Posted on 10/26/2007 7:23:23 AM PDT by rightinthemiddle
President eager to show mettle after Katrina muddle
If there is a lasting image of presidential detachment that has haunted George W. Bush since Hurricane Katrina, it is the picture of him gazing out the window of Air Force One as he flew over the Gulf Coast en route from his Texas ranch to the White House.
It was two days after the storm, New Orleans was 80% flooded, and tens of thousands of people were trapped without help.
But the best their commander-in-chief could manage was a presidential flyover.
"It's devastating," Bush said then. "It's got to be doubly devastating on the ground."
It was. From that moment of inaction, the widespread perception of him as the go-to guy in times of crisis evaporated.
He was no longer the commanding figure who stood atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero, his arm round a fatigued emergency worker, vowing to get the terrorists. He was the guy who, on his first actual visit to the Gulf, turned to Michael Brown, FEMA's bumbling director, and quipped, "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job."
So it's no wonder that Bush -- with a year left in his second term and a legacy to consider --has been eager to show things have changed.
Ever since the Southern California wildfires burst into public view late on Sunday, the White House has been at the top of its game. As soon as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called for help, Bush declared a state of emergency in California. He followed up by agreeing -- again, at Schwarzenegger's request -- to designate the state a "major disaster" area.
(Excerpt) Read more at canada.com ...
I knew that the design was flawed.
Before the storm...in fact years before...they were concerned they wouldn’t withstand a regular hurricane, much less a monster storm.
The levees had been sinking for years, too.
Not long before we left Kenner, we had two one hundred year floods in two weeks. The pumps worked spottily at best at that time.
I hope the good folks down there are able to recoup at least part of their losses, if not all.
Thank you for your reply.
“I hope the good folks down there are able to recoup at least part of their losses, if not all”
Thank YOU for your very nice sentiment. We’re still not where we were, but we’re getting there.
You’re very welcome.
In my original post, I was talking of the differences in the two local and state governments...
NOT the people there.
I love the folks in LA!
My heart goes out to all of you because of everything you’ve been through.
I streamed WWL quite a bit the weekend before Katrina hit.
I know that the roads were flooded with people evacuating.
I’m sorry that some can’t get it through their heads that most did the smart thing, and left.
I know, too, that there were some who didn’t have the means to evacuate.
Those who stubbornly stayed behind made the entire area look bad.
My best to you and yours.
I hope you return to normal ASAP.
BTW, I lived in Kenner, and in Baton Rouge.
Is Baton Rouge still busting at the seams with evacuees?
Did many stay there? Or, did most return to NO?
Thank you again for your very kind words. They mean so much.
Baton Rouge, much to it’s relief, has more or less emptied out. Many people have come back to New Orleans, but some people have also settled on the Northshore. The people of Mandeville and Covington are none too happy to be dealing with traffic problems, crowding and a moderate increase in crime that has accompanied these new influx of residents. They moved from the “big” city to get away from these aggravations and now they have to cope with them again.
New Orleans as a whole is getting it together. Some people have thrown up their hands at the bureaucratic red tape of the Road Home Program (what a mess) and just given up. Still others who are discouraged by the crime situation have left for safer locales. Mainly, the city is full of people just trying to rebuild and move on with their lives. It’s a big undertaking and a sloooow process, but little by little, if you don’t count the elected knuckleheads in charge, things are changing for the better
Thanks.
Just how many commie lib POS DOD employees are there?
Then with people like you it is symbolism over substance?
He probably didn’t have time to get his shots updated for Katrina/NOLA.
Well, in my little group of six, three confirmed.
Thank you!
Had we remained in the NO area, we were going to move to Mandeville.
It seems to have grown quite a bit recently.
I can well imagine how they feel about the new folks in town.
Dealing with the government entities after having lost so much just seems like piling on to me.
It’s a shame they haven’t cut through the red tape.
There are so many, many folks who need move on, and rebuild thier lives.
I’m glad to hear you are moving forward, though it’s as slow as molasses.
I’m very much looking forward to my next visit.
Being there and being seen to lead is a key component of leadership.
If you object to "symbolism over substance" did you object to Bush going to Ground Zero right after 911???
Do you consider it "symbolism over substance" when a general, say a Patton, stands by the road seeing his troops off to battle?
The moment I saw that silly photo of Bush looking out his Air Force One window at New Orleans I cringed. Living in "flyover country" I know how that feels.
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