Fact Check: Is Bush to Blame for New Orleans Flooding?

FactCheck. Org ^ | 9/02/2005 | Fact Check Staff

[Echo Talon]

:D Someone needs to start bashing his incompetence

[adam_az]

"I hope this is an accurate fact checking! Still the lefteist politicians are quick to blame Bush!"

The funny thing is that Fact Check is run by Annenberg.

The head of Annenberg is Adam Clymer.

Yes... That Clymer.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Well. My mom always used to say, "If you want to live below sea level, do it in Death Valley." Only an idiot would live below sea level next to the sea.

[Hendrix]

I am not familar with the name. Who is that?

[youngtory]

Fact checking is not needed, only common sense. You would have to be a deluded idiot to believe that Bush caused the hurricane.

[lepton]

Wasn't there a substantial issue of matching funds that LA didn't want to contribute to?

[lowbridge]

Bush blameless in Katrina disaster preparedness -- Or..about those Army Corps of Engineer budget cuts

Follow up:

New Orleans' sinking problems beg question of whether city should rebuild post-Katrina

[nmh]

Don't ya know, it's ALWAYS the fault of Bush!

[WestTexasWend]

Sid, you're right...from now on we should fully fund the Corp of Engineers, DOT, and all other infrastructure and national security projects. States that build and operate ports and refineries and encourage energy exploration should receive heftier federal tax breaks and benefits.

This spending should be offset with deep cuts/defunding of...[insert worthless, wasteful program here]...starting with the National Endowment of the Arts and Public Broadcasting.

[combat_boots]

MSM: Take Note - Clinton's Contribution to the Katrina Disaster ( Must Read )
The Federal Register ^ | September 1, 2005 | EagleUSA
Posted on 09/01/2005 6:21:59 PM EDT by EagleUSA


The MSM began politicizing the hurricane Katrina disaster before it even happened. Of course, their one objective is to blame President Bush, our military and anyone else that represents an idealogical barrier to their agenda. What the MSM has not done, is look in their own backyard -- in 1998 the Army Corps of Engineers provided a Draft Request to pursue the protection of noted areas in the Gulf region, to enhance their ability to survive heavy hurricane damage. The project was summarily REJECTED BY BILL CLINTON as not important.

The complicit MSM is making insane charges and accusations based on emotion and hate. Here, in the Federal Register is SOLID FACT that thier poster child, BILL CLINTON, materially contributed to the conditions which permitted hurricant Katrina to dessimate the Gulf region.


Posted elsewhere on FR.........

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1475127/posts

[RasterMaster]

This will be the standard reply I'd present to all presstitutes and others who carry the water (make excuses for DUmocrats) when the subject is to blame Bush for all:

The nanny state/welfare mentality - it's always someone else's job. What part of MANDITORY EVACUATION do these fools in the media not get? The people on the coast were warned, told to leave, and chose to stick it out thereby endangered themselves and their families. That would be considered neglect when parents put their children in danger.

The Governor and Mayor's extreme ineptitude is what the bozos in the lame-steam media should be focused on. It was their job to prepare their constituents, NOT the federal government. There was ample time to prepare, and most responsible adults took to the road for safety. Yet all that was offered on the state level was another poor evacuation plan from the dimwit dimocrats. Either using "one way out" stuck in traffic or holing up in the dome, what choices!

Before the storm, they could have used all the school & city buses to evacuate those who couldn't make it on their own to higher ground further inland. But they chose weakness in the face of real danger instead.

After the storm, all resources were put at their disposal, yet they delayed making the request as well as delayed the delivery when aid arrived. Martial Law was declared and yet they still sat on their hands allowing lawlessness to erupt. Neither can handle their jobs, yet refuse to step aside and allow someone else to handle it.

If President Bush hadn't announced the evacuation order, there would be more loss and suffering, mainly due to the clueless Democrats who failed to do anything - who, by the way, have been in charge of that state long before Bush ran for office.

When you have your hand extended, you shouldn't b!tch about getting aid when you were told to prepare for 3-5 days of food and water. When it comes to your family's safety, waiting on government to solve your problems is no better than waiting on a welfare check instead of getting off your arse and finding work.

