And it is clear that today we definitely have the best government money can buy. It also helps to have a brother in high places.
How many schools and levees did we build the people of the newly developed Islamic Republic of Iraq? Where's that 9 billion dollars that has gone missing from Iraq? How many no bid contracts will Halliburton and Kellogg Loot and Broke-it get this time around? So many questions, so many dead, so few answers.... Fuckers!
Posted by emal at September 6, 2005 04:40 AMDidn't we have a discusion about federalization of Katrina relief? Wasn't the stand of many here that the Governor had done all that was needed to federalize the relief effort? Yesterday on CNN:
"M. O'BRIEN: Bob, let's talk about this federalization of this whole effort. Clearly, the federal government is the entity that can best afford and handle this kind of a scope of a problem. We know the president asked the governor of Louisiana, apparently has been in some talks with the governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour. Is that going nowhere with both governors?
FRANKEN: Well, there is a lot of dynamic involved here. First of all, the state of Louisiana makes the argument that the local officials, the state officials best know their areas. They should be the ones who maintain the tradition of being in charge.
But there is also the question of who is to blame for what now many people believe was an inadequate response. And federal officials are now saying they were at the mercy of state officials and local officials who didn't do the job. And the state and local officials are saying that's absolutely not the case. There was an inadequate federal response. So all of that is going on.
At the moment, everything is staying the same. And at the moment, the White House officials are telling us they don't need to impose the powers they have under the Insurrection Act, under the ability of FEMA, to expand its powers if it wants to, saying that there is a belief now they can work with state officials.
M. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken at the White House, thanks."
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0509/05/ltm.01.html
And there is more, the Mayor was interviewed:
" S. O'BRIEN: What has Secretary Chertoff promised you? What has Donald Rumsfeld given you and promised you?
NAGIN: Look, I've gotten promises to -- I can't stand anymore promises. I don't want to hear anymore promises. I want to see stuff done. And that's why I'm so happy that the president came down here, because I think they were feeding him a line of bull also. And they were telling him things weren't as bad as it was.
He came down and saw it, and he put a general on the field. His name is General Honore. And when he hit the field, we started to see action.
And what the state was doing, I don't frigging know. But I tell you, I am pissed. It wasn't adequate.
And then, the president and the governor sat down. We were in Air Force One. I said, 'Mr. President, Madam Governor, you two have to get in sync. If you don't get in sync, more people are going to die.'
S. O'BRIEN: What date was this? When did you say that? When did you say...
NAGIN: Whenever air Force One was here.
S. O'BRIEN: OK.
NAGIN: And this was after I called him on the telephone two days earlier. And I said, 'Mr. President, Madam Governor, you two need to get together on the same page, because of the lack of coordination, people are dying in my city.'
S. O'BRIEN: That's two days ago.
NAGIN: They both shook -- I don't know the exact date. They both shook their head and said yes. I said, 'Great.' I said, 'Everybody in this room is getting ready to leave.' There was senators and his cabinet people, you name it, they were there. Generals. I said, 'Everybody right now, we're leaving. These two people need to sit in a room together and make a doggone decision right now.'
S. O'BRIEN: And was that done?
NAGIN: The president looked at me. I think he was a little surprised. He said, "No, you guys stay here. We're going to another section of the plane, and we're going to make a decision."
He called me in that office after that. And he said, "Mr. Mayor, I offered two options to the governor." I said -- and I don't remember exactly what. There were two options. I was ready to move today. The governor said she needed 24 hours to make a decision.
S. O'BRIEN: You're telling me the president told you the governor said she needed 24 hours to make a decision?
NAGIN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Regarding what? Bringing troops in?
NAGIN: Whatever they had discussed. As far as what the -- I was abdicating a clear chain of command, so that we could get resources flowing in the right places.
S. O'BRIEN: And the governor said no.
NAGIN: She said that she needed 24 hours to make a decision. It would have been great if we could of left Air Force One, walked outside, and told the world that we had this all worked out. It didn't happen, and more people died.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: The mayor making it clear that much politicking was going on, even as people here were continuing to suffer. The mayor clearly thinking that the governor did way too little, way too late for her part."
We put a call into Governor Blanco's office. They declined to come on our show this morning and talk to us. Her spokesperson did say, though, that it was a -- this was a tragedy now that was being reduced to politics.
Key piece here:
"S. O'BRIEN: And the governor said no.
NAGIN: She said that she needed 24 hours to make a decision. It would have been great if we could of left Air Force One, walked outside, and told the world that we had this all worked out. It didn't happen, and more people died."
The Mayor, America's new Mayor(a Democrat) said the Governor's indecision cost the people of New Orleans lives. The Governor wouldn't federalize the relief effort. Sure the Republican President could have overrided her Democratic indecision and taken command. That type of a takeover would have been lauded by the left as an overreach of authority. We would be having discusions along those lines instead of the lines you have been discusing. Many more peoples lives would have been saved and your line would have been, "we will never know how well the Governor's actions would have gone". "The President took her legs out from under her."
You've given the President much grief her, are you going to give Governor Blanco some now? Maybe give the President some credit?
Probably not, America's new Mayor probably isn't credible.
Posted by peter at September 6, 2005 07:45 AMNice fairy tale Peter.
Posted by at September 6, 2005 07:57 AMi'm willing to criticize blanco for letting troops in on 9/2 instead of 9/1, but she had already declared a LA a disaster area on 8/26. she put the feds in charge before the storm hit.
Posted by benjoya at September 6, 2005 08:34 AMI watched lots of interviews with Gulf state government officials over the weekend (both Democrat and Republican). In Alabama and Mississippi, they said that they were in contact with FEMA 3-4 times a day. FEMA asked what they needed, and it was delivered within hours. It seemed to go well for them, getting the help they needed.
Louisiana was hit much harder, but it seems like there was no leadership there. They didn't know what to do. I think they were waiting for somebody to come in and manage the recovery for them, instead of doing it themselves. These officials were blaming this or that, showing inexperience or incapabilty in my opinion.
We were talking about this over a Labor Day bbque, and somebody wondered if the big one hit SF or LA in California, would Arnold be able to manage it? Would local officials? I kind of doubt Arnold could himself, but he might be smart enough to surround himself with capable folks.
But I got the impression that Mississippi and Alabama are well represented, by both Democrats and Republicans. They seem on the ball and well-equipped to deal with disasters. Lousiana? Uh, there was a big failure there.
Posted by muckdog at September 6, 2005 08:48 AMPeter is so full of shit!!
The LA Gov. sent the declaration of disaster to the Whitehouse on Aug. 26th. The Whitehouse responded in kind and agreed with their own disaster release, Aug. 26th. In effect this put "Primary Responsibility" in the hands of the DHS, and FEMA who is under it! They had the opportunity to run with the ball and didn't! To begin an operation of recovery you need few basics to get going, h2o, food, medical supplies and communications! And no genius to accomplish that! If this had been a terrorist attack we would have been fucked!!
Peter, do you work for turdblossom?
Sure I am, as are all people who eat. These interviews did happen, yesterday. Fairy tales are what you like to make up. This interview did happen. The mayor spoke those words. Is he credible or not? Is the Democratic Mayor of New Orleans credible? Is the Reporter Bob Franken credible or not? If there was no question about federalization, why did Myles ask the question? If the doc. you'al keep pointing to on 8/26 is the doc of record for federalizing this relief effort, why did Gov. Blanco have to take 24 hours to decide on the NG use in NO? The mayor seems to have a problem with the Governor not the President. There is where you'als problems should be focused not the WH.
Posted by peter at September 6, 2005 09:44 AMbush wanted the la. national guard federalised and gov blanco said no peter the paid troll...thats pure bush...piss the money away till we really need it...he's emptied our treasury and your head...
Posted by kingweasil at September 6, 2005 10:19 AMDid you hear the one "Busch takes California"? Car number 5 that is.
kingweasil, show me the money. Nothing in my bank account came from the party.
In Waco, a bicycle shop has collected a thousand bikes to donate to the survivors.
And Lance has proposed marriage to Crow.
Posted by peter at September 6, 2005 10:28 AM