You are president, what would you do right now.

[Renew Deal]

Here's what I would do. I would mobilize the Army and the Navy. I would send in soldiers, engineers, helicopters (chinnook), to go through these places. I would send a Navy hospital ship in. I would send in sailors with their own equimpment for search and rescue.

I would also use the Army to start building camps for people. Maybe I am wrong, but the Army can do this stuff quickly.

I would also have someone working on getting civilian assistance. Food, blood, supplies, donations. I would have addressed the nation by now.

My point is that one of the problems with Bush is he is not a self starter. He could be out in front of this. How is it possible that Americans are drowning in their homes, starving, and floating in the water?

[whistle]

1. Resign!

....I hope shrub gets the message.

[joanne]

5. If only you were the President

You know exactly what to do.

So would President Clinton.

[mtnsnake]

2. First and foremost, I'd impeach myself

Then I'd put myself in prison and throw away the key!

[msongs]

3. cuz bush has famously said he NEVER loses sleep at night because

of his lovely faith. hope the people trapped in attics without axes to chop roof holes are feeling good about Mr. Bush and his lovely faith based rescues.

Msongs
www.msongs.com

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. Well the first thing I would have done

was cancel my vacation on Sunday and returned to DC right away to monitor and assist with the situation but then again, I probably won't have still been on vacation for the last month.

One thing is for sure, I wouldn't be flying around to go eat cake, play golf and take up the guitar.

[Connie_Corleone]

6. Ditto on the "president" should go on TV, primetime,

and ask the american people to give money and blood. That should've been done tonight. Of course, a real president wouldn't have started a war in Iraq that had the national guard fighting over there instead of helping in the Gulf.

[chicagiana]

8. The president should recall National Guard Units ...

The President should recall National Guard units from the affected states. Get these guys back home where they can help on the ground and see to their families.

[progressivebydesign]

24. He should replace the Guard units in Iraq who are from that area...

.. and replace them with regular troops. Let the Guard who are worried about their families and homes in the South go home and work in their own communities.

[chicagiana]

7. Too late, it's already FUBAR ...

If I was president, and I saw the dread scenario that a city of 1 million had feared for 50 years, I would have activated and mobilized as much personnell as I could BEFORE the dread scenario actually happened.

There would have been FIVE THOUSAND boots ready to roll into New Orleans the day after to ensure order and deliver civil services. I would have setup refugee centers at military bases (closed or otherwise) and contracted companies to ensure the delivery of foodstuffs. I would have mobilized the Army BEFORE the occurence to help the poor LEAVE the city and seek safety in a sanitary and orderly refugee center.

Oh yeah, I wouldn't had cut funding to the Army Corps of engineers.


Bush is always playing catchup. It's like asking what I would have done a week after the fall of Baghdad. I you hadn't worked it out before, it's kinda too fucking late.

[bpilgrim]

10. exactly - these fucks are always days late and billions short

and the M$MWs will pretend not to notice, AGAIN :argh:


http://media.globalfreepress.com

peace

[DELUSIONAL]

9. bushie is NOT a leader

his personality profile is NOT one of innate leadership ability.

He is ONLY as good as his mentor. Even a somewhat competent leader would have appointed the BEST person to command and coordinate the rescue efforts. HE can't even do this. Political yes men cannot do the job -- we are seeing the effects of bushie surrounding himself with ONLY yes men.

Plus there is a good possibly that the shadow Prez (Cheney) had a stroke or is in ill health -- oh hell Cheney wouldn't care and wouldn't be any better than bushie in a crisis.

We know what bushie did during the beginning moments of September 11 -- and we know what bushie did as hurricane Katrina approached the Gulf states (hint: NOTHING)-- someone will write a script and he will try to cry or something when he gets flown over New Orleans. And he will probably ask "do black people live there?" or something equally stupid.

He is responding just like a spoiled, self centered 10 year old boy (with apologies to mature 10 year old boys who know geography and would know what to do instinctively).

Bushie cannot respond because he is NOT a leader -- he will never be a leader no matter how much money he raises. The media whores have built him up as if he is a leader -- big brave man. But we know that he is a weak, useless, self-centered, narcissistic, mother hating, SOB.

[jeffreyi]

20. Agreed

It's absolutely wierd that his handlers would allow that guitar photo to be spread around...Sheesh. Makes one wonder about the string-pullers, something must be wrong. Why would they self-destruct so blatantly? This incredible ineptitude and failure to act can't go unnoticed, can it?

[Joebert]

11. The address should have happened on the night before.

What an opportunity to tell people to come together, help out, donate, etc.

There should have been truckloads, trainloads of stuff in the neighborhood, ready for deployment. They knew something obnoxious was coming, just not where. Get the stuff together early, and go!

[Cleita]

12. You need someone who cares to do this.

Frat boys don't care.

[djg21]

13. Move some of the atlantic fleet to New Orleans.

A couple of hospital ships, an Aircraft carrier, and as many troop ships as possible. Use them to provide accomodations and medical care for all those displace and now homeless residents of the gulf.

