The Political Chase

Bush Has Fuzzy Katrina Memory

George Bush comparing the government’s handling of the fires in California to Hurricane Katrina:

It makes a significant difference when you have somebody in the Statehouse willing to take the lead.

Rotten to the core.

The notion of using either situation for political fodder is reprehensible, but if Bush cannot control his obsessive-compulsive behavior, he could at least get the facts straight.

So far, there have been roughly 1,875 homes destroyed by the California wildfires; a White House report says 300,000 homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by the storm. In California, fires consumed roughly 475,000 acres; more than 52 million acres were affected in the Gulf Coast.

President Bush reviews Katrina damage from Air Force One

Bush Administration Threw Away $814 Million in Katrina Aid from Allies

What does it take to impeach George Bush? From the Washington Post:

Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used so far for disaster victims or reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and contractors. Most of the aid went uncollected, including $400 million worth of oil. Some offers were withdrawn or redirected to private groups such as the Red Cross. The rest has been delayed by red tape and bureaucratic limits on how it can be spent.

This little excerpt is just the tip of the iceberg.

Technorati tags: Katrina, aid

House Trumps Bush in New Orleans

Looks like the House plans to walk the walk, while W. is still stuck on talk.

How can Bush possibly veto this? Or will McConnell just take care of it for him by initiating another filibuster? 

As President Bush heads to New Orleans Thursday to tour a school and talk about education, House Democrats are preparing to unveil a legislation that would pour $250 million into the city’s hurricane-ravaged school system over the next five years.

The Democrats’ plan, details of which were provided to The Times-Picayune late Wednesday, would grant financial incentives to teachers and principals to stay in or move to New Orleans. It also would pay $500 per month housing subsidies and authorize up to $500 million in grants to universities and colleges closed by the 2005 flooding during Hurricane Katrina.

“For a year and a half, schools in New Orleans have waited in vain for much of the help they need to get back to the business of educating the thousands of students returning to the area with their families,” said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education Committee in a written statement. “We should not only get schools these resources, but also help them to become models for other schools around the country. This legislation would help schools attract highly qualified teachers and principals, laying the groundwork for improving student achievement.” (Emphasis added.)

Bush makes promises in Gulf Coast region - again

12th trip to the Gulf Coast and 12 times the same message.

President Bush traveled today to the Gulf Coast, still trying to recover from the winds and floods of 2005, and vowed to do everything he could to speed up federal assistance.

“Of the things I’ve heard loud and clear is that there’s a continued frustration with the slowness of federal response at times,” Mr. Bush said at Biloxi City Hall after meeting with public officials and community leaders. “And therefore it’s important for me to hear that, and my friend Don Powell to hear that, so that we can come and do what the people expect us to do, which is to respond to the needs of people in Mississippi.”

Bush could save energy, help reduce the deficit, and maybe, just maybe, do something productive, if he simply purchased a digital recorder. W. could then record the same message he has delivered 12 times and drop the recorder in the mail. Cost - maybe $50.00

Don’t take this as accurate information, but I seem to remember it cost approximately $10-15,000 to send Air Force One one-way DC to New Orleans and that would be the least of the remaining costs.

I would like to see a poll from the Gulf Coasts residents responding to the question, “Which would be more beneficial to the Gulf Coast Region? Donate the equivalent cost of each proposed presidential trip to the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund for distribution of funds to and for Gulf Coast residents, or a GWB pep talk every other month.”

Bush makes another PR trip to New Orleans

W. will make his 12th trip to New Orleans today, and for what reason other than public relations? Does this number include his first “heart-warming” fly by on or about Thursday following the hurricane’s landfall?

The president ignored the Katrina topic in his State of the Union Address last month just as he ignored the catastrophic event for five days after landfall. W.’s commitment to the Gulf Coast region is more than analogous to his well choreographed do-nothing speech highlighted at Jackson Square on September 15, 2005, which was followed by pulling the plug on all the electricity in the area immediately after he departed the cameras at the Square.

President Bush is planning a swing through the Gulf Coast hurricane disaster zone Thursday, his 12th visit since the 2005 hurricanes devastated the region.

Bush is expected to make stops in Mississippi and then Louisiana before returning to Washington, the White House announced. A Capitol Hill aide said the president’s itinerary will include a brief stop at a New Orleans public school, which is certain to draw attention to the beleaguered state of the education system a year and a half after Hurricane Katrina flooded the city’s schools and forced students and families to flee.

Brownie’s Revenge

Michael "Brownie" Brown is ready to spill the beans about the government’s handling Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. CNN reports that Brown will provide Congress his correspondence with President Bush and others during the hurricane, unless the White House orders him to no disclose the information and agree to pay all legal fees associated with compliance to White House directives.

Technorati Tags : Michael+Brown, Brownie, George+Bush, Katrina, politics

—–

Louisiana Governor’s Report to Congress

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) issued her response to Congress for its investigation into the preparation for and response to Hurricane Katrina. The report contains more than 100,000 pages of records not previously released.

