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Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone?

By Last Night in Little Rock, Section Other Politics
Posted on Sun Sep 04, 2005 at 10:50:29 AM EST
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by Last Night in Little Rock

The NY Times today has an article entitled As White House Anxiety Grows, Bush Tries to Quell Political Crisis. The lead says it all:

Faced with one of the worst political crises of his administration, President Bush abruptly overhauled his September schedule on Saturday as the White House scrambled to gain control of a situation that Republicans said threatened to undermine Mr. Bush's second-term agenda and the party's long-term ambitions.

The "political ramifications" appeared a few days ago here. Republicans are, hopefully, running for cover as the Commander-in-Chief (his aides, actually) struggled to come up with a CYA for the screw up of the Century.

The press on the ground in New Orleans gets it, and the posts and links provided here at Talkleft for the last several days have shown the callous disregard for human life shown by the Administration, stalling for political reasons to blame others, not to mention the massive hypocrisy of taking money from the NOLA levee project to fund tax cuts from the rich and the War in Iraq.

One third of all goods coming and going through the United States goes through the Port of New Orleans, and it is the fourth largest port in the world.

One would think that any rational human being would have considered protecting New Orleans to be among the highest national and homeland security priorities. But it wasn't, because tax cuts for the rich and the War in Iraq were more important than the national welfare.

I heard on radio on the road day before yesterday that the jobless rate was lower "for the previous month," not mentioning that 800,000 people lost their jobs and homes in one day because George Bush thinks his rich friends should be richer and the rest of us "can eat cake."

And the death toll mounts.

< Which Battles to Fight? | Times-Picayune Writes the President >

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    Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? | 61 comments (61 topical)
    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#1)
    by aw on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:12 PM EST
    as the White House scrambled to gain control of a situation that Republicans said threatened to undermine Mr. Bush's second-term agenda
    If they didn't do anything wrong, they have nothing to worry about. Right, PPJ and JR?

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    In May of 2001 the FEDERAL government was given a list of the worst possible situations facing this new BUSH administration. First of the three worst was a terrorist attack, but third was the destruction of the port in New Orleans by a hurricane of F2 proportions or higher. The new incoming administration was recommended that they do their utmost to prepare for all of the possible scenarios given to them. Now whose fault is it if they decided not to heed these warnings? I'm sure it is Clintons, or the Mayor of NO. Or the Governor. But surely not the incompetent boob in the White House. He is the War Pres. and an A-Number #1 leader. Just look at the businesses he ran into the ground.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#3)
    by yudel on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Shredded coat-tails is nice, but frankly, this is no time to be looking at '06 and '08. There's no reason to assume that Bush won't cost us another city worth of casualties, all for failure to pick up the phone and make sure the executive branch did its job. We need to think of a scenario Congressional Republicans can save face by distancing themselves from Bush.... in a way that makes a difference. We need to insist that Congress gets us a new leadership, one that can be approved by two-thirds of the country. I say it's time to start pushing, and pushing hard, for Congress to demand that Bush/Cheney resign, and appoint McCain/Gore in their place. Maybe I've watched too much West Wing, but the hurrican proved we need a chief executive who can do the minimal job. If homeland security is a priority, and New Orleans is high risk, then he picks up the phone the day before the hurricane and makes sure that all the contingency plans are in place and everything is prepared and the boats are steaming into position. Bush is not that man. There are plenty of reasons not to want McCain as president. But no amount of pressure will convince Congress or Bush to give executive power to a Democrat. A McCain/Gore leadership would also be able to fix the damage Bush/Cheney wrought to our system of government. They have claimed absolute authority to the executive branch, while assembling zero ability. McCain understands the role of Congressional oversight. Gore understands the importance of the Executive being effective. I see a groundswell for McCain/Gore as the only possibility for removing Bush/Cheney. And I see removing Bush/Cheney as the only possible way of preventing thousands of more needless American deaths. What do you all think?

