New Video, Blanco Saying Levees Safe (Blanco assures Bush, all is well)

Forbes.com ^ | March 2, 2006 | LARA JAKES JORDAN and MARGARET EBRAHIM

[blogblogginaway]

In the hectic, confused hours after Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast, Louisiana's governor hesitantly but mistakenly assured the Bush administration that New Orleans' protective levees were intact, according to new video obtained by The Associated Press showing briefings that day with federal officials.

"We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said shortly after noon on Aug. 29, according to the video. "We heard a report unconfirmed, I think, we have not breached the levee. I think we have not breached the levee at this time."

[Intolerant in NJ]

In the hectic, confused hours after Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast, Louisiana's governor hesitantly but mistakenly assured the Bush administration that New Orleans' protective levees were intact, according to new video obtained by The Associated Press showing briefings that day with federal officials...wonder if this is the same briefing Fox News mentioned tonight, which included Brown and several officials, but not the Prez, and at which all were seen "celebrating" because they thought all danger was past and they had "dodged the bullet"......

[CJ Wolf]

It's not a "break" he needs from that. It was a historical fact. Point is he wasn't doing anything bad, not invading Iraq (not that that is a bad thing), causing the carnage of Katrina and global warming. Snort! Not like all the total other times in the press where it's all his fault, here he was doing something for the kids and blamo look what you get doing something nice...I can't fault him for that, it's not like he was sticking a cigar up some #$%! When that went down.

[Doc91678]

The big problem I have about this bashing of Bush is as follows:
Blanco was aware of the possible topping of the levees.
Nagin was also aware of the same.
They were warned that the oncoming hurricane would do alot of damage as well as the dome was not as secure as it seemed.
Yet Nagin in his wisdom did not evacuate more NO citizens by school bus. He allowed people to die and never utilized the equipment he had. Allowing the buses to flood and people to die.
What is Guilliano had faded like Nagin and Potaki had demured during the 9/11 crisis?
I have read much ado about the conspiracy theories and how Bush allowed 9/11 to occur. But I haven't heard much about the fact that Clinton allowed the conspiracy of al-Qaeda to work for years during his administration within the US so that 9/11 could happen.
I personally blame Blanco and Nagin for the disaster in NO. What followed was only because both the Governor and Mayor failed in their responsibilities.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

If Gore was in the White House, would anyone be complaining about Katrina?

Nobody complained when hundreds of senior citizens fried to death in the 1995 Chicago Heat Wave.

There were no "independent" commissions, no biased polls taken, no screeching newspaper headlines or NY Times hit piece. Daley/Clinton lied, elderly fried!

The hypocrisy and double-standards here is mind-boggling.

[Mo1]

She wasn't confused - likely stupid. She Eff'd up.

That's what ticks me off the most about this whole thing

Yes .. some mistakes were made on the Federal level

One being to think that Ding Bat Govenor Blanco knew what they heck she was doing

And the grandstanding from the blowhards on Capital Hill who COMPLETELY ingore the facts of what happen

What?!? .. are they afraid to confront her and point the finger at her because she is a woman???

There are a whole slew of articles about her actions and how SHE screwed things up and blocked the Feds at every chance she could

Here are a couple

Blanco Refused To Act... Governor’s Indecision Cost Precious Time
nortsidejournal.com ^ | 09/14/05

MUST SEE: Blanco refused to allow Red Cross and FEMA to bring food and water to Stadium!!!
FOX News (Click here for MUST SEE Video) ^ | Brit Hume and Major Garrett

[freema]

Good thing they weren't Baptists who'd gotten baptized that morning, eh?

[freema]

How many new additions per second, do you suppose?
We could probably make money taking bets on that! )

[Rte66]

The pumps, that's right! I was looking back through my notes on Katrina today to see if the MSM was lying again about dates (they were) - and what everyone was "sweating" after hearing of the 17th St Canal levee breach and the Industrial Canal levee breach was how soon the pumps would stop working. Didn't have to sweat it for long.

The first breach *I* (the public) knew about was around 3AM on Tue, 8/30. I tried to remember to put a time stamp on my notes, but didn't do a very good job of it. Also around the same time or maybe a little later, a large water main broke - I wonder if it was anywhere near one of the levee breaches, as sometimes they run under the embankments and if the line breaks, it causes the dike to collapse.

This was after a full day Monday of Nagin and everyone "whew"ing how they'd dodged a bullet and backslapping and high-fiving how great it was that the French "Quota" had no water and just some busted glass in it.

Never mind that Pass Christian and Waveland and Bay St Louis MS hadn't even been heard from! Truthfully, that's where my focus was, and on Mobile. I thought NOLA, except for the outer eastern reaches, was mostly OK. We were still counting the deaths then, as in 2 here, one there, 17 total, 40 in the whole area. Can you imagine?

Then came a breaking news announcement that water was rising on Canal Street at the rate of 6 inches per hour, then 1 inch per hour. Nagin was already saying that 80% of NOLA was "underwater" - this was on Tuesday during the day, after everything being hunky-dory the day before!

Then came word for everyone to RUN FOR THEIR LIVES. Wednesday night was when the first "outlaw" busload of refugees pulled into the Astrodome here in Houston.

But I noted that somewhere in that "Blanco gives assurances that no levees have been breached" on Monday story from tonight, the media just interjected, with no source or proof that Bush already knew about the "breaches" in the wee hours of Monday morning - as in, Sunday night! No way! The levees themselves didn't even know they were being breached at that time!

Then, it was up to the pumps to do what they could and then the older ones failed - and then some of the newer submersible ones did. I'd say that also has a great deal to do with happened, floodwater-wise.

[welfareisslavery]

Yes! I would expect to get myself out of the way, feed myself, take care of Family, find a job, start over. Whether it was possible or not. This whole story just plain sickens me! What a society of dependent crybabies. My apologies to the people working hard to rebuild, its not you I refer to.

[Libertina]

Well, well, well...what have we here?

[LdSentinal]

Don't Blame Me . . . I Voted for Jindal.

[MaineVoter2002]

I dont expect to see this story on cBS or cnn.


http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalLinks.html

[nopardons]

bttt

[Bogey78O]

It's funny, but everyone who ran though Katrina knows full well what they were doing on that Monday. Hell, you could say, "that Monday" and people know you're talking about Katrina.

[generally]

And if I recall correctly, unlike the hurricane, the national weather service had not been predicting 9/11 for many days in advance.

[MississippiMan]

It's not like we don't expect it, but don't you just love the tone of this one as compared to the tone in the piece about Bush having been pre-warned about Katrina. They go out of their way to let us know how "hesitant" Blanco was and how she said "things could change" and on and on ad nauseum. The piece on Bush, was a polar opposite, a hit piece all the way.

I guess I should be used to it by now, but the staggering bias still infuriates me, especially when they're just so flagrant with it like this.

MM

[caryatid]

The first breach *I* (the public) knew about was around 3AM on Tue, 8/30. I tried to remember to put a time stamp on my notes, but didn't do a very good job of it.

You are absolutely correct ... and are right on the time. We had stayed up very late worrying about family and friends ... and, then, when we got that horrifying news ... well, we never did even try to go to sleep that night.

This was after a full day Monday of Nagin and everyone "whew"ing how they'd dodged a bullet and backslapping and high-fiving how great it was that the French "Quota" had no water and just some busted glass in it.

French "Quota" ... LOL ... and, you have a very good ear.

[NautiNurse]

everyone who ran though Katrina knows full well what they were doing on that Monday.

T'was a blur for me, fer sure.

[Rte66]

Ah've spended me a little time in de Quota my own self--dat dere vookaray, dontcha know. Ah say "Moddy Graw," ohsee.

[newzjunkey]

Good news for a change, but people will still say Bush should've gone down to NOLA himself and rebuked the winds, saving everyone from that terrible story! That's what John "Christopher Reeve will rise up and walk" Kerry would've done. Right?