Landrieu slams FEMA

[cal04]

U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., Saturday accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency of failing to accept offers that would have eased post-hurricane problems in New Orleans -- including a plan for the Forest Service to douse fires in the city with aircraft used to fight fire. On Friday, Landrieu asked President Bush to appoint a cabinet-level official to oversee Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts. She reiterated that request on Saturday.

"Yesterday, I was hoping President Bush would come away from his tour
of the regional devastation triggered by Hurricane Katrina with a new
understanding for the magnitude of the suffering and for the abject
failures of the current Federal Emergency Management Agency,"
Landrieu said. "Twenty-four hours later, the President has yet to answer my
call for a cabinet-level official to lead our efforts. Meanwhile, FEMA,
now a shell of what it once was, continues to be overwhelmed by the task at
hand.

Landrieu said that FEMA has inexplicably failed to take advantage of offers of help. "I understand that the U.S. Forest Service had water-tanker aircraft available to help douse the fires raging on our riverfront, but FEMA has yet to accept the aid. When Amtrak offered trains to evacuate significant numbers of victims - far more efficiently than buses - FEMA again dragged its feet," Landrieu said. "Offers of medicine, communications equipment and other desperately needed items continue to flow in, only to be ignored by the agency.

Landrieu said that her "greatest disappointment" is the lack of progress fixing the breached 17th Street levee. "Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast - black and white, rich and poor, young and old - deserve far better from their national government," Landrieu said.

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_09.html#076637

[ewagner]

1. Holy Cow!!

She's finally fighting back...look at this:

"...it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment...."

[mom cat]

20. That criminal should be thrown in the toxic stew with no one allowed

to rescue his butt.

[Cha]

22. So, in reality..it was good she was "thanking"

all the politicians cause now she can tell the truth with impunity!

[Spazito]

2. She has really laid it out!

I sure want to hear the excuses from FEMA re all of these refused offers!

[tjdee]

3. Yeah, so?

Bush doesn't care what Mary Landrieu says.

Bush doesn't care what anyone says.

:(

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. When the dust settles it won't matter what he says, thinks, he heading

for a big fall!

[tjdee]

9. I hope so, because he so truly deserves it at this point.

Everyone offered help, FEMA refused it.

Bush didn't even come back from vacation till Wednesday.

Just...ugh. His incompetence is so obvious, and yet there are *still* people who kiss his ass.

[mattclearing]

5. Glad she finally came out with it.

It was really sad when she had to sputter on CNN the other day and praise President Bush's nonexistent response while Anderson Cooper sucker punched her.

[Bucky]

6. God, that is SO September 2nd.

Landrieu's a good follower. She's as beholden to voters as she is to corporate sponsors--something of a rarity in Louisiana. Plus she votes to organize the Senate with the Democrats. That's about it.

But at least she's echoing on the right side of the canyon now.

[Spazito]

11. If you want to slam her with a date, you will have to use one prior

to August 28th, before the hurricane when she requested and got Louisiana designated a disaster area so the FEDERAL AGENCIES responsibilities would take over.

[wtmusic]

7. "hastily prepared stage set for a presidential photo opportunity"

no doubt. :grr:

[billbuckhead]

8. Sometimes mistaken for a DINOMary is more for Louisana than anything else

I think she a has done the best any Dem senator could with this evil regime.

[KeepItReal]

10. Keep driving that point home Sen. Landrieu

Now that you can see what's really goin on.

[lildreamer316]

12. That was Landrieu?? I saw the last paragraph

in another post and thought it was just some reporter. Damn that is incriminating!

[mzmolly]

13. Add her to the LIST of Democrats speaking out.

"Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment."~ Mary Landrieu - Democrat

:toast: Go Mary!

[kstewart33]

14. Finally. I had begun to lose all faith in her.

Maybe she's learned that by screaming bloody murder as Nagin did, gets results.

[blossomstar]

15. Oh my God! Please tell me this can't be true!

[cthrumatrix]

16. she better take ALL her shots now -- becuase bushco will make "plame her"

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. The govenor should order FEMA out of her state

LA will be so much better off without them at this point.

[katinmn]

18. Good. She owes it to the people. They are counting on her.

Bush shammed the whole damn country with that photo staging.

Impeach him already!!!!

[Usrename]

19. go girl, that was right between the eyes - now one in the squash

[MinneapolisMatt]

21. This is SO HUGE!

This is a SENATOR! Wow.

Matt

[sandnsea]

23. About damned time

Southern Dems have been a huge hurdle in challenging this administration. If they've FINALLY come around, maybe we can launch a real fight.

[NYC]

24. Good for Landrieu.

When the evacuation is over, I hope Landrieu, Nagin, Blanco, and the mayor of Slidell (and others) all speak out loudly.

[steve2470]

25. You go Mary !! You got....mucho estrogen ! nt

[Tyranny_R_US]

26. Its about damn time

...I guess she saw she was losing polical points.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

27. She is accusing the shrub of staging a deliberate photo-op here.

"Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast - black and white, rich and poor, young and old - deserve far better from their national government," Landrieu said.

[POLEIS]

33. Too much!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

34. When this was first posted at Ameriblog, no one thought it was real.

This has to get out there.

[Independent_Liberal]

28. Kick!

[steve2470]

29. kick nt

[nolabels]

30. Gee, a senator gets to see the reality the rest of US experiences

Like who ever these people are that think these other people (that they are calling senators) will ever stand up like they have a spine are deluding themselves. These are the precise people to point to, of having facilitated this spiral into hell this country is now in. Yea the worthless shits will compromise till they find themselves all the way into it. :puke:

[I_Make_Mistakes]

31. She had to wait till the rescuers got there, Bush was dragging

his heels and if she had spoken up sooner, how much longer would he had taken? He is pathetic and his ego needed to be stroked, so he let people suffer to point that the pols. had to beg and praise him.
What a little, little man!

And one more thing Mr. Bush, "There is a judgment day, and all those souls lost in Iraq, NOLA, Miss, Ala., etc. have the Lord's ear right now!"

[nolabels]

32. I just get so effing angry at that P.O.S.

The philosopher in me says his day will come but then there is that other part that says nothing should be spared in seeing that thing, that's not even good enough for a toilet flush, gets payback here on earth.

This bush dude has no redeemable traits or things about him that I can see. Even if you practice the live and let live philosophy is hard to qualify it. It is said that one needs to forgive them, for they know not what they do, well this is really testing it for me.

I know it's the system I should be angry with, but * makes that targeting of something specific so much more easy for me. I guess I just have an angry,lazy mind or something