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#4)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    aw - The post says it all when it includes the word "hopefully" in the "running for cover" comment. This isn't 10 years ago, and the country is wired with many, many, many sources of information. Today for example, we have seen the WP tell us that the Feds offered aid around midnight of 3/26, but the Governor didn't accept it. It doesn't take the brightest bulb on the tree to say... Why didn't she? And gee, I guess I know why so many things were late. And we have learned that the Governor only declared a mandatory evacuation on 8/26 after Bush had called and appealed to her. What could have been done in those three lost days? A lot, dearest aw, a lot. And the American public is smart enough to figure that out.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#5)
    by aw on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    And the American public is smart enough to figure that out.
    Oh, they will, PPJ, they will. Click, click, click. (More lightbulbs going on over heads.)

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    August 26: Blanco declares a state level state of emergency. August 27: Blanco asks the president to declare a federal state of emergency for the state of Louisiana. August 27: Bush declares a federal state of emergency for Louisiana.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    PPJ: ... the Governor only declared a mandatory evacuation on 8/26 after Bush had called and appealed to her. Citation please. I can't find any record of the President's appeal on the WHITEHOUSE.GOV site. The President's homepage does document his August 27 declaration of emergency, though, after Blanco requested him to do so.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#8)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    And the American public is smart enough to figure that out. Oh, they will, PPJ, they will.
    Seems they already have... Bush Job Approval Sunday September 04, 2005--Forty-five percent (45%) of American adults now approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#9)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    punisher - Glad to help out. Times Picayunne 3-26
    Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.
    Next question?? BTW - Why didn't Blanco, as documented in the WaPost story this AM, accept the Feds offer to intevene around midnight on 3/23?? Four precious days were lost due to he failure.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Do you hear that? The silence you are now experiencing is PPJ being caught spreading misinformation. Again.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Oh, I spoke to early. Now he acts like he cares when back only 4 days ago he was saying it was the victims fault for staying. Come on, PPJ, some consistency. Also, if he had actually read the article without his "absolve Bush of any responsibility whatsoever" glasses he would have noted that the Horrible Mayor Nagin also called for a mandatory evacuation. But this still doesn't anwer the question of just why there weren't resources allocated on a state and federal level to make this evacuation possible. Nor does it explain the lack of help after the hurricane had hit. Good try, PPJ. You still suck.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#12)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    punisher - Glad to help out. Times Picayunne 3-26
    That article was posted 8/28/2005, 10:48 a.m. CT

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#13)
    by DonS on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Apparently the WH is convinced that the initial impressions of Federal non feasance, amazingly reported in much of the media (if not as starkly in the US as abroad), are accurate. Accurate enough to get Karl's undies in a twist and get puppet George in a new groove. And we all know, perception is everything. Uh, we learned that one from Karl, too.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Why didn't FEMA accept the Canadians offer of help on the day after the hurricane had hit? What about Bill Richardson's offer of NG troops that couldn't go through in time because FEMA hadn't approved the paper work? What about stationing the 82nd Airborne, as had been done with Hurricane Andrew, to secure NO as soon as the all clear was given? What about staging a photo-op to try and make it look like Dumbya was doing something in which rescue helicopters were grounded long enough to make Fearless Leader look cool?

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    PPJ: And we have learned that the Governor only declared a mandatory evacuation on 8/26 after Bush had called and appealed to her. PPJ: Times Picayunne 3-26 ...Next question?? OK, my next question is why do you keep saying that this article is from 3-26 when it is obviously dated 3-28?!!!!!!!!! Mandatory evacuation ordered for New Orleans 8/28/2005, 10:48 a.m. CT The Associated Press Could you be trying to make the President seem to have been engaged earlier than he really was?

