I am so Angry

[Dara]

You could've fooled me. :doh:

Well, maybe you should reread my posts. The White House says Blanco didn't ask, she says she did. There is no proof so far that I've seen. For every article you post that says she didn't ask, I can post one that says she did. But I'm not doing that because it's all just claims so far. I assume there we will know at some point, but for now, it's all just guesswork. If she did wrong, she should be held accountable.

But I assume we have a consensus that Bush did have the power to call in troops without breaking any laws, contrary to the many posts of some. In which case, it is his responsibility to do so. He's her boss.

 

[Maral]

Federal officials all the way up to President have suggested that state and local governments were overwhelmed by the scope of the disaster and were slow to respond, but that they themselves could not have moved more quickly because, in the words of Homeland Secutity Secretary Michael Chertoff, "our constitutional system really places the primary authority in each state with the governor."

The Feds don't just march troops into a state with being asked. She didn't ask. What a shame. People, babies, pets-- whole families wiped out because she and her advisors, "suspecting a political motive" wanted to handle it at the state and local level.

It is a shame, too, that the administration ignored their own plan. The
National Response Plan was implemented in December of 2004 by the Bush administration. The NRP recognizes that state and local authorities have a responsibility to ask for help, but it provides a provision to take proactive steps to deal with a threat or natural disaster. From the section titled, "Proactive Federal Response to Catastrophic Events":

Protocols for proactive Federal response are most likely to be implemented for catastrophic events involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive weapons of mass destruction, or large magnitude earthquakes or other natural or technological disasters in or near heavily populated areas.

Guiding principles for proactive Federal response include the following:
■ The primary mission is to save lives; protect critical infrastructure, property, and the environment; contain the event; and preserve national security.
■ Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance may be expedited or, under extreme circumstances, suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of catastrophic magnitude.
■ Identified Federal response resources will deploy and begin necessary operations as required to commence life-safety activities.
■ Notification and full coordination with States will occur, but the coordination process must not delay or impede the rapid deployment and use of critical resources. States are urged to notify and coordinate with local governments regarding a proactive Federal response.
■ State and local governments are encouraged to conduct collaborative planning with the Federal Government as a part of "steady-state" preparedness for catastrophic incidents.

 

[Ntegrity]

The point I tried to make earlier is that it's way too soon to know exactly what happened, so why don't we wait and see what the real story is? All the details will come out and Bush will still be there to blame if he dropped the ball. No matter who is to blame, it was an unprecedented tragedy in this country's history and we'll be learning from the mistakes for a long time. When I was watching a special on the hurricane earlier, I saw someone (not sure who he was) saying they weren't set up to feed people at the Superdome because it was a shelter of last resort and was only intended to keep them alive until Tuesday morning. What if he's the one to blame? I'm going to reserve judgment until it gets sorted out ... which it will.

 

[Details]

If it's stupid political games, both of them should be charged with responsibility for the unnecessary deaths of 10's to hundreds of people AND impeached, IMMEDIATELY. A disaster like this is not a time to play the politics games - if Bush held back sending in help because he wanted to gain a political advantage, or avoid bad press, that is perhaps the worst thing I have ever heard about him - that he'd rather let people die, be raped, murdered, starve, deteriorate, drown than lose at the political game.

Same goes for the governor if she did refuse federal aid that there is no way she didn't know they needed. If the case is as it seems, she could have broken this whole deadlock; and considerations such as who would win the publicity game, what political advantages there were should have had no place in anyone's thoughts in this situation. I hadn't even heard of her before this, but she seems absolutely despicable, if this is true.

Either of them could have prevented this; but in the end, I'll go with Truman - "The buck stops here." - Bush is the top of the command chain; it's part of his JOB to step in when a governor is being stupid or delusional or playing games with peoples lives or whatever the problem was.



People are dying and need rescue - your only concern should be taking care of that. Once that is taken care of, go ahead and play your games. :furious:

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

The point I tried to make earlier is that it's way too soon to know exactly what happened, so why don't we wait and see what the real story is? All the details will come out and Bush will still be there to blame if he dropped the ball. No matter who is to blame, it was an unprecedented tragedy in this country's history and we'll be learning from the mistakes for a long time. When I was watching a special on the hurricane earlier, I saw someone (not sure who he was) saying they weren't set up to feed people at the Superdome because it was a shelter of last resort and was only intended to keep them alive until Tuesday morning. What if he's the one to blame? I'm going to reserve judgment until it gets sorted out ... which it will.

I'm with you on this....