[sue_66]

14. I would be there

not running around the country, tasting cakes, and looking like a useless chimp. I would do all I could do with FEMA, Military, work with merchants to provide a place for these people to go. Damn it Bush, these people are Americans. lead them, sacrifice for them, as they have done for you. I hate that man

[bribri16]

15. In addition to what you said I would publically call for help from cruise

lines and guarantee no loss of revenue to the ones that helped house people for six months.

I would offer paid for gasoline to SUV owners to sign up for transporation duty to pick up evacuated families and take them to nearst relatives in safe states or to nearest safe shelters, pay the shelters to take the people in and give stipends to the family members who take in evacuated relatives and take care of their need.

[tjdee]

16. Act like I give a shit. Yeah, that'd be the big thing.

I'd get on national television and tell Americans that we can deal with it, and that the people of LA, MS, and AL are going to get through this. Talk about ways Americans can help their countrymen.

Then I'd do some of the other suggestions. First, though, I'd calm people down and display a "we're all in this together" attitude.

Right now he's showing himself to be the spoiled rich kid he's always been. You can take the monkey out of the jungle....

[fob]

17. After a thorough update from the most technilogically advanced

support staff of any nation (don't forget it's MY administration, not shrub*s we're talking about here), I would address the country and lay out the plan I was just briefed on and call on ALL Americans to do all they can do for the people affected and direct them to the website that would already be up and running. I would appoint the VP as point-person and that she would be giving updates as necessary, then I'd get the hell out of the way and let everyone get to work.

[Kablooie]

18. I'd go to DISNEY WORLD!

[sue_66]

19. Thanks

your post made me laugh out loud. It felt good on a day like this

[SarahB]

21. Snort coke off a hooker's ass on my ranch in Texas.

:think:

[Generic Other]

22. You are so right

They are not responding in a timely fashion.

[progressivebydesign]

23. Go on TV and ask for help from the nation in helping victims.

I'd ask for blood to be donated, and money to relief agencies. I'd reassure the nation that we will survive this together. I would not utter a word about God.

Then.. I would call my best buddies in the oil biz and ask them to stop jacking the prices, as we are in a crisis here.

Then... I would recall national Guard troops from Iraq to help in the disaster area, the troops from that area. THEN I would call up the regular military to Iraq to fill their places. It's cheaper to use the NG in IRaq, but we are now facing the consequences of his ineptitude and greed.

[Rodger Dodger]

25. It's going to take money, Los ts of money!

If I were president I would ask the congress to sack the bill to continue the obscene tax break he gave to his billionaire cohorts. The country will need all the cash it can get it hands on; for those thousands of homeless. The people he most abhors.

He probably won't though. Instead he'll stick by the conservative mantra - "let them pull themselves up by their boot straps." Helping those kinds of people only makes them want to stay on welfare.

He would be wise to follow the Christ's admonition "What ever you do for those the least of your brethren: you do unto Me." But that's not the capitalist way; is it?

He'll no doubt give his Robber Baron friends, no bid contracts, to help improve their profits for their shareholders. And demote, transfer, or fire any Civil Servant who happens to get in his way. Helping the people devastated by the Katherina, will be way down on G.W's list of things to do.

[Kenroy]

26. The problem

is that a lot of what a President can do in such a situation is purely symbolic. And Bush has failed miserably.

There ARE some practical things he could've done earlier - he should've been back in DC on Saturday. He should've addressed the nation, urging all people along the coast to evacuate, and he should've made any available military transports available.

But now... there's little to do. We can't just pull a navy ship up to the Superdome.

DHS should've mobilized the Coast Guard Reserves over the weekend, NOT today. They should've been preparing for rescue missions.

FEMA should've been preparing shelters BEFORE the storm hit. The Superdome (if it HAD to be used as a shelter) should've been well-stocked with portapotties, water, food and emergency generators - and a plan for re-stocking should've been in place.

The Army Corps of Engineers should've been dispatched OVER THE WEEKEND to reinforce the levees.

This was not a surprise - we saw this storm coming. Much could've been done before its arrival. But it's very hard to do things now - there's just no good way to move things or people in or out.

[Sgent]

27. First thing...

I would have activated the Marine Corp Reserve Base on the westbank. I would put that General in charge of all assets -- including NG, USCG, USPHS, Army, Marines, FEMA, local police (if govenor would assign), army corp. One chain of command.

The second they knew how bad this was, a Marine Corp MEU would have been steaming at full speed to NOLA -- amphibious ships, a 500 bed hospital, a full aircontrol setup (WWII size A/C), major air assets inc. helicopters and reconnisance planes.

I'd add a hospital ship that wasn't in Iraq

I'd mobilize the army base at Ft. Hood, TX. They would have already setup roadblocks at all entrances, and be there to deal with the peacekeeping issues.

The entire undeployed Army Corp of Engineers would be in NOLA. Not just for the flooding issues, but dealing with watermaking, critical infrastructure, etc.

I would have activated the PHS for additional health assets.

Every helicopter within 500 miles with rescue or heavy lift capabilities would be staged out of Baton Rouge and the MS Natl. Gaurd base between Hattisburg & Biloxi.