Brian Williams reports: Power ON for Bush's speach, DARKNESS 1 hour later

[ray of light]

I don't know if this should go into latest breaking:

Friday morning (power) line
From Brian Williams, NBC News

I am duty-bound to report the talk of the New Orleans warehouse district last night: there was rejoicing (well, there would have been without the curfew, but the few people I saw on the streets were excited) when the power came back on for blocks on end. Kevin Tibbles was positively jubilant on the live update edition of Nightly News that we fed to the West Coast. The mini-mart, long ago cleaned out by looters, was nonetheless bathed in light, including the empty, roped-off gas pumps. The motorcade route through the district was partially lit no more than 30 minutes before POTUS drove through. And yet last night, no more than an hour after the President departed, the lights went out. The entire area was plunged into total darkness again, to audible groans. It's enough to make some of the folks here who witnessed it... jump to certain conclusions.

It is impossible to over-emphasize the extent to which this area is under government occupation, and portions of it under government-enforced lockdown. Police cars rule the streets. They (along with Humvees, ambulances, fire apparatus, FEMA trucks and all official-looking SUVs) are generally not stopped at checkpoints and roadblocks. All other vehicles are subject to long lines and snap judgments and must PROVE they have vital business inside the vast roped-off regions here. If we did not have the services of an off-duty law enforcement officer, we could not do our jobs in the course of a work day and get back in time to put together the broadcast and get on the air. As we are about to do.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8045532/

I forgot to mention: the article was sort of burried!

[dubyaD40web]

1. I'm really enjoying Brian reporting these kind of things now.

[MADem]

4. Yeah, I guess he is no longer Ole Reliable

They used to call him the GOP Go-To Guy...but I think he has switched sides.

[MsTryska]

12. who called him ol reliable?

the impression i've always had of him, is that he's kinda used-car salesman-ish, but you never knew what he was really thinking, and i presumed that what he thought was more liberal leaning than he let on.

[MADem]

50. The GOP felt he was a useful tool

...because they believed that he lacked "DETECTABLE (key word) ideological bias" like they think most anchors had. That porky asshole Frank Luntz pegged him as one to stroke. US NEWS and a few others had bits about it, and the term "GOP go-to guy" was used in one of them...

Here's the US News blurb: NBC's Go-To Guy
While Fox News Channel remains the favorite network of Republican lawmakers, NBC's new anchor, Brian Williams, is the one turning GOP heads. Message guru and former MSNBC contributor Frank Luntz says in a confidential memo to Hill leaders that Williams has emerged as the "go-to network anchor" because of his brains and "lack of detectable ideological bias." Luntz credits NBC Executive Producer Steve Capus for "a flawless transition to a new generation of news anchor." Still, Fox and CNN lead the nets when it comes to GOP loyalty. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/articles/050214/14whisplead_2.htm

[MsTryska]

53. so essentially they detected the

same lack of readability as I did. they jsut put their filter on it.


I guess Brian shoud take that as a compliment.

[MADem]

56. No, Luntz was an NBC contributor for a time

Those guys all talk to each other. Luntz likely had a good idea where ole Brian's head was at.

But hey, times change, and so do people. Here's hoping....

[liveoaktx]

48. Vid Clip-my take on his speech , includes some Brian comments

Jackson Square-lights off after * gone

[MADem]

65. Good overall view of the absurdity, for those who may have missed it

:thumbsup:

[Sydnie]

2. kick

He is trying NOT to have an opinion but how objective can one human be when he sees these outrages with his own eyes. I can't wait for his tell all book about this!

[Botany]

6. Just like handing out food when Laura shows up.

or work on the levee when * is in town.

all photo op junk!

They have no shame.

For the women behind "Gull Bay."

?path=pgallery&path_key=Downey%20Jr.,%20Robert

[Sydnie]

9. Oh Botany - you always know how to brighten my day

Yummy, simply yummy! :loveya:

[Trevelyan]

84. We need to ACT before Brian's Tell All Book or None of Us Will Be Here

http://www.democracycellproject.net/

Patrick Leahy and others are working hard and courageously to save us from Roberts being confirmed to the Supreme Court, Democracy Cell has some great activist ideas and resources.

The first on the list is to contact your Congresspersons NOT to confirm Roberts, there are links to click on above site.

FIVE MINUTES A DAY FOR DEMOCRACY ... All it takes for us to have a healthy democracy is 5 minutes a day. Just likebrushing your teeth, only easier.