Obviously, I have not read the 100,000 pages, but I have read the executive summary/cover letter to the report. Combining the contents of the summary with the report from The Washington Post, it is easy to conclude that the Bush administration attempted to place on state and local authorities was not warranted. Coinciding with what the news media portrayed at the time of the situation, President Bush appears to have given little attention to the matter until Friday, after the storm made land fall before dawn on Monday. Once the President focused on the situation, it appears he was huddled with the White House staff reviewing legal matters until just before delivering his regularly scheduled remarks on Saturday morning via radio.

Just before the President delivers his Radio Address on Saturday morning, Governor Blanco speaks to Andrew Card who tells her that she will be pleased with the President’s announcement. The Governor listens intently as the President speaks, and is thankful that he has authorized federal troops to work with the National Guard.

The additional review of legal matters on Friday and Saturday is in stark contrast to Governor Blanco’s report; “who manages what,” was decided in prior conversations between the Governor and the administration. The agreement was the Governor, justifiably, would have authority over the National Guard and federal troops would remain under the authority of the federal government. Each group would be responsible for separate and distinct activities, which supported the agreement. Furthermore, according to Blanco, the federal government had not responded and she was already managing thousands of National Guard troops and did not want to layer on additional confusion by changing the structure currently in place.

One item is quite obvious in the summary report — the absence of communications with then FEMA Director, Michael Brown. Brown and Blanco met just prior to Katrina’s arrival and is not mentioned in her report thereafter. The only possible exception to that are the following passages. If you will remember, Michael Brown testified before Congress, that the State and local officials were out of control.

Much has been said and written about the Governor’s private meeting with the President, and erroneous reports have been circulated that she denied federal troops or delayed help for 24-hours. The facts are clear and evidence confirms that the Governor requests early and often the need for additional military presence, including a federal military presence and assets. At no time does anyone from the federal government tell her that federal troops are withheld because the existing structure was inadequate. In fact, the new proposal is first presented to her aboard Air Force One on Friday, four days after the storm struck on Monday, and the President never suggests that federal troops were reliant on this new structure nor did he convey that the joint command structure is insufficient. She believes that the President is sincere in his pledge to help Louisiana. She is clear about needing that help, particularly in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Technorati Tags : Katrina, Politics

Time Person of the Year

Okay, dispense with the committee; they’re no longer needed.  Michael Brown has to be chosen for Time’s Person of the Year. If Brown has the chutzpah to start a consultancy  in disaster preparedness, he deserves to win.

—–

Hello, We Still Have to Deal with Katrina

How is the recovery of the Gulf Coast region progressing? To fairly and accurately answer the question, there must be a reference point, something from which we can measure progress. There are many analytical methods experts could suggest and employ, but how do we know who has the best standard of reference for what was to be accomplished versus actual progress. When in doubt, always go to the top. In this case that is clearly the President of the United States.

President Bush on September 15, 2005 from Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA

“Our first commitment is to meet the immediate needs of those who had to flee their homes and leave all their possessions behind. For these Americans, every night brings uncertainty, every day requires new courage, and in the months to come will bring more than their fair share of struggles.”

The president’s statement is broad, but it is clear; meet the immediate needs. Food, shelter, and money are three of the four critical elements of human survival — immediate needs.

The Washington Post has a piece in today’s edition that provides a “status report” on the Gulf Coast region. This certainly sets the stage. Following is the WP’s description of the emotional state of many in Pass Christian, MS.

“The personal shock of it all hasn’t subsided. Locals say it’s not uncommon to hear perfectly rational people talk of suicide.”

Is it possible there could be a more significant indication of desperation? Does that provide you with a sense of people whose immediate needs have been met? The obvious question is what takes them to such a low level?

The situation in Pass Christian:

No new houses are framed out. No lots cleared. There is just devastation and a lingering stench and a tent city in which hundreds of residents huddle against the first chill of winter and wonder where they’ll find the money to rebuild their lives.

“FEMA continues to be able to mess up a one-car funeral — we don’t begin to have enough money for major reconstruction,” said Rep. Gene Taylor (D), who lost his own home in Bay St. Louis. “We’re going to have a lot of defaults and bankruptcies.

“The federal response, from highways to housing to trailers, is completely unacceptable.”

“The response of the federal government is bewildering and deplorable,” said Bruce Katz, director of metropolitan policy at the Brookings Institution, who has written two studies of the Katrina response. “We know how to deliver quality affordable housing in the United States — we just need the will and leadership to do it.”

Public housing authorities along the Mississippi coast lost 2,000 apartments and suffered $155 million in damages. But the federal government, which expects to spend close to $2 billion on temporary trailers, has not offered a dime to rebuild public housing.

Roy Necaise, chief operating officer of a regional Mississippi housing authority, said: “We have no federal funds, absolutely none, to rebuild. There’s absolutely nothing standing on the coast right now, and it’s going to be a long time before we’re able to bring folks home.

“Washington has totally let us down, and it’s a disgrace.”

After Andy Card provided the president a DVD summary of several nightly newscasts, he realized a tragedy beyond one’s imagination happened in his back yard. The entire nation screaming helped a little I suppose.

