See New York mayor Gulliani for a clue...
Posted on 09/02/2005 6:53:26 AM PDT by Jarhead1957
New Orleans Mayor Fumes Over Slow Reponse
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, left, Councilman Oliver Thomas and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco speak during a news conference about Hurricane Katrina, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005. Residents of low-lying coastal communities were told Saturday to pack up and head for higher ground before Hurricane Katrina strengthens and takes a ``possible direct hit'' on southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber)
A day before President Bush headed to the hurricane-ravaged South, Mayor Ray Nagin lashed out at federal officials, telling a local radio station "they don't have a clue what's going on down here."
Federal officials expressed sympathy but quickly defended themselves, saying they, too, were overwhelmed by the catastrophe that hit the Gulf Coast region on Monday.
Nagin's interview Thursday night on WWL radio came as President Bush planned to visit Gulf Coast communities battered by Hurricane Katrina, a visit aimed at alleviating criticism that he engineered a too-little, too-late response.
Bush viewed the damage while flying over the region Wednesday en route to Washington after cutting short his Texas vacation by two days.
"They flew down here one time two days after the doggone event was over with TV cameras, AP reporters, all kind of goddamn excuse my French everybody in America, but I am pissed," Nagin said.
Nagin said he told Bush in a recent conversation that "we had an incredible crisis here and that his flying over in Air Force One does not do it justice ... I have been all around this city and that I am very frustrated because we are not able to marshal resources and we are outmanned in just about every respect."
In an interview Friday on NBC's "Today," Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown stood behind the massive federal relief effort that's under way.
"I understand the mayor's frustration. ... We have been having a continuous flow of commodities into the Superdome, there were five trucks arriving last night to feed well over 50,000 people.
"We're also diverting supplies to the convention center which I learned about yesterday and that area. ... This is an absolutely catastrophic disaster," he said.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who like Nagin is a Democrat, was less confrontational than the mayor.
"When the system goes down, this is pretty much what you get," she said on CBS' "The Early Show." "We don't get into the blame game. We just work with what we got."
Prediction: this will be the start of the decline of Bush. WHILE IT NOT BE THE CASE ... the perception will be that America can provide "instant" help in Iraq and abroad .. but be found slow at home ... flying over at 2,000 feet in a 747 won't help either .
I could be wrong..
America .... Gold medal winners when it comes to the blame game.
Yeah, put BUSH on the ground in a war zone taking valuable resources needed for search, rescue and security during an unprecedented natural disaster for a photo op. Yeah, thats what we should do...-sarc
Let's do a re-wind back to '92.
The Feds (as well as the state of Florida) were slow in getting relief operations going after Hurricane Andrew passed thru.
As I recall, the media made hay out of that too- just as they're doing now.
And what is this illustrious mayor doing besides covering his own fanny?
Uh Mr. Mayor, what about all those school buses that were submerged in the flood waters? Did you ever consider for one second that those now useless busses could have been deployed on Saturday to get those people out?
He has no idea what is happening in his own city but expects the feds to know and fix it. Real bright chap here.
I believe you are.
This article nicely avoids the absolute incompetence of those on the front lines and targets some alleged failure by Bush (which, interestingly, comes mostly from the incompetent Mayor).
It all seems rather strange that we go through hurricanes in Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, etc...and this one time that a hurricane finally hit Orleans...the world comes to an end for those there. And it seems rather strange that a huge number of residents in the city...just stayed...anticipating that life would be normal when they walked out of the SuperDome. And the dissent into lawlessness...strange as well...because you can go to Florida and various areas...and see only minimual looting after hurricanes. One gets the impression that Orleans was a issue before the hurricane hit...and it will be an issue after the hurricane.
I see nothing as GW's fault...and kinda wonder if Orleans is a gutter town to start with. It doesn't match up to Miami or Orlando...and probably doesn't even match up to Charleston. Oil made the town what it is today.
This is not our finest hour.
I don't think it'll be the decline. I think it's just another one of many things Bush "screwed up."
I guess because it's his city that got destroyed, it wouldn't be PC to call out the fact that if Nagin's administration wasn't so corrupt, he might have put more money into disaster preparation and less in his pockets.
Looks like the Dimwits have faxed their talking points. All the MSM are now attacking Bush with lies.
This IDIOT INCOMPETANT mayor has realized that his arse is showing and now wants to blame the Bush Administration...........
It's understandable that Nagin would be combative. He ran a corrupt and incompetent city government that was apparently seriously unprepared for this storm, despite the fact that everyone with common sense has known for decades that the city was going to be hit like it was, one day. Now it's time to for him to blame everyone else but himself and his predecessors. If he hasn't played it already, the race card will be coming soon.
The mayor ain't no Rudy is he?
They leave off the 'man' to make him seem more intelligent than he is. I heard him on TV today and he sounded like a high school drop out.
Per capita NOLA has 40% the % of police officers as does Washington DC..There were unwiling to spend the $ for protection during normal times..
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