Keeping the Record Straight on the Katrina Story

FoxNews.com ^ | Bill O'Reilly

[Millee]

Keeping the record straight on the Katrina story: that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo".

Ground zero for the hate Bush movement is The New York Times Company, but its behavior in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina is so over the top, one wonders if CEO Janet Robinson has lost control over her operation.

There's no question the Bush administration was slow in getting relief to the hurricane zone. That's a legitimate criticism, but the personal attacks on President Bush by The New York Times Company, which includes The Boston Globe are beyond the pale.

Some examples:

- Far-left Globe columnist James Carroll: "The bystander-in-chief, of course, is George W. Bush, whose whining self-obsession perfectly embodies what America has done to itself."

- Far-left Times columnist Bob Herbert: "What we witnessed...was the dangerous incompetence and staggering indifference to human suffering of the president and his administration."

- Far-left Times columnist Paul Krugman: "The federal government's lethal ineptitude wasn't just a consequence of Mr. Bush's personal inadequacy; it was a consequence of ideological hostility to the very idea of using government to serve the public good."

So what these Bush haters are saying is that the president doesn't care if people suffer and die, and has geared the U.S. government toward putting Americans in jeopardy.

That's beyond ridiculous. The truth is this. Governor Blanco of Louisiana did not have a disaster plan in place, did not have enough state police and National Guard to secure a city the size of New Orleans, and did not push for federal help soon enough. President Bush was 24 hours too slow in reacting to the disaster. Why? I don't know. And the head of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, seemed clueless for days.

[Millee]

BOR is a blowhard, but I still like him.

"Talking Points" wants to reinforce two things. First, the huge, bureaucratic government will never be able to protect you. If you rely on government for anything, anything, you're going to be disappointed, no matter who the president is.

Reminiscent of "we're from the government and we're here to help."

[cubreporter]

BOR IS a blowhard and I NEVER liked him.

[RexBeach]

He's also a tall "blowhard." I think Bill's around 6' 7".

[PeskyOne]

BOR is a blowhard, but I still like him.

He's an arrogant blowhard as is Newt Gingrich.

[JIM O]

President Reagan's words are even more powerful today than when he said them.

I think a good lesson learned here is when you live behind a dam below sea level and your city tells you to leave. Leave! That way we can concentrate on and help the people who are incapable of getting out.

[Jeff Head]

There's no question the Bush administration was slow in getting relief to the hurricane zone

ABsolute Bravo Sierra. BOR is simply wrong on this. It is simply amazing at the Federal level what has been accomplished in so short a time. No other nation could have respondesd with this level of assistant to so large an impacted area in this amount of time.

Logistically you cannot make this level of support and assistance move in 72 hours. Just the same, the Coast Guard (a federal agency) was there making a huge difference from the first day.

The first several days were the local and state government's responsibility and they failed miserably. They had the resources to mitigate the disaster (busses, national guard troops), but they failed to apply them directly or efficiently.

[syriacus]

I'd love to see O'Reilly call for an investigation of the way Louisiana handled the Federal help they got after Hurricane Ivan last year.

President Declares Major Disaster For Louisiana To Aid Ivan Recovery, September 16, 2004

Are Witt and Blanco busily flushing evidence of previous bad behavior?

Is Blanco afraid to have too many Feds asking too many questions about what Lousiana has done as a result of Hurricane Ivan?

[ncountylee]

Memo to all democrat Mayors and Governors:

The NYT, MSNBC, WaPO, etc. win.

In case of disaster in your area do absolutely nothing to save lives, protect property or relieve suffering. Your new assignment is to blame Bush, blame Bush and blame Bush. Got that? Good, together we will build a better America.

[fatnotlazy]

They had the resources to mitigate the disaster (busses, national guard troops), but they failed to apply them directly or efficiently.

***

They also did nothing to stop the shooting and the looting either.

[Mr. K]

THEY ALL NEED TO BE REMINDED THAT THE FEDS DECLARED A STATE OF EMEGENCY BEFORE THE STORM EVEN HIT~!

[cwb]

"President Bush was 24 hours too slow in reacting to the disaster. Why? I don't know."

---

I do. Because the Federal government was forced to become the "first responders" and were tasked with doing things that should've been done in the first 24-48 hours by the City and State governments.

[Eagles Talon IV]

No, he is about 6'3". I had the opportunity years ago to do some business with him and the notion that he is a blow hard and self obsessed is a true one. According to O'Reilly, when he walks through the door or calls on the phone everything must come to a full stop so his needs can be attended to immediately.

Overbearing and obnoxious only begins to describe this fool.

[Jeff Head]

That's where the governors need to apply the National Guard Troops properly comes in. She didn't and so the problem was not nipped in the bud on day one as it should have been.

See:

Important Lessons From Hurricane Katrina

[RegulatorCountry]

"Are Witt and Blanco busily flushing evidence of previous bad behavior?"

This is as good a reason as I've heard, for Blanco to insist that Witt, former FEMA head under Clinton, be "in charge," while not allowing federal control.

[Williams]

Read incredible story yesterday on MSNBC that La state officials refused to turn the relief effort over to the feds because the state suspected there was a "political motivation" behind the request. We're talking right after the hurricane hit, the dems in La were making (wrong) decisions based on politics.

[GBA]

"He's an arrogant blowhard as is Newt Gingrich. "

Perhaps, but Newt Gingrich has changed the direction of politics in the US and made the entire world a better place as a result. In addition, former Speaker Gingrich has brought new ideas to the table and taken the heat. In short, Mr. Gingrich is a leader and is hated by the left with a passion I would have for the devil incarnate. And I like that!

BO'R is a complainer/whiner/bloviator who occasionally gets it right.

[DJ MacWoW]

President Bush was 24 hours too slow in reacting to the disaster.

This has to be one of the most irritating things I keep hearing. Femas response time is 72 to 96 hours. The flooding started on Tuesday after the hurricane hit Monday. Relief arrived Thursday. No one on the left seems to grasp the enormity of 90,000 square miles. It wasn't just NO that was hit.

[DouglasKC]

There's no question the Bush administration was slow in getting relief to the hurricane zone. That's a legitimate criticism,

There is a question. What evidence does he dish up to prove this? Oh, none. Just the hearsay of the media.

[RegulatorCountry]

"Read incredible story yesterday on MSNBC that La state officials refused to turn the relief effort over to the feds because the state suspected there was a "political motivation" behind the request."

Same logic as letting people remain stranded and die, while waiting for those "air conditioned busses" that were ballyhooed on the MSM over the weekend, I guess?

It's retroactive CYA.

[msnimje]

BOR better come down hard on Blanco and Nagin soon or he is going to lose a lot of viewers. I am tired of writing him emails every day telling him how oblivious he is to the facts in Louisiana.