Sen. Clinton charges Bush has weakened disaster agency

[sabra]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--fightingoverfema0906sep06,0,6464147,print.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

Sen. Clinton charges Bush has weakened disaster agency

WASHINGTON -- Federal emergency planning under President Bush has become "a recipe for disaster," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton charged Tuesday, saying FEMA ran far more effectively under her husband's watch.

Clinton, D-N.Y., is pushing legislation to take FEMA back out of the Department of Homeland Security, one of a number of signals a political fight is brewing over what many complain has been a bungled government response to Hurricane Katrina.

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., said they would hold hearings into the federal response, but Clinton is pushing for an independent commission, modeled on the 9/11 commission, to investigate government lapses and gaps.

Clinton railed Tuesday against the post-Sept. 11 move to reorganize FEMA under the new Department of Homeland Security.

[soothsayer]

1. Yeah, that 9-11 commission sure was effective

[saigon68]

2. Accomplished nothing

Was a real photo op for some DINOS though

[Writer]

6. The Jersey girls fought like hell for that.

I suppose we can just callously dismiss their efforts as a photo-op, too, right?

[krkaufman]

3. Hey!, it's just a misunderstanding....

When they heard that FEMA was supposed to be in charge of disaster planning, they didn't realize that it meant planning how to mitigate and recover from disasters -- rather than how to create disasters.

Let's cut 'em some slack. Where's the harm?

[marshall]

11. Will the Feds rush in where local authorities fear to tread?

I've been mulling over what should have happened and the best outcome would have been for FEMA, when they saw that locals were doing nothing to evacuate the poor, to just take over before the hurrican struck and started evacuating people out of the city.

[AtomicKitten]

4. No shit, Sherlock.

Yes, we need another whitewashing of the truth. That's the ticket.

[triguy46]

8. well, duh... nt

[Lindacooks]

5. And she is 1000% correct.

[Wordie]

7. Go Hillary!!!! Good for her! Time for all dems to stand up!!! nt

[wiggs]

9. She's right, but caution

An independent commission before 2006 is just a pressure relief valve, meant to qive the appearance of investigation and consideration. Such a commission will find the politically correct amount of blame to spread around, will take a harsh tone without teeth, and will head off real unvarnished investigation.

If real investigation is left to the media and/or to a congressional panel, there won't be any real accountability.

And bet that its results will be complete and documented just before 2006 elections (to avoid starting a new one after 2006 elections) but will be released just after the elections (to avoid affecting the elections).

We need an indepedent criminal prosecutor like Fitzgerald. Unfortunately, any indictment would happen after these guys are gone from office.

Going through regular channels does not result in any good options.

[Catt03]

10. Will never happen

and I bet HIllary will back off in three weeks to a month.

[BikeWriter]

12. How will the Clinton bashers take this?

[paulk]

13. they'll trash her, like always

that's what DU is for -

trashing Democrats...