[oasis]

3. A preview of Chimpy's empty, under funded promise. The bogus POTUS.

[Glenda]

11. Bogus Potus - I like that!

:hi:

[Inland]

36. Looking forward to more Potemkin programs. nt

[gratuitous]

5. Golly Brian, you sound . . . miffed

Would it surprise you to learn that a substantial segment of the population in the United States has been at a rolling boil of anger for the last five years as we've watched the criminal, homicidal incompetence and corruption of the Bush administration and the herculean efforts of your employer and much of the rest of the Fourth Estate paper it over?

Welcome to the party, pal.

[lateo]

8. Don't forget...

Brian and the MSM helped perpetuate the illusion that Bush was "transformed" after 9/11...and he was referred to as "a very popular President".

It won't be long and Brian's corporate masters will reel him in.

[emrenz]

20. Say it ain't so!

I hope you're wrong and the media continues to focus on the shortcomings of this administration. For those simpletons that are so easily influenced by the snippets they get on television, it will be the only way they start to understand what we've been talking about for 4+ years.

[peekaloo]

7. Dim bulb behind the podium could have used some extra wattage.

[Name removed]

76. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[riverwalker]

10. sounds like Baghdad

more and more. Now Rove will be the puppet king of New Orleans.

[Lin]

13. sociapathic bastards! they truly don't care what

affect their machinations have on ppl. The ONLY thing worse than being deprived of power is having it back j-u-s-t long enuf to rejoice and then SNATCHED away again.....so sad for them, must have been torturous.

ANYTHING for * must BE their motto...(BTW watching senate hearing Bunny Greenhouse & Christie (?) Watts giving Halliburton crime organization ANDmilitatry cronies HELL--MY GOD what TRUE bravery)

[Sydnie]

16. WAG THE DOG! n/t

[fooj]

22. Exactly what I was thinking!

The evil bastards!

Peace.

[Imagevision]

14. Ted Koppel reported last night the power was provided by the WH.

days before the Cathedral was painted landscaped and the government brought in their own generators and did a wonderful job of effect lighing the front of the Cathedral - Hollywood couldn't have done better...!

[SCDem]

15. and the Republicans call the Democrats Hollywood!

go figure

[MADem]

51. Yer shittin' me

While people were still up in their attics, bodies floating in the streets, they were painting the fucking cathedral???

Is that for real? How....CRAVEN...

[TankLV]

95. I just can't believe it either! They are so fucking arrogant.

They truly believe they will never be out of power again. THAT is the most frightening aspect of it all.

It just gets worse, and worse, and worse, every fucking day!

[mwb970]

102. You got it. America is dead.

Most of the sheeple are just too out of it to realize - yet.

[bpj1962]

59. Power in N.O.

If you look at the clock on the catherdral you will clearly see that that is wasn't working. It worked prior to the power going out. I am so tired of the asshat of a president using props to try and make himself look good. He spent a nice and cool night on board the Iwo Jima while thousands of NO citizens are stuck in shelters.

[progressivebydesign]

60. No. For real? They REALLY Painted it?? tell me it ain't so!

Talk about fucked up priorities. Is there a link to this?

[Tiggeroshii]

17. Speech*

It was really frustrating seeing it spelled like that in the regular forms. It's even more frustrating to see it spelled so wrong on a front page. Bah. Oh well... Someday I just have to get over some of my more basic insecurities.

[gatorboy]

18. Ha! I knew it!

I saw this last night.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4788675

[enough]

19. "under government occupation"

That is the idea.

[Trevelyan]

80. THE MILTARY OCCUPATIONS OF NOLA IS THE MAIN THING

WRITE TO BRIAN WILLIAMS AND THANK HIM FOR HIS COURAGE.

AND BUNNY GREENHOUSE THROUGH MAXINE WALTERS OR CYNTHIA MCKINNEY.

You can always reach Congresspersons to email through HTTP://WWW.CONGRESS.ORG/

This is not a spectator sport, please get involved if only to email!!!

[Stephanie]

21. Recommended - and I still want to know about that firefighter photo-op

I still want to know if the WH brought along that memorial display for the fireman photo-op the other day. I doubt the NYFD brought it with them to NOLA.

[Beelzebud]

23. Isn't it pathetic to know that public image trumps all with this president

[aquart]

30. But the headlines have all been about presidential image.

Not: Bush outlines plan for New Orleans

but: Bush tries to repair presidency.

