AP FRIDAY NIGHT CLARIFICATION ON BUSH/KATRINA VIDEO ('OVERTOPPED' NOT 'BREACHED')

WASHINGTON (AP) _ In a March 1 story, The Associated Press reported that federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees in New Orleans, citing confidential video footage of an Aug. 28 briefing among U.S. officials.

The Army Corps of Engineers considers a breach a hole developing in a levee rather than an overrun. The story should have made clear that Bush was warned about floodwaters overrunning the levees, rather than the levees breaking.

The day before the storm hit, Bush was told there were grave concerns that the levees could be overrun. It wasn't until the next morning, as the storm was hitting, that Michael Brown, then head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Bush had inquired about reports of breaches. Bush did not participate in that briefing.

"Anyone who says that overtopping equals breach is a liar or an idiot.

Any engineer, like myself, would tell you that."

Or anyone like me who lived most of his life within sight of a levee. You can bet we know the difference.

Mercy me! Will wonders never cease? MSMNBC Brian Williams tonight conceded (verbally) that "BREACHING OF THE LEVEES COULD NOT HAVE BEEN FORESEEN" while the graphic on-screen just said "Levees-What Went Wrong?"

The story was about the 17th Street Canal levee only and showed a few pix of it. Then an animation of how the floodwaters tilted the levee floodwall, which then poured water down the crack between the tilted wall and the earthen fill below it. "Weak soil" behind that then allowed the wall to completely collapse.

Army Corps of Engineers people 1) made the observation 2) said it was an unusual event that couldn't have been anticipated by anyone (gee, would that include the POTUS in the observers of the "unforeseen"?) and 3) said they are studying the failure to see that it doesn't happen again.

Then they had another Army Corps of Engineers person say it "should have been foreseen" and taken care of.

THEN, Williams said FBI investigations are now taking place into allegations of "contract fraud" and "nepotism in the granting of contracts" for the levee work by the levee board. (Think we'll hear any follow-up on this, boys and girls?)

All said in as small and non-descript a voice as possible, in comparison to the shrieking shrillness of this same story one week ago! Grrrr!

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