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#16)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Since PPJ likes WaPo today heres more from todays edition
    Despite four years and tens of billions of dollars spent preparing for the worst, the federal government was not ready when it came at daybreak on Monday, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former senior officials and outside experts. Among the flaws they cited: Failure to take the storm seriously before it hit and trigger the government's highest level of response. Rebuffed offers of aid from the military, states and cities. An unfinished new plan meant to guide disaster response. And a slow bureaucracy that waited until late Tuesday to declare the catastrophe "an incident of national significance," the new federal term meant to set off the broadest possible relief effort
    snip
    Beyond terrorism, this was the one event I was most concerned with always," said Joe M. Allbaugh, the former Bush campaign manager who served as his first FEMA head. But several current and former senior officials charged that those worries were never accorded top priority -- either by FEMA's management or their superiors in DHS.
    snip
    The roots of last week's failures will be examined for weeks and months to come, but early assessments point to a troubled Department of Homeland Security that is still in the midst of a bureaucratic transition, a "work in progress," as Mencer put it. Some current and former officials argued that as it worked to focus on counterterrorism, the department has diminished the government's ability to respond in a nuts-and-bolts way to disasters in general, and failed to focus enough on threats posed by hurricanes and other natural disasters in particular. From an independent Cabinet-level agency, FEMA has become an underfunded, isolated piece of the vast DHS, yet it is still charged with leading the government's response to disaster.
    "It's such an irony I hate to say it, but we have less capability today than we did on September 11," said a veteran FEMA official involved in the hurricane response. "We are so much less than what we were in 2000," added another senior FEMA official. "We've lost a lot of what we were able to do then."

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#17)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    oops hit post too sson. There loys more heres the link

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    According to WHITEHOUSE.GOV, 8/28:
    President Discusses Hurricane Katrina, Congratulates Iraqis on Draft Constitution Prairie Chapel Ranch Crawford, Texas In Focus: Iraq 11:31 A.M. CDT THE PRESIDENT: This morning I spoke with FEMA Undersecretary Mike Brown and emergency management teams not only at the federal level but at the state level about the -- Hurricane Katrina. I've also spoken to Governor Blanco of Louisiana, Governor Barbour of Mississippi, Governor Bush of Florida, and Governor Riley of Alabama.
    Also, note what was "In Focus" on that day, IRAQ.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#19)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Hey Karl? If we throw a stick, or a bone, will you go away?

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#20)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Desperado, why don't you come to your senses? You been out ridin' fences for so long now Oh, you're a hard one But I know that you got your reasons These things that are pleasin' you Can hurt you somehow..
    ...Eagles

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    The Katrina time line is a matter of public history. The declarations of state and federal emergency occured by August 27th; Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29th. The bogus chronology of the spin-meisters has evaporated. The political crisis for the Bush administration can't be dismissed so easily. Attributing delays to strict adherence to bureaucratic and constitutional protocol is a desperate ploy, as evidenced by the number and vehemence of the posts attempting to establish that the Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency waited for days on end for the authorization to spring into action. The worst storm in recent U.S. history has left one of the worst U.S. political catastrophes in its wake. In this article, history Professor Juan Cole compares the administration's handling of looting in Iraq after the U.S. occupation ("stuff happens") with the stern warning given to looters in New Orleans before the National Guard was called in, and concludes that "Bush cares deeply about the property of rich white people."

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    So a kid reacts quicker than state and federal agencies and what does he get for it? This. I'm sure PPJ and JR will be glad that the authorities are finally arresting anyone stealing private property. And thanks Mac Lane. Some of us just get too caught up in confronting a troll like PPJ and forget that calm, reasoned discourse is more effective. And yeah, this mainly refers to me. But I get worked up when some smug person like him minimizes the cost, human and otherwise, of this disaster. And that goes doubly for the shameless bunch of criminals inhabiting the White House. Their nightmare is just beginning as the American public sees what a bunch of power mongers they truly are.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    If you say so, but this is only the start.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#24)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Mac: The bogus chronology of the spin-meisters has evaporated. It'd be nice to think so, except that over at NRO, The Corner:
    THE BLAME GAME & THE AFTERMATH [Jonah Goldberg] I've got to say, I'm begining to revise my views on the Bush response... it's becoming increasingly less obvious that more first responders etc, would have made an enormous difference in the aftermath of this unfolding calamity.
    PPJ just changes the facts. The dirt machine is setting for heaviest duty spin-cycle.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#25)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Open letter to George W. Bush President of the United Staes of America I hereby nominate Jabbor Gibson, formerly of New Orleans, Louisiana, to be awarded by you, the president of this great nation, the Presidential Medal of Honor, in a public cermony, as soon as you have time. I know you're busy, what with all the lives you're saving, but this would such a small thing for a Compassionate Conservative like you, George. You figger, George? George??? You there, George...? Hello????