An interesting difference.

[ToolTex]

24. I kept wondering who the cinematographer was.

I wonder if they used the Navy ship he was on last trip for power. I know after a hurricane where my sister lives in Hawaii they used nuke subs for temporary power.

[Up2Late]

31. The lighting was, most likely, run off of a Movie Production Generator

I've worked, off and on, for the last 20 years in the Television and Film industry, and they use very large, very quiet, lighting generators.

The kind of lighting they used last night must be run off of one of these generators, otherwise, those lights would blow the average domestic power supply.

To me, it looked like at least 1 but more likely 2 or 3 15,000 Watt Arc Lights, just to light up the front of that Church. Add to that 3 or 4 more lights of 1000w to 5000w each, and you will see why the light have to run off a Generator.

[MADem]

54. The power plants on ships can generate a good deal of power

They might have also flown in large generators for the event.

And then, bastards that they are, taken them away again.

[muriel_volestrangler]

68. Channel 4 News in the UK just said that

They brought in their own generators - and if the lights then went out, they presumably took them away again.

[Synnical]

69. Yeah, White House generators and lighting equipment

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/09/16/Worldandnation/Bush___This_great_cit.shtml

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the flood lights and electricity used to illuminate Bush's speech were provided by White House generators and lighting equipment.

[savemefromdumbya]

72. Bush and the Cabal will hang after the Nurembourg trials II

I'm tired how this government rides roughshod over the ordinary people. March on Washington please!

[TankLV]

97. One can only hope and pray for such a result.

I do daily.

Of course, I've always been partial to the "Mussolini" solution.

[TankLV]

96. They had to use those nuke subs to restart the island's electric grid.

I was there too - but in the relative safety of Oahu.

[in_cog_ni_to]

25. Damn. Sounds just like Iraq.

:scared: Has martial law arrived?

[Supersedeas]

26. Apparently certain conclusions that Brian Williams doesn't have the balls

to share

[Captain Hilts]

44. Why's he need 'balls' for that? (nt)

[lpbk2713]

27. False hope .... Smoke and mirrors.

Bushco stock in trade.


We have gotten used to this over the last five years. NO is now getting acquainted with it.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

28. Brought to you by ChimpCo, makers of fine deception and flimflam

-cities that appear to be reborn but aren't
-plastic turkeys
-firefighters used as props after Katrina
-actors hired to play firemen in 2004 political campaign
-Jessica Lynch deception
-Saddam's statue deception
-Saddam's capture deception

I'm sure there are many others.

[ima_sinnic]

39. -- food table brought into disaster area, REMOVED after * photo op

... the scheistkopf's crew brought in a table full of food for his first photo op (the one with the two "survivors" in blindingly white sneakers) and then removed it when he finished the shoot, leaving the victims to fend for themselves. This was documented by a German TV crew that was there but unfortunately has received very little mention here.

whatta guy!!

it's always about HIM--24/7/365

[MadisonProgressive]

61. Don't forget the TV ad

where about 20 soldiers were replicated on the screen making it look like a huge throng of adoring soldiers welcoming *.

[NYC]

88. That's hilarious.

I hadn't seen that picture.

[applegrove]

74. They are all fake. But my favorite was the picture of the fake turkey

in Iraq holding a fake turkey.

[wickerwoman]

93. Don't forget the photo shoot

in the factory showing our thriving economy where the Bush people swept in and covered up the "Made in China" signs on all the boxes in the background.

[hippiechick]

29. spell check ?

:shrug:

[DS1]

32. SPEECH! not Speach!

:rant:

[libbygurl]

33. Sounds like another occupied region in another, more distant gulf...

Thank you, Brian Williams, for reporting the truth.

[BringEmOn]

34. They couldn't divert power from Cheney's oil pipelines.

[rsmith6621]

35. mark

[LiberalinNC]

37. Typical Repug move!

Only give the Katrina survivors only a taste of electricity, to watch that a-hole, only to take it away!!!

[stray cat]

38. Brian Williams has been excellent during and post-Katrina

I'm a convert.

[ComerPerro]

40. The Photo-Op President

All shine, no substance.

And, actually, I still haven't seen any kind of shine. Maybe I am paying too much attention, so I can see right through it

[Coexist]

41. He is always great on The Daily Show

I have seen him on a couple of times.

