[devane617]

You beat me to it...I just ran across this article here:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KATRINA_VIDEO?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

Along similar lines

http://news.yahoo.com/s/app/20060303

In New Video, Blanco Says Levees Are Safe BY LARA JAKES JORDAN and MARGARET EBRAHIM, Associated Press Writers 40 minutes ago WASHINGTON - 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."

In fact, the National Weather Service received a report of a levee breach and issued a flash-flood warning as early as 9:12 a.m. that day, according to the White House's formal recounting of events the day Katrina struck.

Critics have maintained the Homeland Security Department responded too slowly to the breaches, delaying repair efforts and allowing flooding to worsen. Formal reports of New Orleans' levee breaches reached the White House by 6 p.m., and the administration confirmed the damage by the next morning, according to the White House's recount.

In the video of the conference call, Blanco appears uncertain about the reliability of her information and cautioned that the situation "could change."

Blanco said floodwaters were rising in parts of the city "where we have waters that are 8 to 10 feet deep, and we have people swimming in there."

"That's got a considerable amount of water itself," the governor said. "That's about all I know right now on the specifics that you haven't heard."

The AP separately obtained video earlier from other briefings before the hurricane made landfall. That video showed U.S. officials warning that Katrina might breach levees, put lives at risk in New Orleans' Superdome and overwhelm rescuers.

Before the release of the latest video, lawmakers from both parties said the pre-Katrina briefing for President Bush and top administration officials raised new questions about government response to the storm that flooded New Orleans and killed more than 1,300 people.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said the earlier video "makes it perfectly clear once again that this disaster was not out of the blue or unforeseeable. It was not only predictable, it was actually predicted. That's what made the failures in response — at the local, state and federal level — all the more outrageous."

The earlier video "confirms what we have suspected all along," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, charging that Bush administration officials have "systematically misled the American people."

Reid and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California renewed their calls for an independent commission to investigate the federal response to the hurricane.

The House and Senate have conducted separate investigations of the federal response, and the White House did its own investigation. House Democrats for the most part refused to participate in the House probe, insisting since last fall that an independent commission should be created to handle the probe.

"I try not to get angry, but I am plenty frustrated that we're not getting answers" from the administration, said Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La., one of the few Democrats who participated in the House investigation. "If nobody was hiding anything, why did the committee not get the documents it requested? We need to use subpoenas if necessary to get those documents."

A spokesman for Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., who headed the House investigation, said there was nothing new in the videotapes and accompanying transcripts made public Wednesday.

"Top federal, state and local officials failed to process and act on information at their disposal," said David Marin, the spokesman. "We already knew that."

But Rep. Bennie Thompson (news, bio, voting record), D-Miss., the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, disagreed.

"If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million," he said. "Six months after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the homes and livelihoods of millions along the Gulf Coast, the truth about what the president knew and when he knew it has come to light."

The earlier videotape captured a briefing, one day before Katrina stuck on Aug. 29, involving then- Federal Emergency Management Agency head Michael Brown, Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other officials.

Five days after the briefing, with most of New Orleans underwater, Bush said, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."

Presidential spokesman Trent Duffy said Wednesday that Bush "received multiple briefings from multiple officials, and he was "completely engaged at all times."

The White House did not immediately respond Thursday to the renewed Democratic calls for an independent investigation.

[devane617]

Wonder if this will make as many headlines as the other videos released.

[MNJohnnie]

OH wow, please tell me this is NOT a joke.

[neodad]

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

You can tell how much that hurts for AP to admit.

[swheats]

Why wasn't Blanco in a helicopter surveying the damage, and they're blaming Bush for not knowing what's going on in New Orleans.

[spycatcher]

BUSH KNEW, BLANCO: HAD NO CLUE!

[bayouranger]

I was born and raised in N.O., which gives me no pleasure of admitting right now, and I was in Lafayette with two families that I grew up with from Chalmette when the levee breeches occurred..so this should come as no surprise when the elected officials claimed they were certain the levees would hold.

Remember this:

The Democrats used the levee board as a slush fund for their political gain. That's why our city died.

I HATE THEM ALL for what they have done!

[pwatson]

The real story here is the Huey Long politics of Democrat Louisiana government corruption pissed away all the money that could have built dikes to keep out the flood waters. The failure was the perfect storm of what you get with 100% Democrat run government and mother nature. It was the failure of Democrats that caused all the problems not a lack of federal government.

Huey Long's tumultuous career was cut short by an assassin's bullet in 1935. Shot by an assailant in a corridor of the very capitol he built, he died on Sep-
tember 10th. Long is buried on the capitol grounds. A fascist dictator or latter day "Robin Hood", he remains in political lore the one and only "Kingfish".

[Nathan Zachary]

It doesn't matter. Bush is supposed to have a secret TV in his room that he can zoom into any spot on the planet and look at it for himself. He should have visually inspected the levee's and made sure they were safe, or at least used the super secret satellite Laser and sapped those people who blew up the levee's...
Oh wait, OOPS! did I let a secret slip? let's hope some MSM reporter isn't reading, and publishes this "breaking news"

[finnman69]

now the MSM will bury the video

[popdonnelly]

She has a perfect defense. She's a Democrat. Democrats are not to be held responsible for anything.

[popdonnelly]

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

[weegee]

Media Schadenfreude and Media Shenanigans PING

[newnhdad]

the timing of this was no accident.
It'll miss Friday's papers and get buried in Saturday and be ignored on Sunday.

[popdonnelly]

Miz Blanco is a goober.

[Gordongekko909]

  ** Louisiana PING **

---

[ If you would like on/off the LA Ping List please FReepmail me and your name will be added to or taken off of the list. ]

Sorry about the double ping, kids. The other thread was a dupe and got baleeted.

[Lancey Howard]

BUMP!

[p23185]

I watched all 3 videos on the other thread (AP and CNN) and it is all more virulent Bush Bashing! They press couldn't even understand the difference between levee topping and levee breach - using both terms to do after what they thought they heard Bush and Mayfield say in the briefings. No where in those videos were the names of Blanko or Nagin brought up - IT IS ALL BUSH's FAULT AND HE SHOULD BE IMPEACHED. Goodness knows, they certainly have enough to bring him up on impeachment what with this scandal, the NSA "Domestic Spying" of innocent Amercian citizens, the lying to go to war, yada yada yada /sarcasm

[Mo1]

Also .. let's not forget this
Click on the link to see the video


September 12, 2005
Blanco Screws Up With Troops - Proof on Camera! (VIDEO)

http://www.exposetheleft.com/2005/09/12/blancocnndaybreak/
There is a shot where Blanco is being set up several days ago for a TV interview, and her press secretary is helping her adjust her mic. They’re having a personal conversation, but the cameraman catches it!! In it, she kinda jokes to her press secretary something like “yeah, well I guess I really need to ask for troops,” and a couple more things she says. A bit later in hte segment she gets into a semi-argument with Miles O’Brien, and he’s pointedly asking her exactly WHEN she asked the President for troops.She gets frustrated and says she didn’t even know what day it was the, she was confused, but Miles presses her.