WP - Amtrak claims Nagin refused offered transport

[Cassandra]

"In fact, while the last regularly scheduled train out of town had left a few hours earlier, Amtrak had decided to run a "dead-head" train that evening to move equipment out of the city. It was headed for high ground in Macomb, Miss., and it had room for several hundred passengers. "We offered the city the opportunity to take evacuees out of harm's way," said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black. "The city declined."

So the ghost train left New Orleans at 8:30 p.m., with no passengers on board."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/10/AR2005091001529.html

This is buried in the story but I wanted to highlight it because I find it hard to believe. I would think he would have least used the space for the tourists if not others. Amtrak management has been accused lately and I think this is CYA time for them. And if they can bury this in a long piece, all the better for them.
FEMA comes off badly in the story, Bush not much better with the administration bogged down in negotiating with itself.
Lots of anger:
"Meanwhile, St. Bernard Parish was still marooned. Out of 28,000 structures in the parish, only 52 were undamaged, and as many as 5,000 were simply gone. Every day since the storm, Ingargiola had waited for the federal government to bring food, water, electricity, anything. "They didn't hear from me for four days, and they didn't come to look for us," Ingargiola recalled. "Did they think we were okay?""

I think this is bullshit, too, as the people in the convention center said there was little violence:
"And unbeknownst to FEMA, a new circle of hell was opening downtown, as the New Orleans convention center filled with an estimated 25,000 evacuees, many of them unable to get to the flooded area around the Superdome. There was no food, no water and no feds. A spree of robbery, looting and gunfire erupted inside as police dispatched to the center stayed almost exclusively on the perimeter, according to police and witnesses, outnumbered and unable to quell the mayhem."

I now suspect that the WP always has an agenda. What are they trying to create with this story?

[jody]

1. "offered the city" is so vague as to be useless. n/t

[MidnightWind]

2. Nagin just said on MTP that this offer was news to him

that if indeed Amtrak made that offer, it never reached him. By the way, Tim Russert is back whoring for ShrubCo. Asswipe. He tried his best to nail Nagin but at least Nagin was honest about what he could have done better, as we all know, * thinks he's perfect and has never made a mistake in his life. :puke:

[Cassandra]

3. Timmy said this morning on the news...

that he was going to press Nagin HARD. I'm glad Nagin was able to respond to this. MTP is on late today here, so I'll catch it later.

[watrwefitinfor]

5. Nagin also said that the president gave him everything he asked for

once he met him face to face. He said that he thought Bush was not getting good information.

When asked about the state response, he basically dumped on the state. Said he got next to nothing from the state. Said there were plans being made to move N.O. residents to tent cities and massive trailer parks in central LA to keep them voting within the state, when they are better off where they are now.

And he said that N.O. was going to rebuild, and he was going to be in the forefront of that process. (All this paraphrased - Hopefully the transcript will be up soon.)

This sounds so much like... well. Sounded to me like someone is promising him something if he comes back into the fold. Read the t ranscript when it comes up and see what it sounds like to you.

Wat

[lindisfarne]

8. Yes. Russert put up poll numbers but from selected polls.

Unless I missed it, he put up a poll that asked whether state or local officials were most responsible for the failure (but these polls apparently didn't ask about federal - Russert didn't put up any numbers for federal), but he didn't put up any of the polls which have shown a good portion of people blame the federal level when asked questions along the lines of "who is ultimately responsible" or "who is most responsible" for the failure.

[stlsaxman]

4. AMTRAK "Brown-nosing" in the hopes WH will refund them.

(I didn't realize the possible pun until I proof read the headline... I'll call it intended)

[Cassandra]

6. Since I'm in NYC, I'm pro Amtrack but...

I don't want them blaming Nagin if he's not to blame.

[AnnInLa]

7. He just flatly denied

Amtrak's assertion on MTP...in fact, when the city officials checked with Amtrak, they were told everything was booked up. We must remember that there are many factions that do not want Nagin to be a leader in the rebuilding process, and will say things to discredit him...they want N.O. to be rebuilt according to their ideas, not his.