[Trevelyan]

86. Nominated - Brian Williams had a link to a site that comment on his Daily

appearance. Was very good commentary. Scroll down on Brian Williams site, email him your support for his courage and under that more good articles from Brian on the occupation of New Orleans.

We need to act at least to the extent of writing emails.

We have been complaining about the MSM not telling the truth, now that they are doing it, need to offer constant support.

Please leave leaflets of antiwar marches in DC and other cities in your grocery basket when you leave store, restrooms, benches at malls, please.

http://www.democracycellproject.net/
http://unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2872#24natl ~leaflets

:kick: :kick:

[Wizard777]

42. Did Jr. get permission to be out in NO after cerfew?

If he did not ask Mayor Nagins permission. He needs to issue an arrest warrant.

[Jose Diablo]

43. I was willing last night to give Bu$h the benefit of doubt

With this report, however, I am sure that 'liberal' talk by Bu$h was just more of Rove's bullshit.

It's all just a stage and lights to these peckerheads.

[Beelzebud]

45. The true face of The Bush Crime Family.

It's nice to see Brian Williams actually report this. Kudos to him for finally showing signs of being a journalist.

So how much more of this shit does it take before his insane "base" starts demanding some accountability?

[LSK]

46. is anyone really surprised?

I'm not. Everything hes done is fake or a lie so why should this be any different. The sad thing is that the sheeple will fall for it.

[volitionx]

47. Cue the cheesy Broadway music!

"When you're an actor....ALL the world's a stage!"

I can't wait to have Disney New Orleans all up and ready to accept millions of tourists a year, complete with animatronic black people playing jazz instruments, just like a more ethnic version of Chuck E. Cheese!

Yeah, Halliburton and Bechtel can run the whole theme park, and make the previous black residents pay entrance fees of $40 per person to visit the city they're barred from. Eminent domain will rule the day!

Could we please win the 2006 elections and just impeach this fucking fascist "president"?

[VolcanoJen]

55. It'll look just like some kind of Disney River Walk.

You're 100% spot on, volitionx.

I can see the fake moss hanging from the wrought iron now...

[ClintonTyree]

49. JAPO............

A new bush acronym has been born. JAPO, just another photo-op. Everything this guy does is orchestrated to be a photo-op, staged for maximum effectiveness to convince the teaming masses he actually DOES give a shit.
I'm beyond all other words at this moment. :grr:

[hippiegranny]

52. perfect - JAPO

would that be pronounced with a long or short "a"?

[ClintonTyree]

64. Either way I guess........

but with the feelings of the Japenese in mind I guess we should go with the long "A", such as Maypo (if anyone else here is actually old enough to remember Maypo Cereal).

[VolcanoJen]

58. JAPO!!! Love it love it love it!!!

Nice one, ClintonTyree. :-)

[txindy]

92. Okay, JAPO is definitely a keeper!

That is too perfect - and too true - to ever use anything else.

[Doctor_J]

57. WTF has gotten into Williams?

This is almost three weeks he's been telling the truth about Smirk. If he would continue on as a journalist for the next few months, instead of a Rove mouthpiece, the worm might really start to turn.

I smell a rat here. Are they going to somehow blame Blanco for this?

[drone]

62. credibility

On MSNBC the other night I heard a reporter say, You know I have been a big supporter of the president. He should not have admitted it, because he lost his credibility. One thing for sure if there is another disaster, we will have to cover ourselves and don't expect any smooth solutions and results. My question is, are there any rewards being given for biased reporting?

[Hardknock]

63. NBC Reported this?!?!?

I'll be dammed!! Do we really have our press corps back????

[ray of light]

66. only place I know of it is online.

[usregimechange]

78. Media Blast time!

[liveoaktx]

103. Vid Clip-MSNBC's David Schuster talks about the electricity

Set up for President doesn't reflect reality

[gauguin57]

67. Man! Has President Potty Break ever lost his mojo!

The guy cannot cannot CANNOT do one effing thing right regarding Hurricane Katrina.

He just keeps effing up and pissing more and more people off.

[Binka]

70. Mother Nature Steps In Where Babs Could Not

She sends a can a whoop ass his way that he just can not pout, whine, stomp, yell, temper, and tantrum out of. Memo to Babs from Mama Naturale: You have raised a fucked up kid and it is time for the two of you to face the music.

Cindy and Katrina take Babs and Asshat to task. He is so fucking done.