 

[Dara]

Either of them could have prevented this; but in the end, I'll go with Truman - "The buck stops here." - Bush is the top of the command chain; it's part of his JOB to step in when a governor is being stupid or delusional or playing games with peoples lives or whatever the problem was.

Exactly.

 

[Magnum PI]

Some people blame Bush for their constipation. It's pointless to argue who did what to whom until all the facts are known.

and once the facts are known (WMD) we can rest assured that heads will roll, things will chance, and we can then bring Democracy to N.O. and we will NEVER forget our promise about tax breaks for the wealthy...mpi

 

[tybee204]

"The Washington Post reported Sunday that Bush administration officials sent a draft legal memorandum to Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco just before midnight Friday asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, according to a source within the state's emergency operations center. Administration officials had been seeking direct unified control over local police and National Guard units that would otherwise be under the Governor's jurisdiction. According to a senior Bush official, the President has the power (by state request or unilaterally) to federalize National Guard troops and put down civil unrest under the Insurrection Act [text; 2001 Congressional testimony on potential legal and other problems with federalizing the Guard during state emergencies, PDF]. Suspecting a political motive, however, state officials refused to make the request, recognizing its implications for state authority over a state emergency and arguing it would be analogous to a federal declaration of martial law, a legal condition that both the US military [JURIST report] and state authorities [JURIST report] had previously been at public pains to avoid. The next day Blanco shored up her authority over the situation by setting up a state relief fund and calling in former Clinton administration FEMA director James Lee Witt [professional profile] to advise on the state relief effort. Federal officials all the way up to President have suggested that state and local governments were overwhelmed by the scope of the disaster and were slow to respond, but that they themselves could not have moved more quickly because, in the words of Homeland Secutity Secretary Michael Chertoff, "our constitutional system really places the primary authority in each state with the governor."

but you would also be pissed if he did and the democrats started raising hell about it. How do you feel about the democratic governor that refused to let the feds take over? Or does she get a pass???? Yeah he should have told the to go screw herself. He was considerate of her state office and when she refused didn't do this. Maybe he was wrong to not do this...In reality, it was a pissing match that he let her win....

What confuses me is DHS and Fema was there making calls.. They blocked the Red Cross from entering New Orleans and providing food, water and medical supplies from the 1st day. Blanco requested out of state National Guard troops SundayAugust 29, before the Hurricane. Washington did not approve it untill Thursday, Sept 1. Louisana was declared a Federal Disaster on August 29 giving DHS and FEMA power to go in and do what ever needed to be done.
http://www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema

 

[rollerbladr123]

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09.html
OUR OPINIONS: An open letter to the President
Dear Mr. President:

We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and the Gulf Coast and said, "What is not working, we’re going to make it right."

Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise before believing you. But we have good reason for our skepticism.

Bienville built New Orleans where he built it for one main reason: It’s accessible. The city between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain was easy to reach in 1718.

How much easier it is to access in 2005 now that there are interstates and bridges, airports and helipads, cruise ships, barges, buses and diesel-powered trucks.

Despite the city’s multiple points of entry, our nation’s bureaucrats spent days after last week’s hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue the city’s stranded victims nor bring them food, water and medical supplies.

Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.

Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a "Today" show story Friday morning.

Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach.

We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That’s to the government’s shame.

Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he allowed those with no other alternative to seek shelter from the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We still don’t know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the Superdome not been opened, the city’s death toll would have been higher. The toll may even have been exponentially higher.

It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people inside the Superdome would not be returning home. It should have been clear to our government, Mr. President. So why weren’t they evacuated out of the city immediately? We learned seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened, that the Dome isn’t suitable as a long-term shelter. So what did state and national officials think would happen to tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning, overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food, water and other essentials?

State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said the city didn’t have but two urgent needs: "Buses! And gas!" Every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially.

In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said his agency hadn’t known until that day that thousands of storm victims were stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He gave another nationally televised interview the next morning and said, "We’ve provided food to the people at the Convention Center so that they’ve gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day."

Lies don’t get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President.

Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told him, "You’re doing a heck of a job."

That’s unbelievable.

There were thousands of people at the Convention Center because the riverfront is high ground. The fact that so many people had reached there on foot is proof that rescue vehicles could have gotten there, too.

We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We’re no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.

No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn’t be reached.

Mr. President, we sincerely hope you fulfill your promise to make our beloved communities work right once again.

When you do, we will be the first to applaud.

 

[tybee204]

http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=973

Press Release
Date: 8/26/2005


Denise Bottcher or Roderick Hawkins at 225-342-9037


GOVERNOR BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY

BATON ROUGE, LA--Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today issued Proclamation No. 48 KBB 2005, declaring a state of emergency for the state Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina poses an imminent threat, carrying severe storms, high winds, and torrential rain that may cause flooding and damage to private property and public facilities, and threaten the safety and security of the citizens of the state of Louisiana The state of emergency extends from Friday, August 26, 2005, through Sunday, September 25, 2005, unless terminated sooner.