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#26)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    Need some new reading glasses do ya Jim? Que crickets.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    BTW - Why didn't Blanco, as documented in the WaPost story this AM, accept the Feds offer to intevene around midnight on 3/23?? Four precious days were lost due to he failure.
    First of all, hello, it's SEPTEMBER. The disaster started in AUGUST. What's all this "3/23" stuff? Anyhoo, the governor took one look at what was on offer and preferred to hire the guy who was in charge of FEMA back when it worked.
    BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco has hired the man credited with turning around the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help Louisiana recover from Hurricane Katrina. James Lee Witt, director of FEMA from 1993 to 2001, will have the governor's "seat at the table" with federal authorities as the city of New Orleans and surrounding parishes wade and scrape their way out of the muck and debris of Hurricane Katrina.
    For some reason, she didn't think it was going to work out so well with this guy.
    For the decade prior to joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Director Michael Brown was commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association, a Colorado-based group that organizes breeders and horse shows. Then he was asked to resign.
    Face it, Brown doesn't exactly have a lot of experience doing this sort of thing. I keep asking... what has the Department of Homeland Security been doing for the last several years?

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    "what has the Department of Homeland Security been doing for the last several years?" Helping DISMANTLE America. The Departing of Civil Rights' Security. Moths eating through the Constitution, and ruining the trees of the podium that holds it, in their Caterpillar form. Bulldozers to flatten too-black, too-gay New Orleans, bulldozers to rip ruinous roads through our wilderness reserves, bulldozers to tear up the permafrost for oil to sell Japan, bulldozers to crush US protesters of racism, bulldozers to bury retreating Iraqi conscripts en masse, Diebold bulldozers through our voting systems, Hummer bulldozers burning oil by the barrel. Bulldozer weather, from the killing of rainforest. Bulldozers destruction, while Bush destructively dozes.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#29)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    et al - Yes, I made a typo. The President called the Governor on Sunday 3/28. And the Feds called and offered to take control on 3/26. Punisher - Sure, that's why I immediately provided a link. And per the Governor's words, Bush appealed for a mandatory evacuation. Read the link. Now let's be clear on the dates, boys and girls:
    Shortly before midnight (8/26)Friday the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a
    Source Washington Post. Now, when did she declare a state of emergancy?
    Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said. As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.
    Ah yes, lovely people. I am just so full of it, right? And Bush is so evil, right? Okay. Tell us why she didn't act? I mean you being so smart and all. Why didn't she act?

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#30)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    Now, when did she declare a state of emergancy?
    [insult deleted] LINK

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#31)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    Now let's be clear on the dates, boys and girls: Shortly before midnight (8/26)Friday the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a Source Washington Post. Now, when did she declare a state of emergancy? Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said. As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.
    Posted by punisher at September 4, 2005 01:07 PM (in this thread - you can scroll up if you want the links) August 26: Blanco declares a state level state of emergency. August 27: Blanco asks the president to declare a federal state of emergency for the state of Louisiana. August 27: Bush declares a federal state of emergency for Louisiana


