KR Report: 'Confused' Chertoff Delayed Federal Katrina Response

[Autonomy]

NEW YORK In a major scoop, three reporters with Knight Ridder's Washington bureau report that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, not ex-FEMA chief Michael Brown, was the federal official with the power to mobilize a massive federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

In a damning allegation, they suggest that Chertoff may have been confused about his lead role in disaster response and that of his department.

The reporters -- Jonathan S. Landay, Alison Young and Shannon McCaffrey -- say this is based on federal documents they reviewed this week.

Even before the storm struck the Gulf Coast, they report, Chertoff could have ordered federal agencies into action without any request from state or local officials. Brown, they add, had only limited authority to do so until about 36 hours after the storm hit, when Chertoff designated him as the "principal federal official" in charge of the storm.

As thousands of hurricane victims went without food, water, and shelter in the days after Katrina's early morning Aug. 29 landfall, critics assailed Brown for being responsible for delays that might have cost hundreds of lives, they write.

But Chertoff -- not Brown -- was in charge of managing the national response to a catastrophic disaster, according to the National Response Plan, the federal government's blueprint for how agencies will handle major natural disasters or terrorist incidents. An order issued by President Bush in 2003 also assigned that responsibility to the homeland security director.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ep/20050914/en_bpiep/krreportconfusedchertoffdelayedfederalkatrinaresponse

[Atman]

1. Chertoff??? PROMOTE HIM!

He clearly deserves a promotion. Bush will have to create a new agency for him to lead. The Ministry of Ass Covering, maybe. Or the National Blame Dodging Agency.

[tanyev]

3. Medal of Freedom!!!

[peacetalksforall]

16. How about the Secretarial Representative of AEI, PNAC, JINSA and

the Federalist Society, Bilderburg. A Cabinet Secretatiat, of course.

On the other hand, it isn't reatlly necessary to have a Secretary from these entities - they run the show now - from the President, Cheney, the front man, Bush, and all the other members of the Cabinet, Court, and Congress, and Curcuit Court Judges on down. And they even run the (not so) supreme Court.

They own the C's.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. The Failure to Lead was from the Top

And it was done deliberately.

Chertoff should be charged with negligent homicide, at the least.

[rodeodance]

6. 5 star story but only 7 votes so far. so rate it up.

[rodeodance]

10. well, lets tell the media to keep on this story!

[MADem]

20. From the top, from the VERY TOP

[DoYouEverWonder]

21. Of course W loves the guy

In his world, Chertoff did a very good job. More dead black people and lots of reconstruction contracts for all their friends. Not to mention at least a couple of steps closer to military control of the US.

[Justice]

4. I am surprised this KR story has not gotten more attention, but

am glad it is on Yahoo. Incredible.

You just have to listen to the guy to know he is too much a lawyer, and not enough of a business person. He gets all twisted up in procedure, channels and process. I remember one press conference when Honore said - if you can help, get down here - stop complaining and help. Chertoff quickly chimed in- ah, but make sure you go thru proper channels in doing so, and then repeated the channels.

Book smart, we say in my family, but no common sense.

[rodeodance]

7. the media thinks it got to Brownie--so they did their thing. end of story

sad but true.

time to media blast this story and tell them to 'get on with it"!

[jsamuel]

5. interresting article

[rodeodance]

8. nominated ---spread this far and wide.

[rodeodance]

9. kick

[rodeodance]

11. Chertoff did not shift power till about a day and half later!

But according to a memo obtained by Knight Ridder, Chertoff didn't shift that power to Brown until late afternoon or evening on Aug. 30, about 36 hours after Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi. That same memo suggests that Chertoff may have been confused about his lead role in disaster response and that of his department.

"As you know, the President has established the `White House Task Force on Hurricane Katrina Response.' He will meet with us tomorrow to launch this effort. The Department of Homeland Security, along with other Departments, will be part of the task force and will assist the Administration with its response to Hurricane Katrina," Chertoff said in the memo to the secretaries of defense, health and human services and other key federal agencies.

On the day that Chertoff wrote the memo, Bush was in San Diego presiding over a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Chertoff's Aug. 30 memo for the first time declared Katrina an "Incident of National Significance," a key designation that triggers swift federal coordination. The following afternoon, Bush met with his Cabinet, then appeared before TV cameras in the White House Rose Garden to announce the government's planned action.........

[rodeodance]

12. }appear to contradict the Nat. Response Plan"!!

......Chertoff's hesitation and Bush's creation of a task force both appear to contradict the National Response Plan and previous presidential directives that specify what the secretary of homeland security is assigned to do without further presidential orders. The goal of the National Response Plan is to provide a streamlined framework for swiftly delivering federal assistance when a disaster - caused by terrorists or Mother Nature - is too big for local officials to handle.

[leesa]

13. I want this entire administration and the Republican Congress on trial

Throw in the Dems that have supported the Murderer Bush as well.

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. You left out the M$M

You can't have one without the other.

[triguy46]

15. Maybe its not an indictment of Chertoff but *....

Here's an thought, perhaps Chertoff's deferring to the administration that policy did not require or direct was in fact the reality of the micromanagement of the administration and his fear/realization/concessions that Rove/Cheney would end up driving anyway...

[Nothing Without Hope]

17. more on this subject in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1778603
Thread title: Memo -Chertoff delayed federal response



edited to add: Recommended. The other thread is older and will fade from sight. Important to keep this finding visible.

[Scout1071]

18. Rated!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

19. Supreme Court AND a shrub medal? why not?

he is a loyalist, a lawyer and a neocon. Perfect.

[frictionlessO]

22. kicked nom'd and rated. I hope many others follow suit. n/t

[Imagevision]

23. Chertoff will be following Brownie's exit route after Bush speech...!

http://downingstreetmemo.com/

[BQueen]

24. This needs to be kept visible

it'd be nice if we didn't end up with so many dupes on the Greatest page. (hard to pick which version of the latest big item to vote for, I know....)

:kick: