[martin_fierro]

Nagin/Blanco who?

[Liberty Valance]

lots of politics in this story. they forgot to mention that a cat. 4 hurricane hit just east of New Orleans. I guess it's Bush's fault.

[W04Man]

retired Air Force Capt. William Bissell told a reporter in Biloxi on Monday.
Hey Bill, why you only made Capt???? duh!

[backhoe]

HURRICANE KATRINA- archive of links Click the picture:

[TheSpottedOwl]

Until the federal government is ready to do that, and do it fast, the homeland cannot be considered secure.

Deliberate ignorance/aka lying out your ass. After I heard that Sandy Bergler got probation and a small fine, I hold no hope that those whose "priorities" harmed and killed people, will ever get their just desserts.

They should make up their minds. First they prevent the Feds from helping(among others), now they blame the Feds. Welcome to the Rabbit Hole :/

[Recon Dad]

This is a real hit piece that uses a big brush to make a big argument. Note the lack of a time line. Start from the premise that the Feds blew it and throw out a Walmart truck or two and you have fixed the blame. Ask questions and this whole thing folds up like a cheap suitcase.

[longtermmemmory]

I guess the author did not read that the combined deaths have not even reached 500.

GWBush does not play the "claim the issue" game.

GWBush is a solution oriented leadership style.

This is just a sucker solicitation to join the gutter poltics of democrat slimes.

[AmericanChef]

Not once did they mention local authorities. Would they prefer, then, that the feds ignore local authorities like they do? Oh, they'd be getting the vapors over that, too!

[RedEyeJack]

Pretty much a rehash of the DNC talking points...

There is something here that need to be highlighted. What was the City and State plan for post disaster law enforcement and riot/looter control. If there was no plan why not? If there was a plan why wasn't it executed?

[AmericaUnited]

``We've got 28 miles of coastline here that's absolutely destroyed, and the federal government, they're not here,'' retired Air Force Capt. William Bissell told a reporter in Biloxi on Monday.

Talk to your UNRETIRED comrades. They were 'there' but the state RATS would not let them go in.

[libertylover]

Bush needs to hold key leaders accountable right now.

I don't think the President has the power to fire mayors and governors.

[kipita]

NOAA PRESS RELEASE

NOAA: August 2005 Update to Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook Issued: 2 August 2005

Realtime monitoring of tropical Atlantic conditions

Realtime monitoring of tropical East Pacific conditions

Atlantic Hurricane Outlook & Seasonal Climate Summary Archive

SUMMARY

NOAA is calling for a 95% to 100% chance of an above-normal 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, according to a consensus of scientists at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (CPC), Hurricane Research Division (HRD), and National Hurricane Center (NHC). This forecast reflects NOAA’s highest confidence of an above-normal hurricane season since their outlooks began in August 1998.

The updated outlook calls for an extremely active season, with an expected seasonal total of 18-21 tropical storms (mean is 10), with 9-11 becoming hurricanes (mean is 6), and 5-7 of these becoming major hurricanes (mean is 2-3). The likely range of the ACE index for the season as a whole is 180%-270% of the median.

The predicted seasonal totals include the considerable activity that has already occurred prior to this update (7 tropical storms and 2 major hurricanes). Therefore, for the remainder of the season, we expect an additional 11-14 tropical storms, with 7-9 becoming hurricanes, and 3-5 of these becoming major hurricanes. The expected ACE range during August-November is 110%-200% of the median. These very high levels of activity are comparable to those seen during August-November 2003 and 2004. Given the forecast that the remainder of the season will be very active, it is imperative that residents and government officials in hurricane-vulnerable communities have a hurricane preparedness plan in place.

The predicted nearly 100% chance of an above-normal season is higher than the 70% likelihood indicated in NOAA’s pre-season outlook issued May 16th. This increased certainty reflects the fact that the atmospheric and oceanic conditions favoring hurricane formation that were predicted in May are now in place. These conditions, combined with the high levels of activity already seen, make an above-normal season nearly certain.

[silverleaf]

Now some observers are calling for Washington to take charge sooner and rule with a heavy hand. Clearly federal aid must be better managed and more quickly deployed, but states and cities should beware giving away too much authority too soon.

No mayor would want the Defense Department deciding when to evacuate or how to do it. But moving, feeding, housing and, in some cases, medicating 250,000 people is far beyond the capacity of cities and states.

OK, SO... WHAT IS IT EXACTLY THEY ARE SUGGESTNG BE DONE? Bush Derangement Syndrome at its journalistic peak. "We don't know WHAT to do or HOW, but the Fedrela Government should have done it!"

[NutCrackerBoy]

I distinctly recall President Bush saying there needs to be an investigation and why. That's sober leadership. In a well-defined context, it would be fine to show some anger about specific actions. But no, he shouldn't surrender to this trend that every accident or disaster must be someone's fault.

[verity]

"medicating 250,000 people"

The MSM needs to be medicated.

[Cricket24]

The next time some numbskull, idiotic, news reading, so-called reporters ask George Bush why the help didn't come sooner, the President should turn the whole thing around on them. He should ask them how soon should they have been there? He should ask them how they would get all the people, equipment and life sustaining products there when there was still a storm was there. He should turn it around and ask all these idiots HOW they would have handled it. The President won't do that, of course, but I would love to see the looks on the faces of the press if that did happen. My tagline says it all!!

[P.O.E.]

Local response is first, since they know the ins and outs of the local terrain, etc. Trying to make the Feds be first responders would be a recipe for delay and inefficiency just due to logistical reasons alone, never mind politics.

[Tax-chick]

President Bush ought to be visibly angry that storm victims in and around New Orleans continued to die in isolation days after the water stopped rising.

I disagree profoundly. The President is not a holographic projection of the feelings of the citizenry. He's not the nation's hand-holder- and head-patter-in-chief. In a properly functioning society, that's what parents are for.

On a more practical level, he doesn't (and shouldn't) have authority over elected officials at the local and state levels. He should certainly take action to remove or otherwise discipline Federal employees who have failed in their jobs, but at this point, there hasn't been time to make any but the most shallow evaluation of who has failed and who has not, among Federal officials.

The President is not our husband, our Daddy, our Pastor, or our Messiah. I categorically reject the idea that we are a nation of such infantile capacity that we "need" the President to emote for us as part of his job. That's where the Democrats want us to be, but if we fall for it, we deserve what we get. Bill Clinton, anyone? He'd be outraged, you d*mn betcha!

(Comments suggested by your fine rant yesterday, StoneCold.)