    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#32)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    PPJ, thank you for pointing out the disinformation being spread by "a senior Bush official..." You aptly note that this official claims that as of Saturday, Blanco hadn't declared a stated of emergency. This is obviously untrue as is demonstrated by the numerous links to the LA government website document dated August 26 wherein she declared a state level state of emergency. Keep up the good work. There will be many more examples in the days ahead of this sort of historical revisionism. We count on you to bring all of it to our attention.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#33)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    Jim, Not trying to be pedantic, but you keep posting dates with the month of August as being 3 when in fact it is 8. As for when a mandatory evacuation was ordered, it was August 28. When was George Bush giving a VJ Day speech? August 30. Ordering a mandatory evacuation doesn't do much good when the poorest of the poor and the most desperate have no way of leaving.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#34)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    Randy Paul - I apologize for my typo, I would tell you that my arthur has flared up after a bout using a chain saw on some storm damaged trees, but that would just inflame the beasts. The fact is that on a Friday the Feds offerred and the Gov decided to be a control freak. Result, people died. On a Sunday Bush called and appealed, and the Gov went for a mandatory evacuation. Now if she had made her move 36 hours before, using the Feds, would things have been better? You know, I just have to think so. Punisher - All I know is what I read in the Washington Post. Now, are you telling us she was correct, and did the right thing, when she turned down the help offered on 8/26? I mean you being into logic and everything. Let's face it. The Gov proved to be a control freak and the people have paid.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#35)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    PPJ, Straight from the horse's mouth. Gov. Blanco declared a state of emergency on August 26. She asked the president to declare a state of emergency on August 27, which he subsequently did that same day. It makes no sense for the president to call for an evacuation in an area that he has not even declared to be in a state of emergency. The Post is wrong.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#36)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    PPJ: Punisher - All I know is what I read in the Washington Post. Jim, you should be more discriminating in how you read even that distinguished publication.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#37)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    Of course, PPJ, if you don't catch on to a WaPo factual error, I'm sure that the good folks here at TL will do their best to catch it and notify you. :)

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#38)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    Jim, even the WaPo is owning up to it now:
    A Sept. 4 article on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina incorrectly said that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D) had not declared a state of emergency. She declared an emergency on Aug. 26.
    How would you like your crow prepared?

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#39)
    by aw on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    How would you like your crow prepared?
    Stuffed inside a chickenhawk, like one of those turduckens.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#40)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    How would you like your crow prepared?
    I suggest a crow suppository. This ploy of blaming the slow government response on minor technical points of government procedure gives the impression of an administration populated with unmotivated, low-level Politburo bureaucrats. As if FEMA and DHS weren't manning the phones 24/7 with chipper customer service representatives, eager to describe the range of services available and help out with the application process in case of an emergency. Instead, we have the image of put-upon, truculent bureaucrats ready to throw an application into the trash if an obscure box isn't checked off.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#41)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    I think we're talking about two different things here. The Governor DID file for a state of emergency before the hurricane hit--all three affected states did. The Post reported she had not based on information from a "senior WH official". The correction has been posted without naming the source. Business as ususual for the Post. Its readers could have written a more factually correct story. The second issue that is less clear is the "legal memorandum" that the Bush administration supposedly presented to the Governor after the flooding in an effort to take control of Louisiana. The Governor rightly refused to sign. The declared state of emergency already gave FEMA and the federal agencies the power to assist. This ploy was widely seen as a political manuever designed to buttress the Bush administration's forthcoming spin that it was all the local and state agencies' faults. Hurricane relief never had any problem flowing into Florida in a timely manner.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#42)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:14 PM EST
    Volanta, You're absolutely right, but we were responding to the following from PPJ:
    Now, when did she declare a state of emergancy?
    Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said. As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.
    Ah yes, lovely people. I am just so full of it, right? And Bush is so evil, right? Okay. Tell us why she didn't act? I mean you being so smart and all. Why didn't she act?
    As you note and as the WaPo noted, they were wrong. PPJ swallowed hook line and sinker.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#43)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    Randy Paul - With the feathers off. And I'll never believe the WP again... I still go back to my original comment. She was offered help around midnight on Friday the 26th of AUGUST. She refused the help. As detailed in this WaPost article. So when and if and why she declared a state of emergancy is really of no importance. Her refusal to take the Federal aid was, is and will be, a critical error on her part. She, and His Honor, declared a mandatory evacuation on the morning of the AUGUST 28th, as detailed in this Times Picayunne article. But only after Bush called and appealed for her to do so. There is no disputing the above. And there is no disputung that by the time she acted it was too late, and she didn't have the resources to effect it. His Honor told people to go to the Superdome with enough supplies to last a few days. What he didn't tell them was that he couldn't protect their safety with police officers. Oh but if we could have those 36 hours back. Mac Lane wrote:
    This ploy of blaming the slow government response on minor technical points of government procedure gives the impression of an administration populated with unmotivated, low-level Politburo bureaucrats.
    I am not sure that the Gov and His Honor will appreciate your description of them.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#44)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    I am not sure that the Gov and His Honor will appreciate your description of them.
    You're unsure because on some gut level you correctly doubt your own reading comprehension: it wasn't a characterization of them at all. It was a description of the right-wing ploy to excuse the glacial response of government agencies (named in sentence following the one you misunderstood) on account of technical matters of bureaucratic procedure that the requestors failed to follow; e.g., the Governor requested troops, but didn't say what for, causing incalculable delays, or voiding the request altogether, and so on. This lame excuse has the unwitting effect of making the recipients of the afforementioned requests for help seem unhelpful, to say the least.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#45)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    JimakaPPJ's refusal to believe the facts in this thread, even when they are proved to him by cites, reminds me irresistibly of his consistent refusal to believe that the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War does not permit Bush & Co to set up gulags. Some people are determined to believe White House talking points, and we already know JimakaPPJ is one of them. Why bother arguing? His mind is made up: you can't confuse him with facts.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#46)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    Jesurgislac - All I know is the two, unrefuted facts as stated in my 9/4 11:05 comment. Mac Lane - Your psycho babble aside, my response was caused by an urge to meet snarkiness with snarkiness. Volanta - Why was she worried? The comment, obviously a spin to protect her, makes no sense. Why? Because once she turned it over, it became 100% Federal and they couldn't complain. And one other majot point. Why was the Governor worried about blame when the safety of the citizens of NO was at stake?