But I guess wading around in sewage and griping about it is a much more pleasing alternative if you always pull the "D" lever when it's time to elect leadership. The failure of a democrat-led state is why the media is out in force trying to point fingers at Bush, when they all know the reality of the situation...their own failures cause many more to die than would have if they hadn't been slow to react.

[scouse]

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/083005cccawwlunwatering.45718845.html

Corps of Engineers on unwatering New Orleans

11:28 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Q.1. How long will it take to get the water out of New Orleans?

A.1. We are unsure. A number of factors play into this. First, Lake Pontchartrain is at roughly 4.5 feet above sea level and falling. The city is at a lower elevation so water will continue to flow into it until it equalizes.

Once the breach on the 7th Street Canal is closed, Pump Station 6 can pump 10,000 cubic feet per second.

Once the breaches are closed and all of the pumps are running, the pumps can lower the water level ½ inch per hour or about a foot per day. We can get the water level to sea level in four and a half days. The ½ inch rate assumes the late is at normal levels. That would create pumping inefficiency, as could trash in drains and canals that feed into the pump stations.

That’s a “Best Case” scenario. We don’t know the conditions of all of the pumps. Fortunately most of the pump motors and controllers are at an elevation greater than 5 feet and we hope they weren’t submerged. There could be other unforeseen problems.

We assume the pumps have not been submerged since most pumps are at an elevation greater than five feet above sea level. Pumps are operated and maintained by the local sewage and drainage districts.

Q.2. Why did the levees fail?

A.2. What failed were actually floodwalls, not levees. This was caused by overtopping which caused scouring, or an eating away of the earthen support, which then basically undermined the wall.

These walls and levees were designed to withstand a fast moving category 3 hurricane. Katrina was a strong 4 at landfall, and conditions exceeded the design.

Q.3. Why only Category 3 protection?

A.3. That is what we were authorized to do.

Q.4. How many other areas do you need to get water out of?

A.4. There are at least five ringed levees (areas surrounded by levees) that need to be emptied. New Orleans and Jefferson; New Orleans to Venice (Hurricane Protection project - Port Sulfur to Venice, LA); Chalmette Loop (lower 9th ward of Orleans Parish and Urbanized part of St. Bernard Parrish ); and, Plaquemines Parish non-federal levees have also been overtopped.

Q.5. What will be done to unwater these areas?

A.5. The unwatering plan will be used in these areas as well. Crews and equipment will be mobilized to breach the levees at predetermined locations and allow for gravity drainage into Lake Bourgne or other surrounding water bodies.

[dljordan]

"Whiny DU voice: "It's obvious Bush and Karl Rove have allied with the Israeli Jews with backing from redneck Neo-nazi groups and used their dreaded hurricane generator to flood NO. Then they used a military satellite to broadast tachyon rays all over the disaster area to dominate the minds of the poor black victims and to compel them to rape, pillage and burn the city so Halliburton can rebuild it."

Wildcard line you're on the air.

[chaosagent]

bookmark

[Brett66]

It's disgusting, they haven't even recovered the bodies and he's trying to blame someone. Blumenthal's beyond partisan, he's a slimy cotton-mouthed snake.

[muawiyah]

The leftist politicians had their slime-baiter from Hustler magazine go after Bob Livingston, a local Congressman from down there, when he had a chance to become Speaker of the House.

The levee system never had a greater champion, but without Bob, Louisiana had no one in the House power structure.

It's time to blame this on the Congressional Black Caucus from which much of the leadership in the battle against Livingston came.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Everyone has known for at least fifty years that NO was a disaster waiting to happen - to try to blame this mess on a bit of reduced funding during only the last four years goes beyond outrageous.......

[Tunehead54]

EVREYTHING IS BUSH'S FAULT!

---

Even your typo? Man! That guy gets around and in bed by 9pm! Talk about efficiency.

;-)

[satchmodog9]

There was actually a thread on DU just like that. Even their mods pulled it.

[ChocChipCookie]

Did funding for the levees only begin in 2001? I don't believe I saw anything cited before that, like, say, any cuts by the Clinton administration.