NYT: Bush Compares Responses to Hurricane and Terrorism

[DeepModem Mom]

Bush Compares Responses to Hurricane and Terrorism
By DAVID E. SANGER
Published: September 22, 2005


WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 - President Bush on Wednesday for the first time linked the American response to terrorism and its response to Hurricane Katrina, declaring that the United States is emerging a stronger nation from both challenges, and saying that terrorists look at the storm's devastation "and wish they had caused it."

Mr. Bush's speech, at a luncheon for the Republican Jewish Coalition, appeared to be part of a White House strategy to restore the luster of strong leadership that Mr. Bush enjoyed after the Sept. 11 attacks, and that administration officials fear he has lost in the faltering response to the hurricane.

Mr. Bush himself has never publicly compared his role after the 2001 attacks to his role now in the rebuilding effort on the Gulf Coast or in the preparations for the landfall of Hurricane Rita. But the White House recently described at length how deeply he was involved in calling governors and federal officials to make sure that relief efforts and preparations for Hurricane Rita were carefully coordinated.

White House officials have talked about how he has used the secure video system at the White House, which was installed to let him talk to commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq, to speak with federal officials in Louisiana and other states.

Until the speech on Wednesday, Mr. Bush had kept the issues of terrorism, Iraq and the hurricane separate. But the public has not: polls show declining approval of Mr. Bush's handling of both Iraq and Hurricane Katrina. By suggesting for the first time that America's enemies were pleased to see the devastation caused by the hurricane, he appeared to be linking the country's natural and human challengers....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/national/nationalspecial/22bush.html

[grytpype]

1. I just can't get my head around this.

I can't understand what he's saying. I think he's finally gone mad.

Apart from some serious questions I have about whether the GWOT and Katrina have left America stronger...

What the hell is is talking about? Seriously, are we supposed to get mad at hurricanes? I suppose we could.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Rove grasping at straws? nt

[grytpype]

7. Oh, I get it now.

<i>In weaving the themes, Mr. Bush said that just as the United States would not let an act of nature blow the nation off course, it would not let the acts of terrorsts drive it out of Iraq. "No matter how many car bombs there are, these terrorists cannot stop the march of freedom in Iraq,"</i>

See, the same feeling of wanting to rebuild after Katrina, we are supposed to transfer to "rebuilding" Iraq. Jesus, I hate that guy. I really, really, really hate him.

[StefanX]

3. OK, that does it

The guy is totally psychotic now.

He can't keep things straight anymore. We get attacked by Saudis so he attacks Iraqis.

Now we get his by a hurricane and he starts talking about terrorists.

If this guy were on a psychiatrist's couch, he'd be diagnosed as some kind of paranoid schizophrenic and committed to an institution.

[Call me Deacon Blues]

4. I just laughed when I saw this

We've known since 2000 that Bush was a moran; finally, at long last, his overarching, almost mythical moranity is catching up with him. Bushie, it's not working any more, boy. Too bad this country has suffered so much, has so much yet to suffer, but the end is finally coming. Commander Bunnypants' days are numbered, and he'll take his gang of thugs with him.

[Javaman]

36. actaully, I have known he* was a moron* since 1994, I live in Texas.

[Nostradammit]

5. Assuming for one second that "terrorists" is not self-referential

I am certain that any America-hating terrorists would be thrilled that he is at the helm.

[StefanX]

6. "Katrina hates our freedoms!"

nt

[radfringe]

14. WMDs

just a word change and it works...

Terrorism - Weapons of Mass Destruction
Hurricane - Winds of Mass Destruction

[MO_Dem]

8. Rove is wasting his time

Even the nearly blinded-by-the-right should see through this cheap attempt at fabrication.

[ninkasi]

9. Oh, this is unbelievable...

After eating cake and playing guitar, and ignoring the Gulf Coast, now we are to believe this:

"But the White House recently described at length how deeply he was involved in calling governors and federal officials to make sure that relief efforts and preparations for Hurricane Rita were carefully coordinated. "

I thought he was ignorant of, and paid no attention to, Hurricane Katrina. Considering what a screw up it was, do they really want to draw attention to "how deeply he was involved" in coordinating preparations? Do the governors of the states hit know this? It sure didn't sound to me like he was involved, otherwise, why did the head of homeland security not know how bad the situation in NO was til he heard on t.v.?