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#47)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    PPJ...what difference does it make when the order to evacuate was given to people who don't have cars? There should have been a plan to get people out to established shelters far away from the coast and the city. But that costs money. Money that Bush either took for the Iraq disaster or to pay for his tax cuts. So the people who couldn't afford to leave were left behind. When it came time to rescue people, Bush could have federalized the National Guard anytime he wanted. But he was too busy strumming a guitar and making another speech comparing Iraq to World War II. And if you want to blame Blanco for any of the above, then blame Haley Barbour too, because the people in Mississippi didn't/don't have it any better. They were just lucky they weren't living below sea level.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#48)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    Why was the Governor worried about blame when the safety of the citizens of NO was at stake?
    Ahem... pretty slick backhanded way of attributing blame to the Governor there Jim... you're so transparent you're nearly invisible, man... are you about to disappear? ;-)

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#49)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    A Whitehouse spokesperson spread the malicious lie that Governor Blanco did not declare an emergency, when in fact she did four days before the storm. Sounds like Rove & Co. The effort to shift the blame away from the Bush administration, when you have FEMA blocking coast guard shipments of oil on the pretext that "it isn't needed" and cutting phone lines, can fairly be called disgusting and outrageous. This is the FEMA of the X-files.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#50)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
    PPJ the trolling cap'n goes down with his stinking ship. How amusing. Lie till the end, and then lie some more when the new script comes down from g'daddy Rove.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#51)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:16 PM EST
    I think that the fact that these two paragraphs follow each other:
    And I'll never believe the WP again... I still go back to my original comment. She was offered help around midnight on Friday the 26th of AUGUST. She refused the help. As detailed in this WaPost article. [my emphasis]
    Is clear evidence of PPJ's oh so tenuous grip on the truth. That happens to be the same article that has already given the lie to the state of emergency timeline. So you either never believe the WP again or you do? Can't have it both ways. Like most of your kennel, that dog won't hunt.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#52)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:17 PM EST
    Randy Paul - Wiggle if you like, but there has been no dispute over the accuracy of this:
    Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday. The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law
    The Gov and her staffed talked and the city flooded.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#53)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:17 PM EST
    edger and squeak - Read the above, dudes. Facts are facts are facts. Now. Tell me, why did the Governor worry about martial law...??? Got any answers beyond snarky comments? Hmmmmmm???