The full text of Proclamation No. 48 KBB 2005 is as follows:

WHEREAS, the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., confers upon the governor of the state of Louisiana emergency powers to deal with emergencies and disasters, including those caused by fire, flood, earthquake or other natural or man-made causes, in order to ensure that preparations of this state will be adequate to deal with such emergencies or disasters and to preserve the lives and property of the citizens of the state of Louisiana;

WHEREAS, when the governor finds a disaster or emergency has occurred, or the threat thereof is imminent, R.S. 29:724(B)(1) empowers her to declare the state of disaster or emergency by executive order or proclamation, or both; and

WHEREAS, On August 26, 2005, Hurricane Katrina poses an imminent threat to the state of Louisiana, carrying severe storms, high winds, and torrential rain that may cause flooding and damage to private property and public facilities, and threaten the safety and security of the citizens of Louisiana;

NOW THEREFORE I, KATHLEEN BABINEAUX BLANCO,
Governor of the state of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and laws of the state of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as follows:

SECTION 1: Pursuant to the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., a state of emergency is declared to exist in the state of Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina poses an imminent threat, carrying severe storms, high winds, and torrential rain that may cause flooding and damage to private property and public facilities, and threaten the safety and security of the citizens of the state of Louisiana;

SECTION 2: The state of Louisiana's emergency response and recovery program is activated under the command of the director of the state office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to prepare for and provide emergency support services and/or to minimize the effects of the storm's damage.

SECTION 3: The state of emergency extends from Friday, August 26, 2005, through Sunday, September 25, 2005, unless terminated sooner.

 

[tybee204]

http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976

Governor Blanco asks President to Declare an Emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina


BATON ROUGE—Today Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco forwarded a letter to President Bush requesting that he declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina. The full text of the letter follows:

August 27, 2005


The President
The White House
Washington, D. C.

Through:
Regional Director
FEMA Region VI
800 North Loop 288
Denton, Texas 76209

Dear Mr. President:

Under the provisions of Section 501 (a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5206 (Stafford Act), and implemented by 44 CFR § 206.35, I request that you declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina for the time period beginning August 26, 2005, and continuing. The affected areas are all the southeastern parishes including the New Orleans Metropolitan area and the mid state Interstate I-49 corridor and northern parishes along the I-20 corridor that are accepting the thousands of citizens evacuating from the areas expecting to be flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

In response to the situation I have taken appropriate action under State law and directed the execution of the State Emergency Plan on August 26, 2005 in accordance with Section 501 (a) of the Stafford Act. A State of Emergency has been issued for the State in order to support the evacuations of the coastal areas in accordance with our State Evacuation Plan and the remainder of the state to support the State Special Needs and Sheltering Plan.

Pursuant to 44 CFR § 206.35, I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster. I am specifically requesting emergency protective measures, direct Federal Assistance, Individual and Household Program (IHP) assistance, Special Needs Program assistance, and debris removal.

Preliminary estimates of the types and amount of emergency assistance needed under the Stafford Act, and emergency assistance from certain Federal agencies under other statutory authorities are tabulated in Enclosure A.

The following information is furnished on the nature and amount of State and local resources that have been or will be used to alleviate the conditions of this emergency:
• Department of Social Services (DSS): Opening (3) Special Need Shelters (SNS) and establishing (3) on Standby.
• Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH): Opening (3) Shelters and establishing (3) on Standby.
• Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP): Providing generators and support staff for SNS and Public Shelters.
• Louisiana State Police (LSP): Providing support for the phased evacuation of the coastal areas.
• Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (WLF): Supporting the evacuation of the affected population and preparing for Search and Rescue Missions.


Mr. President
Page Two
August 27, 2005


• Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD): Coordinating traffic flow and management of the evacuations routes with local officials and the State of Mississippi.



The following information is furnished on efforts and resources of other Federal agencies, which have been or will be used in responding to this incident:
• FEMA ERT-A Team en-route.

I certify that for this emergency, the State and local governments will assume all applicable non-Federal share of costs required by the Stafford Act.

I request Direct Federal assistance for work and services to save lives and protect property.

(a) List any reasons State and local government cannot perform or contract for performance, (if applicable).

(b) Specify the type of assistance requested.

In accordance with 44 CFR § 206.208, the State of Louisiana agrees that it will, with respect to Direct Federal assistance:

1. Provide without cost to the United States all lands, easement, and rights-of-ways necessary to accomplish the approved work.

