Commentary: Bush can't see failure of Katrina response ("No Bias, No Bull" full of Bull)

cnn ^ | 1/13/2009 | Campbell Brown

[tobyhill]

The story Much of President Bush's news conference today was a defense of the many controversial decisions of his presidency, it was also reflective, with the president showing a willingness to admit and talk about the serious mistakes made by this administration.

But on one topic in particular, he seemed almost entirely disconnected from what really happened: Hurricane Katrina. As someone who spent many days in New Orleans, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina, I was taken aback listening to the president talk about the government's response.

[DuncanWaring]

Sadly, nobody ever points out that the Federal government has no constitutional authority, much less responsibility, to provide for hurricane (or earthquake or ice-storm, etc) relief.

[tobyhill]

Campbell Brown doesn't think saving 30,000 people was enough. She seems to think the Government should have stopped saving lives and worry about the alive thugs running rampant in the Convention Center.

[Smokin' Joe]

Federal aid waited, ready to go, for the request of the Governor of the State of Louisiana. There lies the failure, not on President Bush's desk.

I may not agree with all the President has done, especially of late, but blaming him for this crap is nonsense.

[Thrownatbirth]

The figure by Time magazine in the 25 Oct. 2005 issue was 33,500 rescues by the Coast Guard and our Armed Forces.

I have never heard that jaw-dropping figure metioned again in the MSM. Glad Bush reminded them.

[Hacklehead]

Brown and others fail to note that there are other levels of govt besides federal. Local and state govts are expected to be the first responders not the feds. The fact that the failure to provide aid was the fault of RATS is one reason the media atack Bush. Assigning blame always bypasses the Rats to fall on the first available Republican. The failure of Bush was to ACCEPT the blame when others were actually at fault. Idiot.

[TexasCajun]

There is not one issue Big Media will give Bush credit for, not one.

Bottom line:

They were bent on destroying him from day 1 in retaliation for Republicans impeaching Slick Willy and 'stealing' the Presidency from Algore.

[oldironsides]

The mayor and governor were responsible for activating the emergency plan. A teenager had the common sense to get a bus and load it with people and drive away to safety. Buses and government vehicles were supposed to be used. This is the fault of the president? The people were told to leave and many did not. Other than the infirmed and elderly people that stayed, the people staying made a choice to stay. That risked the lives of military people that had to
pull them off roof tops. What happened to responsiblity?

[spikeytx86]

The state and local Governments always get a pass with the MSM as long as they are Democrat Held. Had Katrina happened in say 2008 instead of 2005 you know that tune would change with a Republican now being Governor of that state.

[doodad]

Nuff said here

[bert]

Cambell you media whore. NOLA was and is a shithole run by incompetent DEMOCRAT crooks. Black laziness killed the ability to respond. It is purely a negro problem.

[FreedomPoster]

The failure also lies at the local level. Local resources in NOLA that could have evacuated 15,000-25,000 residents went unused, thereby greatly increasing the need for aid into the area. How much better would the Federal response have looked, if there were that many fewer people in the disaster zone?

Could the Federal response have been better? Sure. But State and Local actions directly caused much avoidable suffering in NOLA.

[Carley]

Wondering what is going to happen to the haters on CNN and MSNBC after inauguration day.

Will they go on sabbatical for the next couple of years?

Oh, I forgot they’ll be concentrating on the dog search, the clothes worn by the mrs.

[RichInOC]

Could Michael Brown and FEMA have done better? Yeah, most likely. But it’s not Brownie’s fault, for example, that Ray Nagin’s approach to hurricane preparedness amounted to “Later, dawlin’.”

[doodad]

And here was the local response to the emergency

[GoCards]

As always, Bush just does not have the ability to explain himself. We get it, but he is very poor at speaking. Just makes me crazy. THAT, I will not miss.

[tobyhill]

The Government resources would not have had to be used to save lives had the morons evacuated when they were told to.

[River_Wrangler]

It is tiring to have to listen to the bleeding hearts bitch about the lack of help during Katrina. What about Rita? It was a more devastating storm that did more damage. And where was FEMA after Ike hit the Texas coast?

You didn't hear about that because the people affected by those storms helped themselves with additional help from local and state government. Our National Guard chipped in with resources and manpower.

Houston still has Katrina "Refugees" in hotels paid for by the Feds. How long should the welfare go on?

[tobyhill]

Obama will get a free pass even if 1900 die. The MSM will claim that the speed in which he acted saved 30,000 lives.

[Made In The USA]

Never do they mention that lack of leadership by Ray ‘chocolate city’ Nagin or that clueless Governor Bianco. How about those busses floating in the parking lot Mr. Nagin?

Never do they mention personal responsibility for paying attention to the weather (it wasn’t like there was 5 minutes warning that a hurricane was coming) and taking steps to GTFO.

I doubt the leadership in N.O./LA has an effective strategy for the next hurricane. I doubt they have the ability to effect a plan.