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#54)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:17 PM EST
    PPJ, I'm not wiggling. I'm not the one citing a source that has already been seen to be inaccurate. Your guy was the guy giving a VJ day speech in San Diego on Tuesday when people were dying in New Orleans, Jimbo. Your guy was the one whose FEMA chief did not know about the situation at the Convention Center on Thursday. Blanco's reluctance to agree to the federal authorities attempted power grab is not why people died, Jimbo. This is one reason why:
    Because Northern Command oversees all active-duty military operations inside the United States, it's also responsible for organizing the relief operations on the Gulf Coast. There are early indications, however, that NorthCom officials aren't entirely pleased with the orders they've received of late from the president. There's an interesting BBC World News report (brought to my attention by my friend Darrell) in which NorthCom Lt. Commander Sean Kelly explained the military's efforts which, in addition to military support, include distribution of medical supplies, search and rescue operations, distributing food and water, and meeting transportation needs. When the BBC noted the criticism of the government's slow response, Lt. Commander Kelly explained that NorthCom was ready to go well in advance of Katrina making landfall, but suggested the president didn't make the right call at the right time.
    "Northcom started planning before the storm even hit. We were ready when it hit Florida, because, as you remember, it hit the bottom part of Florida, and then we were planning once it was pointed towards the Gulf Coast. "So, what we did, we activated what we call 'defense coordinating officers' to work with the states to say, 'OK, what do you think you will need?' And we set up staging bases that could be started. "We had the USS Bataan sailing almost behind the hurricane so once the hurricane made landfall, its search and rescue helicopters could be available almost immediately So, we had things ready. "The only caveat is: we have to wait until the president authorizes us to do so. The laws of the United States say that the military can't just act in this fashion; we have to wait for the president to give us permission."
    Apparently, that permission could have been given right away, but it wasn't. Bush was on vacation, sharing some cake with John McCain, and pretending to play some guitar.
    You know, Jim you can put a bow on it, but it's still a pig.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#55)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:18 PM EST
    Randy, there's really no point. PPJim's behavior on this thread replicates his behavior on other threads when attempting to defend indefensible behavior by the Bush administration. 1. PPJim cites a claim made by the Bush administration as if it were a fact. 2. Various people rush to refute the claim the Bush administration have made, showing that it is false. 3. PPJim asserts that no one has been able to refute his points. 4. Various people point out that in fact the only point he made was a claim made by the Bush administration that was not, in fact, true. 5. PPJim repeats 1. or 3. 6. Eventually, people get tired of responding with 2. or 4. 7. PPJim claims to have won the argument. Simpler just to ignore him, really.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#56)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:18 PM EST
    "Now. Tell me, why did the Governor worry about martial law..." The Governor wasn't worried about martial law. The Governor didn't like the partisan manner in which Bush forced himself upon her and the state of Louisiana. Bush didn't come in as a partner offering help, Bush came in as a takeover with the underlying message that Blanco was incapable of handling the situation. Bush figured they could add another Republican governor, come the next election, out of this one. When Bush didn't get his way he retalliated by not sending in federal troops. Many people have died unnecessarily because of Bush's strongarm tactics. And I'm sure folks like PPJ will continue to present doctored up facts to help him achieve this goal.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#57)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:18 PM EST
    PPJ-you are scratching at an empty bowl. Bush has failed and it appears obvious to all but you. As your links and evidence have been willfully false I do not see the point in arguing. Your bait is getting less and less tasty these days.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#58)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:18 PM EST
    Randy Paul, Great post. Extremely enlightening.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#59)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:18 PM EST
    PPJ, don't you ever get tired of towing the party line and defending a guy, who especially in this respect, has messed up royally? I really hope you get paid for all this shilling.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#60)
    by Aaron on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:19 PM EST
    The Bush administration may not be competent when it comes to real world issues, like fighting wars and saving people's lives, but when it comes to political fallout they are the masters. Will see if they can spin this their greatest political challenge they've ever faced into a victory for the conservative movement. It won't be easy, but I have faith in them. By the time this is over the surely have convinced us that it was all the fault of GovernorKathleen Babineaux Blanco, Senator Mary Landrieu and those evil liberals, and we'll believe it.

    Re: Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? (none / 0) (#61)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:20 PM EST
    Che's Lounge, Thanks, but I forgot to enclose the link. Here it is. Credit where credit is due . . .

    Bush reeling? Coattails tattered and gone? | 61 comments (61 topical)