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ABC News producers probably didn't hear what they expected when they sent Dean Reynolds to the Houston Astrodome's parking lot to get reaction to President Bush's speech from black evacuees from New Orleans. Instead of denouncing Bush and blaming him for their plight, they praised Bush and blamed local officials. Reynolds asked Connie London: "Did you harbor any anger toward the President because of the slow federal response?" She rejected the premise: "No, none whatsoever, because I feel like our city and our state government should have been there before the federal government was called in." She pointed out: "They...

Brent Baker's blogTo ABC's Surprise, Katrina Victims Praise Bush and Blame NaginPosted by Brent Baker on September 16, 2005 - 00:50. ABC News producers probably didn't hear what they expected when they sent Dean Reynolds to the Houston Astrodome's parking lot to get reaction to President Bush's speech from black evacuees from New Orleans. Instead of denouncing Bush and blaming him for their plight, they praised Bush and blamed local officials. Reynolds asked Connie London: "Did you harbor any anger toward the President because of the slow federal response?" She rejected the premise: "No, none whatsoever, because I feel...

After President Bush's speech an ABC new correspondant interviewed a few of those that are displaced by the hurricane. It was a priceless moment. A middle age Black woman was asked if she was angry at President Bush because of the slow response of the federal goverment. She hit the nail on the head with her reply. She stated that she was not angry at Bush, but that she was angry at Nagin and Blaco for their lack of response. She also wanted to know why they didn't use the school buses to evacuate the city. The correspondant then tried...

The White House was under pressure from its supporters last night to come up with a price tag for rebuilding New Orleans after President George W Bush promised "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen". In a prime-time address to the nation delivered live from the centre of the flood-ravaged city, Mr Bush sketched out one of America's largest ever federal spending programmes. The sweeping scale of his proposals has more in common with the traditions of the Democrats than his Republican Party and could transform the legislative priorities and possibilities of his second term. "We...

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2005 Bush's strong message: 'Not just survive, but thrive' A day of good news in New Orleans was topped off Thursday night by a presidential address from the historic city, where George Bush outlined a plan to carry out what he said is America's aim for the entire, devastated Gulf Coast: "Not just to survive but to thrive, not just to cope but to overcome." His strong message also acknowledged mistakes made during the horrific days following Hurricane Katrina and pledged an immediate review of the emergency plans of every major city in America. Earlier in the...

RUSH: I want to warn you, some of you people out there are loaded for bear. I've been reading the e-mail today, and I just want to warn you, I'm in a fabulous mood today. I'm in a good mood, so don't expect me to be fit to be tied and angry and all that sort of stuff. I understand a lot of you are. A lot of you think, "Well, whatever, what's the difference now between conservatives and liberals, Rush? I mean big spending, big spending, what the hell, it's over with." I mean, I've just got reams of...

<p>Hurricane Katrina evacuees living in El Paso were pleased to hear President Bush pledge to rebuild New Orleans in his address to the nation Thursday night.</p> <p>But some evacuees are as upset with Bush now as they were two weeks ago after the hurricane devasted New Orleans and parts of Alabama and Mississippi.</p>

A high-level muckety-muck writes, in partial answer to my column today worrying that the president's speech will alienate conservatives while not converting liberals to his cause: Most conservatives praised the President's speech last night, though there are some who worry that we are embarking on a "new Great Society." In my estimation this concern is ill-founded. Here's why. No one wants to spend billions of dollars if it can be avoided. Yet we face a situation in which the Gulf Coast region was hit by the worst natural disaster in American history. There is no alternative but to spend billions...

President Bush says the federal government must cut spending to pay for Gulf Coast relief; rules out tax

President Bush said three things last night that desperately needed to be said. He forthrightly acknowledged his responsibility for the egregious mishandling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He spoke clearly and candidly about race and poverty. And finally, he was clear about what would be needed to bring back the Gulf Coast and said the federal government would have to lead and pay for that effort. Once again, as he did after 9/11, Mr. Bush has responded to disaster with disconcerting uncertainty, then risen to the occasion later. Once again, he has delivered a speech that will reassure many...

A Good Speech by a Good Man September 15, 2005 06:45 PM PST Perfect pitch returned tonight, and the president's looks backward and forward were on target. As Chris Matthews observed, it sounded a little LBJ/FDR-like in its vows about the underclass of the recovery region, but that is exactly why it worked so well: That is what needs to happen, and he identified the best approaches in the empowerment of entrepeneurs and the retraining of the evacuees. The enterprise zone could prove a turbo charged motor to the effort, and the promise of innovation was well delivered. So too...

President George W Bush has promised the US government will do and spend whatever it takes to rebuild the hurricane-hit Gulf Coast. Speaking from New Orleans, Mr Bush said billions of dollars would be spent on the reconstruction - "an unprecedented response to an unprecedented crisis". New Orleans' mayor said three districts would re-open next week, and the historic French Quarter a week later. Meanwhile the confirmed death toll from Hurricane Katrina rose to 792. The president's prime-time speech from the French Quarter came on his fourth trip to the region since Katrina smashed communities across the Gulf Coast over...