These people are idiots.

[AzDar]

10. "Terrorists wish they had caused it" ?! He's crazy as a shithouse rat!

n/t

[Frederik]

12. I think Bush wishes he caused it

[aquart]

16. Finally! At last Bush admits that Nature beats terrorism as a threat!

Naturally the terrorists are jealous.

NO TERRORIST EVER DESTROYED AN ENTIRE CITY.

So why are we wasting our money on terrorists while Nature is coming to kill us?

[ElectroPrincess]

20. So true!

Damn AzDar, that's so true! I'm filing that term for later use. ;)

[radfringe]

11. look on the bright side? Hurricane means tax break?

"Somebody said the other day, well, that's a tax break," Mr. Bush said. "That region is going to have zero income anyway. There's nothing there, in many parts of it. It makes sense to prove economic incentives for jobs to exist."

ohhh goody - even more tax breaks after Rita hits? I guess the only way us "little folk" will get a real tax break is if a disaster hits our cities/towns.

[ngGale]

13. "and wish they had caused it." ??!!

this man is truly insane...:crazy:

[salin]

19. indeed - can't he ever stop his play warrior rhetoric - this one is just

gross - and could almost be read as a dare. Just as awful as "Bring it On." nuts.

[Jawja]

35. Reckon

he went and told Mother Nature to "Bring 'em on" after Katrina hit?

so now we have Rita?

:scared:

[fshrink]

15. Prediction.

This man is going to be the most derided political figure of both centuries. Only this will happen when he's retired. This country will have been publicly, repeatedly, humiliated for 8 long years and will compensate for it. Strangely, I think that most of the * votes were "pride votes": the kind of reaction you might see in the parents of a DD child combined with the usual "We do what we want" attitude.

[pinniped]

17. They did cause it, didn't al-Zarqawi say their prayers were answered????

:crazy:

Oh ya, this commasshole in chief sees terra-dudes in his Wheaties.

[ladylibertee]

18. Oh Hell no. The man has officially lost his ever lovin mind.

[ElectroPrincess]

21. If the history books are accurately written ...

That is, if somehow, our beautiful "higher power" saves this country from corporate fascism = They will categorically state, IMO, that GWB has been suffering from "Pre-Senile Dementia" throughout his Presidency.

Does anyone doubt this possibility? That is, if you doubt that his neo-con handlers can't blackmail and intimidate Medical Doctors to cover up this condition, you've got another thing coming ... well, you still probably do believe that Iraq had WMDs right before the invasion.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2004/10/10/225656/93

Quick Time Video - (When will this go mainstream?)

http://www.adbuzz.com/bushbuzz/BushTenYears.mov

[ElectroPrincess]

22. If his speech patterns - degradation of ability? - don't spook you

then how about his motor symptoms? Remember: Eating a Pretzel and falling off of his bicycle?

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:SRkISW000wMJ:www.meducal.com/system/journal/displayJournalArticle.asp%3FareaId%3D3%26parentId%3D433%26nodeId%3D963%26issueId%3D978%26articleId%3D1072+%22motor+symptoms%22+%22presenile+dementia%22&hl=en

EDITORIAL BOARD COMMENT The prevalence of frontal lobe dementia is unknown, but studies from Lund (Sweden) and Manchester (UK) suggest that 15–20% of subjects with presenile dementia may suffer from frontal lobe dementia. The classical clinical features are personality changes, behavioral disturbance, executive dysfunction, and language disturbance. Motor symptoms may occur, possibly due to involvement of adjacent cortical (supplementary motor and premotor areas) or subcortical structures or their connections, but are usually observed in later stages. The three patients reported in this case report, however, show that motor symptoms may in fact be the presenting sign of the disorder.

