weaseling copout is that anyway, Narz? "They didn't turn in the paperwork, so I had to let hundreds of people dehydrate to death in their own excrement?"

The "chain of command" argument exists solely so that Bush can avoid taking responsibility for anything. Because guess what? HE DID NOTHING. He did ZERO to correct the criminal incompetence at FEMA. He said, on the contrary, that Brown was doing "a heck of a job" and that he "appreciated his service."

How can you even defend those comments?

EDIT: I hope I don't need to remind you of the terrible irony of using federalism as a defense for the Terri Schiavo Administration.

 

[Zarn]

How is that possible, when the hurricane has risen in catergory not too long before it hit the New Orleans area? Why didn't the city provide food and water to those in the Superdome? Why didn't the city ready the buses? If it was a problem days before the hurricane hit, the city should have been ready. The city wouldn't (not couldn't) do anything, so it is Bush's fault. I bet he created the hurricane, too. Right? It is all about the oil, yet again. :shakehead

Even if President Bush didn't care, wouldn't it make sense to help out for ratings purposes?

 

[stormbind]

How is that possible, when the hurricane has risen in catergory not too long before it hit the New Orleans area? Why didn't the city provide food and water to those in the Superdome? Why didn't the city ready the buses? If it was a problem days before the hurricane hit, the city should have been ready. The city wouldn't (not couldn't) do anything, so it is Bush's fault. I bet he created the hurricane, too. Right? It is all about the oil, yet again. :shakehead

Even if President Bush didn't care, wouldn't it make sense to help out for ratings purposes?

I think local authorities said there was an explicit contingency plan drawn up years in advance, for that very scenario.

I think said plan involved local police and fire services maintaining order for 30 hours.

I think the bus drivers were evacuated as though they were ordinary civilians, because the agreed plan of action did not involve them.

I think said plan involved the federal forces actually contributing everything else.

 

[stormbind]

Who gives a rat's poopy about what the Europeans think? We'll let them vote in our elections if we can vote in theirs.

US presidential elections for EU presidential elections?

 

[Zarn]

Wouldn't that be a bad plan, Stormbind.

As for elections, we will let you vote for California, District of Columbia, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts elections, if we can vote in French elections.

 

[cgannon64]

Then, when the President finally got back from strumming guitars and eating cake

Don't you know that guitar picture floating around wasn't taken the week Katrina hit?

 

[Lord_all_Mighty]

Don't you know that guitar picture floating around wasn't taken the week Katrina hit?

Care to tell where you found that piece of information?

 

[cgannon64]

The New York Times.

I don't remember in what article, though, so it would be pretty unlikely that I find it. I'll try a Google search, though.

EDIT: If you search "bush guitar new york times" without the quotes in Google, it brings up the article I read - unfortunately I'd have to pay to read the damn thing.

 

[gunkulator]

Wouldn't that be a bad plan, Stormbind.

No, it would be a realistic plan. The whole point of a disaster plan is that you have to assume that local resources will be severely affected by the disaster. Katrina hit pretty much all of Louisiana, wrecking roads and communication systems. You need help from people outside of the disaster area to be ready to jump in once the storm passes.

Really it is an issue of scale. Cities can only deal with problems that are bounded to within, say, a couple city blocks. Outside of that they need to call in help from neighboring cities. You see this all the time with the fire department. Police too call in for backup when they feel they can't adequately cover a situation. But what if those neighboring cities are also devestated and need help?

Likewise, a state can handle disasters limited to an area that might encompass a small city. NOLA is a large city and the damage was far greater than just NOLA. Pretty much the whole state was out of commission for quite some time. It also didn't help that 35% of the state's major resource, the national guard, was over in Iraq getting shot at. Even if all the national guard was there, it can't possibly be large enough to handle a state-wide disaster. That's what Katrina was.

Given the sheer magnitude of the storm, the US Government was only possible entity with the available budget, equipment and manpower to deal with the disaster. The area had been already declared a federal disaster area before the storm hit, but even if it hadn't, its massive size and obvious devestation should have clued in the feds that they needed to act.