Anyone have a link to the Bush quote blaming blackout on Democrats?

[topdog08]

I can't find a link anywhere on line but I saw it on TV. Bush said something about having "long said" (or said all along) that we needed to modernize our electrical system. Implying that the Democrats had kept him from doing this. If you have a link please email me at [e-mail] ASAP. I think it could really make Bush look bad in the long run, if enough stories like this run:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/135144_nygrid15.html

With only a limited number of high-voltage lines, a power failure can spread more quickly when generators try to send their power to areas that need it, overloading the lines that remain.

The problem, for the most part, has been that no one has an incentive to invest billions of dollars in new wires, new towers and new transformers. The old utilities have sold off their power plants but still hold a highly regulated monopoly on the network of lines, and they would only invest in new transmission if state regulators would guarantee them rate increases to pay for it.

That is the last thing the regulators, who deregulated much of the industry in hopes of lowering rates, would be willing to do. The entrepreneurial power companies that have bought up power plants have decided against building new transmission lines that would compete with existing ones, possibly driving down transmission charges, and would, at most times, be nothing more than "excess capacity."

[w4rma]

1. Bush Doesn't Let Blackout Upset Lunch With Troops

…
Mr. Bush credited local and state emergency officials with quickly getting a handle on the problem. "We're better organized today to deal with an emergency than we were 2.5 years ago," he said.
…
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/15/national/15BUSH.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=67495
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=67099#67247

[bowens43]

2. and all it took to be better organized was

bush permitting or aiding in the murder of 3000 americans
the castration of our constitution and lie after lie after lie

[izzie]

3. Well I am sure Bush was fair and balanced in that talk.

The interstrucher of this country is falling apart and we give money to buinesses to keep them going as roads, lights, water works, etc fall apart. Some time read about FDR and how they put lights all over this country. We are so used to living like this that as it slowly falls apart it is going to be a shock to the young people in this country. Some one will have to either give up nice things like cool homes, roads you can go 75 mph on and pay some taxes and rebuild their country.They should learn something from Iraq who let things go for years and look at the mess.I will not be around but frankly I can not see kids walking to school once more.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Don't count on Repugs to do anything

except line their own pockets and those of their fat cat buddies. My husband thinks they are deliberately wrecking the country by milking it for every last dime. I guess they plan to all go live in Switzerland when they are done.

[bearfan454]

16. Exactly !

This crap they are pulling is unbelieveable.

[phillybri]

5. Repugs control both Congress and The White House, what have they done?

Oh that's right....NOTHING!!!!!

Fuck you, George!

[chemenger]

6. Hi topdog04

Looks like you beat me to it. I heard this last nite too (see my post, which it appears we were both working on at the same time).

TODALLY UN ... FRICKEN ... BELIEVABLE!

[dbt]

7. Can anyone help me find WHERE bu$h was 'saying all along'

that we need to modernize the electrical grid system? Hell, all I ever heard was taxcuttaxcuttaxcut and restoring honor and dignity. How could I have missed something of such substance as modernizing the power grid?

Please, someone, point me to many articles concerning bu$h's position on modernizing the grids; my knowledge is sorely lacking!

Thanking you in advance for your generous (and balanced) assistance, I remain,

Your Fiend,
:evilgrin:
dbt

[greekspeak]

8. I took his "i have long said" remark

to refer to his proposals to build a bunch more super-polluter power plants. The tone with which he said that remark suggests that he wanted to add "but the damn goody two-shoes environmentalists keep getting in my way."

[bluedog]

9. seems strange to me

that this happened after bush had all his advisors to his ranch and had meetings to discuss ? Is Enron or Haliburton going to come in and redo this grids??? Could have been an inside job....also why is Clintons Energy Sec talking and not Bushs'?
Again why is he always away when things happen and then it takes him 4-5 hours to speak?????? Hes nothing more than a puppet and only cares about his money campaigns.....

[UTUSN]

10. Not Specifically That Quote, But Media Helping "Blame CLINTON"

Anything that they can manufacture the slightest connection to CLINTON is automatically a huge issue. Why has Bill RICHARDSON been on all the airways about this? It was strange yesterday, when the news was breaking in other parts of the country, for the governor of New Mexico to be all over the airways.