2. Hold and save the United States free from damages due to the requested work, and shall indemnify the Federal Government against any claims arising from such work;

3. Provide reimbursement to FEMA for the non-Federal share of the cost of such work in accordance with the provisions of the FEMA-State Agreement; and

4. Assist the performing Federal agency in all support and local jurisdictional matters.

In addition, I anticipate the need for debris removal, which poses an immediate threat to lives, public health, and safety.

Pursuant to Sections 502 and 407 of the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5192 & 5173, the State agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the United States of America for any claims arising from the removal of debris or wreckage for this disaster. The State agrees that debris removal from public and private property will not occur until the landowner signs an unconditional authorization for the removal of debris.


I have designated Mr. Art Jones as the State Coordinating Officer for this request. He will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in damage assessments and may provide further information or justification on my behalf.

Sincerely,




Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Governor
Enclosure

 

[rollerbladr123]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/04/katrina.blame/index.htmlNew Orleans paper rips federal response

Times-Picayune: Everybody at FEMA should be fired Sunday, September 4, 2005; Posted: 10:04 p.m. EDT

Quote 1 NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Louisiana's largest newspaper printed a blistering editorial in Sunday's edition under the headline "An Open Letter to the President," criticizing the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina......The editorial joined other voices criticizing the governmental response to the disaster, including New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. Criticism has come from people affected on the ground as well as from politicians of both parties

Quote 2 FEMA, meanwhile, has refused to release 50 trucks carrying water and ice sitting at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree said."They're sitting down there right now because one person from FEMA won't make the call to say, 'Release those trucks,' " he said. Two-thirds of the residents of the southern Mississippi city have no power, and that figure was 100 percent for three-and-a-half days, he added.He said FEMA representatives did not arrive in Hattiesburg -- 95 miles from New Orleans -- until Saturday."People from all over America have come in to help us," he said. "But the people who get paid to do this haven't done what I think they should have done."

more at link....

 

[Dara]

But you believe "part" of the article that says he could have, but not the part that says she was exercising her power play??? hell, I beleive the whole or none....

I realized you might not be aware of this:

A senior administration official said that Bush has clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units to quell civil disturbances under the Insurrection Act and will continue to try to unify the chains of command that are split among the president, the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor.

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.

You may recognize this article, as you quoted it. You may also notice that the senior administration official either lied or was desperately uninformed. Either way, the Post had to publish this retraction:

Correction to This Article
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.

So, that source has some credibility problems, imo. So, the "part of the article I believe" is the part that I believe we all agree is true and is verifiable. (Or do you want to assert again that Bush lacked the authority to send in troops without Blanco's approval?) And the part I don't believe, or rather am seeking more information about, came from mostly anonymous sources, one of whom either lied or was woefully ignorant.


You may believe "whole or none" of articles but I find it's often helpful to look a little deeper.

 

[tybee204]

Blanco requested Out of State National Guard Troops on August 28th. Washington did not approve her request untill Sept 1. 40 to 50% of Louisana National Guard troops are in Iraq.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/katrina_national_guard

Congress Likely to Probe Guard Delay


WASHINGTON - Several states ready and willing to send National Guard troops to the rescue in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans didn't get the go-ahead until days after the storm struck — a delay nearly certain to be investigated by Congress. .....

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's National Guard on Sunday, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed to get the troops en route didn't come from Washington until late Thursday.......

Republicans and Democrats alike in Congress are just beginning to ask why one of the National Guard's most trusted roles — disaster relief — was so uneven, delayed and chaotic this time around.......



Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record), R-Neb., said the situation has shown major breakdowns in the nation's emergency response capabilities. "There must be some accountability in this process after the crisis is addressed," he said........










Blanco declared a State of Emergency on August 26th.

 

[Dara]

She sure did. And on August 28th, Bush said, "[font=arial, helvetica, sans serif] Yesterday, I signed a disaster declaration for the state of Louisiana, and this morning I signed a disaster declaration for the state of Mississippi. These declarations will allow federal agencies to coordinate all disaster relief efforts with state and local officials. We will do everything in our power to help the people in the communities affected by this storm."

Nice words. No resemblance to reality.

Oh, and in that communication Iraq got 12 paragraphs, Katrina 3. Just nice to keep track.
[/font]

 

[Mabel]

She sure did. And on August 28th, Bush said, "[font=arial, helvetica, sans serif] Yesterday, I signed a disaster declaration for the state of Louisiana, and this morning I signed a disaster declaration for the state of Mississippi. These declarations will allow federal agencies to coordinate all disaster relief efforts with state and local officials. We will do everything in our power to help the people in the communities affected by this storm."

