Bush knew this disaster was coming, and he did NOTHING.

[Shakespeare]

This time last week, they knew a major hurricane was headed for the gulf coast.

By Friday, the projected track had narrowed considerably, and forecasters were pretty sure it was going to be a big mutha.

By Saturday, the track had narrowed even more, and Katrina was a strong category 4.

On Sunday, they knew New Orleans was in the crosshairs. Katrina had strengthened to a cat 5. They opened the Superdome as a "special needs" shelter, and were shocked when more than 10,000 people showed up to take refuge. At the very, very, VERY latest, they knew by Sunday morning that they were looking at a catastrophe.

By Monday, we ALL knew that this was a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion. We ALL knew that people were in grave danger and had no food and--more important--no WATER to drink.

What did Bush do?

He went to Arizona for a photo op.

He went to San Diego to (pretend to) strum a fucking guitar.

He sat on his uncaring, ignorant, goddamn ass and did NOTHING.

For three more days, he did NOTHING.

Yesterday, like Rip Fucking Van Winkle, he finally wakes the hell up and decides to do a fly-by of the coast and start making a few calls to get some help down there . . . eventually.

We're about to see a huge second wave of casualties because of the inexcusable, unforgivable slow reaction of our president.

Bush has done plenty to keep me in a perpetual state of outrage, but NOTHING comes close to the anguish, anger and disgust I feel right now.

[aden_nak]

1. Bush never lets an impending disaster interrupt his August vacation.

Not in 2005, and not in 2001, either.

[Eurobabe]

38. y'all oughta know that...

[politicaholic]

2. I'm right there with ya.

Bush has been an incompetent underachiever since birth.

[anarchy1999]

3. Second and third the nomination.

Distressed American posted about his feelings yesterday and his feelings are ours. We join in with the "radical leftists" and I know lots of people in DC just waiting to join in! They've been helping to write the book on being radical.

DA, you need to contact me so I can put you in touch, I've still not made up my mind about DC!

[Name removed]

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[Not_Giving_Up]

5. He declared an emergency

But he didn't do a damn thing to prepare for it.

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[Shakespeare]

10. Oh, bullshit. He has been completely hands-off through this disaster.

He's not supposed to elbow Nagin out of the way, but he'd damned sure better be there shoulder to shoulder with him when you reach a catastrophe of this magnitude.

Stop being a fucking apologist.

[Old and In the Way]

12. Why did he put incomptent people in charge of these programs?

An incompetent pResuident picking functionally incompetent people whose only basis for selection appears to be that they were political/financial contributors to his Party/campaign.

Sorry, Bush doesn't get to offload the blame...he chose the people that are fucking things up.

We are seeing the rotten carcas of the Republican Party exposed for everyone to see live on TV.

[Not_Giving_Up]

15. Well, obviously, FEMA needed a harder kick

No, I didn't expect the shrub to go down there and physically do anything. However, the situation has rapidly deteriorated while the administration does nothing.

[Name removed]

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[Not_Giving_Up]

30. Specifically?

How about...

1. Make sure that food and water are getting to the stranded people.

2. Don't call off rescue missions because of looters with guns.

3. He should have organized evacuation of the entire city of NO BEFORE this storm hit. Those without cars or means are the ones that are left, for the most part. There should have been buses getting people out ahead of time.

That's a short list.

[Name removed]

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[beetbox]

31. FEMA's track record is rather sad. Everyone knew this was going to happen

Bush's record is worse. On everything. How can anyone defend proven, indicted criminals who are looting the National Treasury and kiilng children everywhere? Take a look into your belief system. Have an awakening for you are not protected from these fascists.

"It's only a matter of time before south Louisiana takes a direct hit from a major hurricane. Billions have been spent to protect us, but we grow more vulnerable every day."

But some places would be left outside the levee because corps engineers have determined it would cost too much to build the barrier around them. Cocodrie is out of luck, as are half of the homes and businesses along Bayou du Large. So is Isle de Jean Charles.

"The politicians all know about this, but it hasn't done us much good. Not much money comes from this place," said lifelong resident Lonney Dardar, 78. "But just leaving it open for a hurricane, it's not what God would do for his people. This island would be drowned."

As coastal erosion, subsidence and sea-level rise bring higher waters farther inland each year, all of south Louisiana will become ever more dependent on the federal government for more spending for protection that is less and less effective. At some point, local officials fear, the cost-benefit analysis can turn against anyone.

The corps could theoretically build a 30-foot-high wall that encloses all of south Louisiana, shielding it from the highest imaginable hurricane storm surges. But levee building is not just an engineering feat, it's a political process. Congress would never approve such a gigantic project: It would cost tens of billions of dollars, cause ecological problems and drive maintenance costs into the stratosphere. So the agency has to choose how much levee protection to offer and whom it can protect.

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf?/washingaway/writtenoff_2.html


Oh wonder where all the extra fuel is?
Pentagon requisitioned 7.5 BILLION Gallons of fuel for Iraq in fiscal year 2005.
Aircraft carrier gets 17 feet per gallon
Abrams tank gets 4 GALLONS to the mile-NOT A MISPRINT

[Name removed]

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[Shakespeare]

11. Newsflash for you: It's not working.

The president is supposed to remain ON FUCKING TOP OF the situation to make sure things are working.

