Ted Koppel blames Bush for failure to evacuate poor prior to the Katrina hitting New Orleans

2 Sep 2005 | Philip Freneau

[PhilipFreneau]

Tonight on Nightline, during an inteview with the FEMA director, Ted Koppel demanded to know why the Bush Administration did not send fleets of buses into New Orleans to evacuate those too poor to evacuate themselves -- PRIOR TO KATRINA HITTING NEW ORLEANS.

For previous hurricanes the Federal Government did not participate in evacuations, only in clean up and recovery. That did not seem to matter much to Koppel since he obviously knew that Mike Brown was too much of a gentleman to smack him for attempting to deceived the American people.

However, Koppel does have a point, in a way. The Bush Administration should have known the Louisiana and New Orleans governments would be too incompetent to do anything right, and should have planned for it.

[swheats]

Or is it simply that the Louisiana State Government is horrifically and criminally inept?

Yep

[kb2614]

Don't forget the,,,,JOOOOOOOSSSSSSS

[L.N. Smithee]

I wanted to jump through the television screen and choke that weasel.

Koppel has already announced he's going to retire, and he calls his own shots. He long ago decided that he was only going to show up on Nightline when there are stories that he wants told. The B and C level anchors, such as Chris Bury, Terry "Sweet Lips" Moran, Michele Martin, and Chris Cuomo, do most of the work now, while Ted shows up when there's a mucky-muck that makes him/herself available or when there's a really heavy deal going on.

On his way out the door, Ted's either getting careless or bold about letting his biases show. Two of his recent Nightlines were about the success of NRA lobbying despite -- said Ted -- polls indicating that Americans REALLY want gun control, and the think tank he credits with advancing Intelligent Design curricula despite -- said Ted -- academia's overwhelming rejection of it. The tone of both shows was far from complimentary to the subjects; they were more in the spirit of, "How did those charlatans get so far? We've got to stop them!"

[MHT]

Guess Peter Jennings lives on in the voice of Teddy K.

[tina07]

absolutely correct, if there were people with no transportation, no way to get out, those buses should have been available during a MANDATORY evacuation, PERIOD.

[lindagirl]

Michelle Malkin said it best, today on Hugh Hewitt's show:

We are hearing from the armchair first responders, sitting in their air conditioned studios.

[WHBates]

"I don't understand why such a populous meeting point hasnt been helped out yet? Can anyone explain this? Or is it simply that the Louisiana State Government is horrifically and criminally inept?

I won't pretend to know all of the answers but FEMA lends support to the locals who should have already set up the infrastructure and know what important and what isn't. It's pretty clear that if anything is going to get done FEMA will have to do it from scratch. That is not the way it's suppose to happen. I do know that much.

[Nam Vet]

Mississippi didn't seem to have near as many problems.

Mississippi has a Conservative as governor. Simple. He said looters would be dealt with sharply. (shot in the head)

Nam Vet

[Nathan Zachary]

"Safe water may be a problem, but judging by the bodies I've seen in the hurricane coverage, it will be about 6 months before starvation becomes an issue.

I'd say a year, judging by the fat 500lb momma in the red tent t-shirt I saw complaining "we hongry".

[Tribune7]

Dubya may end up being the hero. He was the guy that pushed for the evacuations, as I understand it.

[Cougar66]

We need to have a 'Blame W' day where we get to mock demented liberals day and night. But since we do that every day maybe this is silly.

[SAJ]

Could I settle for: general stupidity AND his usual agenda?

Just asking, of course...

;^)

[guitarnick40]

Ted Koppel is and always has been a clown. His Dan Rather moment is not too far away.

[danamco]

I saw all that crap too. I know the FEMA guy used great restraint. He almost mentioned something about the state goverment of Louisiana being somewhat, sort of, responsible. At the least he could have mentioned the phone call from the President to the Mayor of New Orleans that urged the good Mayor to issue the initial evacuation order. But of course, that's ancient history.



The most ridiculous question was when he asked: "Don't you people watch television??????" Like are you guys NOT watching ME, ME = Ted Koppel??? I would certainly think that Fema and the Feds are busy doing real productive work than watching TV!!! If it was not for the seriousness of this terrible crisis I would ROFLMAO!!!

[knightshadow]

"Dubya may end up being the hero. He was the guy that pushed for the evacuations, as I understand it."

But, will anybody in the MSM actually report that?

[Petronski]

I'm sure I'm not the first, but....


NOLA had it's own damned fleet of buses, the big yellow ones that are now ruined.

[Cougar66]

I don't get what they think Bush was supposed to do? Send Navy Ships and helicopters there before the storm even hit? Makes no sense. Unless thats what they wanted and then when we lost 'em all say: "See how dumb he is?"

[MoochPooch]

"Two of his recent Nightlines were about the success of NRA lobbying despite -- said Ted -- polls indicating that Americans REALLY want gun control."


I think the looters (& rapists) in N.O. make enough of a case against gun control.

[Brimack34]

It is a lot easier to move a state government then it is the fedral government. But that is lost on MSM. What happend to the rest of the state of Louisiana? Can't they help out here?

[Tribune7]

But, will anybody in the MSM actually report that?

Of course not. But the MSM no longer runs the show.