Nice words. No resemblance to reality.

Oh, and in that communication Iraq got 12 paragraphs, Katrina 3. Just nice to keep track.
[/font]

It's a matter of priorities. Drunken Bush twins take precedence over Iraq. Iraq takes precedence over dead and dying Americans. Money in Bush's pocket takes precedence over all else. Stand in line, your turn will come, if you survive long enough.

"We will do everything in our power to help people in the communities affected by this storm".....when we're darn well good and ready. Darn you suffering people for interrupting our vacation!

This is what we get for electing a president with the IQ of a pinto bean.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976

Governor Blanco asks President to Declare an Emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina


BATON ROUGE—Today Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco forwarded a letter to President Bush requesting that he declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina. The full text of the letter follows:

The document (in full, I just snipped for space) was interested, and dang, a lot of legal mumbo jumbo, eh?

But if I'm reading it correctly, it shows she declared a State of Emergency for LA, but this DID NOT request the federal aid at that time. She's declaring an emergency state at the State level. Did I read that incorrectly?

 

[concernedperson]

The document (in full, I just snipped for space) was interested, and dang, a lot of legal mumbo jumbo, eh?

But if I'm reading it correctly, it shows she declared a State of Emergency for LA, but this DID NOT request the federal aid at that time. She's declaring an emergency state at the State level. Did I read that incorrectly?

I reread it after I had more coffee. I don't have good computer skills so I will just type in a little. More is found at Page 2 of the letter. .....and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health.......direct Federal assistance.

She goes on to talk about how the state will reimburse the Fed agencies for their portion of the costs under The Stafford Act.

She did request Federal Assistance.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

I reread it after I had more coffee. I don't have good computer skills so I will just type in a little. More is found at Page 2 of the letter. .....and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health.......direct Federal assistance.

She goes on to talk about how the state will reimburse the Fed agencies for their portion of the costs under The Stafford Act.

She did request Federal Assistance.

Without being an expert at knowing all the steps and details, after I read the second letter, and second post, I still didn't see the specifics requesting National Guard coming in, etc. And I think (?) that has to be a very specific request. Even as to what type of function they will play (aid vs military police force to restore peace, etc.). So, IMO (and again, I'm no expert), the requests she were asking for was like Phase 1, declaring the State of Emergency for financial aid, but not specific requests for "bring in the feds now to help" and I am sure that would be another Phase, so to speak.

As I said before, good and interesting documents, but they are not the end all and be all...and that's why I think there's a whole lot more going on, and we're getting snippets of who did what, or who didn't do what...it's too soon to know. It'll all come out later, I am absolutely sure, since Congress is going to hold special hearings on that. Which, I will listen to with interest, as I don't really care if it was her mishandling or Bush's. It just needs to come out, and lessons should, and will, be learned from this....IMO.

 

[Dara]

It's a matter of priorities. Drunken Bush twins take precedence over Iraq. Iraq takes precedence over dead and dying Americans. Money in Bush's pocket takes precedence over all else. Stand in line, your turn will come, if you survive long enough.

"We will do everything in our power to help people in the communities affected by this storm".....when we're darn well good and ready. Darn you suffering people for interrupting our vacation!

This is what we get for electing a president with the IQ of a pinto bean.

Yes. You once again have said it all.

And don't we all feel safe this morning. Not only did the head of FEMA say he didn't know about people in the convention center or any unrest as of Thursday, but now we've also heard from the head of Homeland Security. Here's Chertoff:

State and local officials did not inform top federal officials early on of the deaths and lack of food among hurricane victims in the Superdome or convention center, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday.
Mr. Chertoff said neither he nor Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown was told of the deteriorating situation in New Orleans until Thursday night.

Now it's Thursday night!

Now, I'm sure this guy could sneak a camera into my shower without me noticing and have the names of every library book I ever took out in ten seconds but seemed clueless about the most major and widely reported aspects of the crisis he was supposed to be handling because he wasn't specifically told.

Don't we all feel safer today?

I will sleep better tonight knowing that in the face of any disaster, the office of Homeland Security, FEMA, President Bush and the federal government will launch a massive and coordinated effort to cover their butts and place the blame anywhere but on themselves.

So, those of you who have been ranting about not placing blame yet and that it's time for praise and positive messages should be firing off angry, concerned emails to Chertoff and co. Or at least complaining here like you all have been doing to those of us dare ask for answers and criticize Bush (because apparently criticizing anyone else is patriotic, but Bush is offffffff-limits).