Things haven't been working for one single moment during this disaster.

IT'S NOT WORKING.

Got that?

[Name removed]

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[Bridget Burke]

16. So why are people dying for lack of food & water?

We know that Bush is totally incompetent. But why must he appoint idiots? Why was FEMA gutted? Why are so many National Guard overseas?

Oh, Scottie has the answer!

[xray s]

18. Bush is killing people in New Orleans

He has gutted the ACOE and FEMA and all the help NOLA needs is in Iraq fighting his fucking war for oil based on lies.

[Shakespeare]

19. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

Oh, I feel so much better knowing that he was being updated. :sarcasm:

The "prepositioning" that the bushies said was being done was clearly nowhere near sufficient, and my original post outlines why anybody paying even the slightest bit of attention could have been and SHOULD have been adequately prepared.

And they weren't. Period. End of discussion. This one falls squarely on Bush's shoulders (he's the president, remember?).

Fucking apologist you are.

[DancingBear]

13. Really?

DId FEMA call THE National Guard out? Oh sorry - they're all dying in Iraq.

Did FEMA cut the first response teams so Georgie's buddies could catch a few more tax breaks?

Did George think it might be prudent to actually be at the White House when a fucking Cat 5 HURRICANE was going to hit?

You apologists make me sick.

If it was YOU in New Orleans, you'd be howling like a baby.

[Name removed]

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[Shakespeare]

28. Absolutely.

The mobilization efforts he announced YESTERDAY should have been initiated Saturday (Sunday at the very, VERY latest).

This is fairly straightforward--I've already detailed what we all knew and when it was known. It simply was not acted on in a timely manner, and that is proving deadly.

Got it? Our fellow Americans are DYING, because our government did not act as quickly as it could have and should have.

How is this so difficult for you? You seem to have difficulty grasping the obvious.

[Name removed]

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[Shakespeare]

36. No, he did not.

He simply declared it a disaster area--he did not order specific means of rescue and relief.

ACTION. He took no ACTION until yesterday.

Why are you so vehemently defending him?

[Name removed]

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[Shakespeare]

43. Sorry, not good enough.

He's got to do more than sit on his ass in Crawford and make declarations.

That. Is. Not. Leadership.

Micromanage? Hell, I'd be grateful if he'd just give managing a shot for once.

It is absolutely despicable to make excuses for that ignorant little fraud.

[DancingBear]

39. Oh yes, you're right

Hell, we can't even swing a dead cat without hitting one of the thousands of Guardsmen everywhere.

"The technology exists to assist the President in doing his job wherever he might be"

Even strumming a guitar in California, eh buddy?

Of course, this is assuming that the Moron-In-Chief can actually do anything except fall down drunk and pretend to be a soldier.

Gee, sure am glad he wasn't getting any head while he was out there.

"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated"
-Johnny Rotten-

[Name removed]

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[Shakespeare]

37. Didn't say it was.

I bandied no strawmen about. I simply clarified why he shouldn't go to New Orleans.

But please, DO keep making excuses for Bush. It's ever so entertaining.

[Eurobabe]

40. psst, time to leave asshat

[Old and In the Way]

9. What's your point?

Words are cheap. He's an incompetent leader whose policies have been shorting this country for 5 years. His policies have gone long on war profiteering and short on our domestic infrastructure. He is incapable of leading....he's only playing pResident.

Where is the real President? Cheney has been AWOL on this disaster and he has the responsibility for National Emergency Preparedness.

[soleft]

17. Bush only does what his handlers allow him to do

If anything he's been set up as patsy to take the downfall.

Where is Cheney right now? I think he's plotting Chimp's demise at an undisclosed location.

Plame indictments to follow.

[dogday]

24. Yes he did!

he went on V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N***********

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

27. What do you expect from the same evil empire that has so fucked up Iraq?

9/11- they "ignored" multitudes of warnings! Iraq-never had a plan to secure the peace!

This is all bullshit and Deliberate! This Regime has to be Impeached Now!

[Stephanie]

35. Here's his week in pictures >

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4550031

[demo dutch]

42. Following in the footsteps of his father, same thing during Andrew!

[beetbox]

44. They had a week to shore up the levees

They had about a week to shore up the levees, evacuate the poor, and prepare for disaster management. They knew all the details of the full scope of the disaster, and the official warnings were as bleak as any official warnings can be. They didn't try to do anything. Bush golfed and pretended to play guitar. Since the funding, manpower, and equipment that would normally be used for such purposes was in Iraq, trying to do something constructive would only have embarrassed them, so they just relaxed and let it happen. Needless to say, the next step will be the announcement of billions of dollars of reconstruction contracts for Halliburton and Bechtel, thus proving that Bush really does care. Disaster is another opportunity to make money, while trying to stop disaster is just a drain on public finances.

[VADem11]

45. Here's a pic of clinton

preparing to leave New Zealand to deal with a then PENDING Huricane Floyd. The contrast is amazing.

http://www.nandotimes.com/net/images/floyd/floyd40.html