When Bush realized his political capital was operating at deficit greater than or equal to the nation’s deficit, he went into full campaign mode. The man could not make enough photo-op trips to the Gulf Coast. And then Plamegate raised its ugly head courtesy of Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.

Thanks to Fitzgerald and meeting the milestone of 2,000 troop casualties in Iraq, the president had to deal with an additional public outcry. Katrina was a big problem, but it did not have the word impeachment as closely associated. Real personal liability and establishment of a legacy no president ever wants, was looking George Bush directly eye to eye. What is he supposed to do? As always; hit the campaign trail and oops that little problem of Katrina is barely visible from the rear view mirror.

At a time when the president could have been making a useful trip or two to the region (not every third day), Bush heightens the rhetoric on what is most important — his critics.

And our debate at home must also be fair-minded. One of the hallmarks of a free society and what makes our country strong is that our political leaders can discuss their differences openly, even in times of war. When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support. I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn’t support the liberation of Iraq. And that is their right, and I respect it. As President and Commander-in-Chief, I accept the responsibilities, and the criticisms, and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision.

While it’s perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. (Applause.) Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community’s judgments related to Iraq’s weapons programs.

They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein. They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction.

Saddam Hussein has long since been deposed. Iraq has transformed into a breeding ground for terrorists. Admit it or not, a civil war exists in Iraq today — we don’t have to worry about one starting tomorrow. And, we continue to have a third world nation situated on our own southern border. What a mess.

What are the solutions?

• Develop a plan to win the war — a novel idea. Implement the Powell Doctrine. We broke it, now we have to fix it. Immediate withdrawal is not the solution and staying the course is worse.
• Dispense with the tax cuts implemented in 2003 — that alone will provide more than enough funding for the Iraq mission we won two years ago.
• Implement Management 101 — Literally start managing. That too is a novel idea. Clean house — forget all the loyalties and put responsible people in responsible positions. Make them accountable.
• Launch the crooks and liars. The president absolutely cannot focus on doing his job while being shot at from every direction because he is surrounded by corruption. No more Dick Cheneys, Michael Scanlons, David Safavians, Scooter Libbys, Karl Roves, etc.
• Until Cheney is rightly behind bars, Congress should not even think about impeachment nor should the president resign under pressure.

Bush Signs Law to Raise Deficits

Yesterday President Bush signed a law that would drastically raise  the borrowing authority of the government’s flood insurance program to $18.5 billion from $3.5 billion to cover claims from Hurricane Katrina and other flood disasters.

More deficits. No announced plan to cover the debt. Nothing new.

—–

Michael Brown Emails During Katrina

Rep. Charlie Melancon (3rd District - LA) made emails available today to/from Michael Brown during Hurricane Katrina.

CNN’s description:

As Hurricane Katrina ripped into the Gulf Coast, the government’s emergency management chief was making flippant remarks about his responsibilities, e-mails show. “Can I quit now? Can I come home?” former Federal Emergency Management Director Michael Brown wrote on the morning of the hurricane to the agency’s deputy director of public affairs.

The emails have been added to the document library. Click here to download. Note: the emails are not in chronological order.

Bush Gives in on Davis-Bacon Act

Maybe I am the quintessential pessimist. Bush must expect for the White House foundation to crumble whenever Fitzgerald releases whateve he has. Bush backed off the Davis-Act, which he previously suspended. To summarize, that means the workers in the Gulf Coast region must be paid fair wages for their labor. To “aid in the recovery” of the Gulf Coast region after Katrina, Bush suspended the Davis-Bacon Act, which then allowed employers to pay any wage for labor. Good for business — bad for employees. Wages were not going up, they would have dropped.

I can’t remember Bush ever rescinding an Executive Order he has made. He rarely will ever back down from proposed legislation or agendas. He must be trying to sweeten the pot; taking significant steps to improve his image to the American people before the shoe drops.

Think about it. What legislation has he proposed or Executive Order issued that truly helped the working class? What made him change his mind? This is all too much like when your children have been quiet for a long time; they are up to something.

This just occurred to me while writing this post. This is a perfect example of what I stressed in my post yesterday about trust.

Brown Planned to Resign Before Katrina

Michael Brown had planned to submit his resignation days before Katrina and apparently was too incompetent to even accomplish that as planned.

In an Aug. 31 e-mail to FEMA aide James Tillie, Brown wrote, “I should have done my announcement a week early.” That evening, Craig wrote to Brown: “We need to get this done right or neither of us are leaving on great terms . . . and we were days away.”

So, is Brownie still on the payroll, extending his contract, or has someone finally given him the swift boot out the door?

FEMA Discombobulated After Katrina

E-Mails Show Disarray at FEMA After Katrina

As Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans on Aug. 29, then-FEMA director Michael D. Brown appeared confused over whether Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff had put him in charge, officials of responding agencies could not reach Brown and Brown’s team became swamped by the speed of the unfolding disaster, according to e-mails to and from Brown.
—–

Allegations of Euthanasia at Hospital

Allegations of euthanasia at a New Orleans hospital during Hurricane Katrina.

—–