And today came the clincher. The CNN dweeb in the morning was rehearsing RICHARDSON about what was wrong with the grids and the infrastructure, then sprung the trap: "Well, Governor, why didn't this get taken care of while YOU were there?" "You" = "you CLINTON guys".

The true answer SHOULD be: Because the radical wingnuts gridlocked all issues for the sake of overthrowing the elected government. But, no, us polite Dems can't say THAT, that would be FINGER-POINTING, now wouldn't it.

P.S., Fare Unbalanced.

[Zorro]

11. There's an Enron connection

I believe Kenny boy was promoting a national power grid, and the Republicans were lining up behind that plan before Enron imploded.

Perhaps it would be good to resurface this connection based on Bush's remarks yesterday. Might make for an interesting debate, and bring the whole Enron fiasco back into the limelight.

[Snellius]

12. Link to WH Transcript:

You know, for example, in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg has ordered out thousands of police officers on the street to help bring calm; fire fighters are working overtime; emergency crews are out working well. My focus is to work with state and local authorities to help deal with the immediate problem. Of course, we'll have time to look at it and determine whether or not our grid needs to be modernized. I happen to think it does, and have said so all along. But this will be -- this is going to be an interesting lesson for our country, and we'll have to respond to it.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/08/20030814-4.html

[topdog08]

14. Thanks, here is the quote for those interested

Q: Mr. President, does this suggest that even with all the attention paid to homeland security that the electrical grid is still vulnerable, should it have been a terrorist attack?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think, you know, one of the things we'll have to do, of course, is take an assessment of why the cascade was so significant, why it was able to ripple so significantly throughout our system up east. And that will be a very important part of the investigation once we deal with the immediate -- and the immediate, of course, is to take care of people.

You know, for example, in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg has ordered out thousands of police officers on the street to help bring calm; fire fighters are working overtime; emergency crews are out working well. My focus is to work with state and local authorities to help deal with the immediate problem. Of course, we'll have time to look at it and determine whether or not our grid needs to be modernized. I happen to think it does, and have said so all along. But this will be -- this is going to be an interesting lesson for our country, and we'll have to respond to it.

[Oilwellian]

15. A lesson for our country?

"this is going to be an interesting lesson for our country, and we'll have to respond to it."

Yes, we learned a great lesson about what deregulation did to the electricity market in California. In NY, Pataki's handpicked utilitiy commissioners relieved Niagara Mohawk of the expensive obligation to properly fund maintenance of the electricity grids. According to the Palast article posted on DU this morning, this allowed NiMo to get rid of 800 workers and pocket most of their wages - producing a bonus for NiMo stockholders approaching $90 million.

I hope to God deregulation of public utilities doesn't take hold across the country. Like Bush took advantage of 911 to perpetuate his neverending, personally profitable wars, he will take advantage of this blackout yesterday and through fear, promote deregulation as the answer. What everyone needs to realize is it's the policies of deregulation that allows the utility owners to have you over a barrel and in control of one of society's most basic necessities. Yes Bush, we've learned that lesson already judging from the past history of greedy utility holders and the power they had over us. Here's what Palast wrote lastnight:

"The power elite first moved on England because they knew Americans wouldn't swallow the deregulation snake oil easily. The USA had gotten used to cheap power available at the flick of switch. This was the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt who, in 1933, caged the man he thought to be the last of the power pirates, Samuel Insull. Wall Street wheeler-dealer Insull creator of the Power Trust, and six decades before Ken Lay, faked account books and ripped off consumers. To frustrate Insull and his ilk, FDR gave us the Federal Power Commission and the Public Utilities Holding Company Act which told electricity companies where to stand and salute. Detailed regulations limited charges to real expenditures plus a government-set profit. The laws banned "power markets" and required companies to keep the lights on under threat of arrest -- no blackout blackmail to hike rates.

Oh yeah Georgie boy, we learned our lesson long ago.

http://www.gregpalast.com/

[ElsewheresDaughter]

13. i heard it...the cheney/kennyboy energy bill was about to die an

honorable death in Conference...wala! reserected...and dems will be forsed to vote for it or run the risk AGAIN of being obstructionists...the fear factor in play again....brillant move