[ladylibertee]

24. LOL....You have a point there indeed.

[ElectroPrincess]

33. tks

Forgive me for getting too scientific on you. My field is physiological psychology. However, my best friend who has a degree from Penn State in English edited my papers ... thus the lack of concern with grammar. :P

I'm only a lowly Masters level scientist but there are scores of professionals of high intelligence who concur with this possibility.

Now don't you feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that Bush has control of our Nuclear Football. :nuke:

Well, that and the Security and Baltimore-Washington International Airport made my 99 pound (when soaking wet), 79 year old mother get out of her wheel chair and stand for SEVEN minutes while they wand-ed her twice and then did a pat down. Now don't we all feel safer to know that a little (and I mean little!) old lady bowed over with osteoporosis is NOT carrying a bomb in her itty bitty hair bun?
IGNORANT AND HEARTLESS BASTARDS!

On topic: I won't pull "A Frist" (Video Diagnosis) but The pResident is showing *all* the classic symptoms of presenile dementia. And you know, IF he has frontal lobe involvement ... well that's the area that has the lion's share of control over our "moral reasoning." DAMN! :scared:

[symbolman]

23. I don't think ROve likes being called Turd Blossom anymore..

I'm wondering if the Fitzgerald stuff coming down the pike is getting to Rove.. seriously, I get the feeling that he's gotta be so screwed that he can't spin properly..

Bush's REAL brain is malfunctioning - maybe his wife isn't co-operating in the sack or maybe Rove is wondering if he'll have a new wife soon - a 7 foot tall hairy guy named RAMONE who likes to play "hide the sausage" every 20 minutes in that boring cage they'll both inhabit..

Rove is losing it.

In the end REAL men don't give out, they are not made of the stuff of Heroes and so they will FAIL.

[Inland]

25. Bush tries to unite country around hatred of somebody besides himself

Simple as that. Why be pissed at FEMA, Bush, the feds, when you can hate some foreigner to distraction?

Furthermore, Bush hopes that you will give him some slack because, if you hate, who better than Bush, a man who brings death with the singlemindedness and lack of discrimination of an Ebola virus?

[Jawja]

26. He's got to

stay on message and push the agenda, regardless of what the reality is. It's a real stretch to tie Katrina with terrorism. It might have worked with linking Saddam to terror; don't think it works to link hurricanes with terror. In fact it's laughable.

An argument can be made that the natural disasters we are facing should force us to rearrange our priorities as to use of funds and having the National Guard out of the country serving a foreign occupation.

This is the point that should be driven home everytime Nero tries to link hurricanes and terrorism.

[all.of.me]

27. terrorists DID cause it! through inaction....

they are grasping at straws here. the desperation is so transparent. they will NEVER get his numbers back up (to where they did not belong anyway!).

[CJCRANE]

28. * compares everything to terrorism.

He's only got one note.

[spanone]

29. He is so full of shit it's amusing. Osama Bin Rita.

[DeepModem Mom]

31. LOL! Osama Been Forgotten is now Osama Bin Rita! nt

[dusty64]

30. If anything I would think

the regime's complete lack of response to Katrina would highlight the fact that they have gutted our country's resources to respond to ANY emergency and have indeed made incredibly LESS safe in every way. I surprised he would be stupid enough to bring this up, although the terra card has always been the only thing they've got. If our opposition had any brains they would hammer this point over and over and over, but I've learned not to expect much from them.

[ElectroPrincess]

34. You didn't get the memo?

The so called "loyal opposition" are in on the fleecing of our government. They are up to their eyeballs in corporate payola wheeling and dealing. Bottom Line: They are anything but stupid: they've been bought and paid for.

[underpants]

32. LOL too funny- hey Rove guess what, people realize you screwed that up too

Comparing something you have no control over to a monumental screwup (9/11) is very sad.

[caligirl]

37. Words without actions aren't going to help your toad KKKarlRove

[Vinca]

38. Why doesn't this idiot just shut up and go away? nt

[samsingh]

39. if there was any doubt about bush's inability to lead, be President

and even his sanity, this line totally removes it:

terrorists look at the storm's devastation "and wish they had caused it." - George Bush

wow - A. he can read the terrorists mind; B. he talks to terrorists regularly; C. like many pyschopaths, we sees in one dimension.