[Captain Hilts]

71. I just saw Bush's helicopters head out to Camp David.

It was at 3:45. All three heading up the Potomac River.

So, the presidential weekend has started!

[savemefromdumbya]

73. Hey we could pay him a visit?

pretzels and beer on the menu?

[Stephanie]

79. SO HE'S ALREADY BACK ON VACATION?

PLEASE, if you can verify this somehow, post it as it's own thread.

I can't believ that at 3:40 on Friday afternoon Bush had already left for another VACATION, a visit to his GOVT OWNED & MAINTAINED COUNTRY ESTATE. It is absolutely SHAMELESS. All he cares about is his own COMFORT.

[Captain Hilts]

83. I saw the three presidential helicopters heading up the Potomac at 3:45.

No mistaking them.

[ThoughtCriminal]

75. New "Potemkin" Orleans

Good enough for photo-ops.

[usregimechange]

77. Get this story out there guys, post post, send send, lets do it!

[journalist3072]

81. A pattern here, possibly?

Remember that Thursday or Friday (I think Friday) when Bush visited New Orleans, and that just happened to be the day that federal aide started arriving?

And now the lights suddently come on when he's there?

Hmmm...

[wiggs]

82. Fake turkey, fake cowboy, fake town hall mtgs, fake, fake fake. nt

[bettyellen]

105. fake homestead, fake sobriety......fake fake fake....

[Nothing Without Hope]

85. Millitary occupation and martial law. Exactly. And they want MORE:

Please read through all of this thread - I and others also put some key articles in the replies.
The Bush Administration is clearly planning for and moving toward widespread martial law. No, this is NOT tinfoilhattery. It was in his speech and it was all over other recent and not-so-recent Bush Administration plans and statements.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4790112
Thread title: Missing A KEY POINT in *'s speech: POWER GRAB FOR POTUS AND MILITARY

Why does the military have to so totally control all aspects of the city? To protect from the "looters™"? Is that REALLY what is going on here when Williams says:

It is impossible to over-emphasize the extent to which this area is under government occupation, and portions of it under government-enforced lockdown. Police cars rule the streets. They (along with Humvees, ambulances, fire apparatus, FEMA trucks and all official-looking SUVs) are generally not stopped at checkpoints and roadblocks. All other vehicles are subject to long lines and snap judgments and must PROVE they have vital business inside the vast roped-off regions here. If we did not have the services of an off-duty law enforcement officer, we could not do our jobs in the course of a work day and get back in time to put together the broadcast and get on the air.

[Trevelyan]

87. Bless that off duty cop, he must also have courage like the sherriff that

Aaron Broussard said put his men with shotguns to stop FEMA from cutting their electricity, etc.

After I media blast, and put some of this on AOL Messageboards for those who are genuinely looking for a clue, as I was after Kerry took a dive, I am going to the Louisiana State site and try to find a way to email Mr. Broussard and thank him for telling the truth in such a powerful way. He is the President of Jefferson Parrish so he should be on the site.

Donate to the NAACP or ACORN to make sure donations end up helping the evacuees and not part of bush's slush fund.

[Nothing Without Hope]

94. Oh yes, bless him for sure. There is no doubt the Administration wants

to block all truthful reporting of what is actually going on in New Orleans. That off-duty cop is indeed taking his life in his hands.

I believe that the ultimate downfall of the unspeakable criminals who have killed so many people and traumatized so many more will come because of things they don't understand. Things like the courage shown by that off-duty cop and the reporters who are suddenly finding their spine and rising to their calling. Things like the great outpouring of humanitarian caring toward the victims of the hurricane and deep outrage at the Administration's murderous policies and continuous spew of self-serving lies.

See, I think the rest of the country was "supposed" to just gawk at the TV coverage of the hurricane for a day or two and then go back to business as usual and forget New Orleans and the terrible further plans of the neocons. We were "supposed" to be reassured when the FEMA "cavalry" rode in after making sure the situation was unspeakable after days of delaying any action - that didn't work in part because FEMA is no one's saving-the-day cavalry under the jaw-droppingly incompetent hacks installed by the Bush Administration - but also because of the horror of what we saw during those days of needless horror and death. I believe we were even "supposed" to be disgusted and above all frightened by the highly hyped and endlessly repeated video clips showing the dark-skinned "looters™" so we would beg for federal protection. We were "supposed" to believe all the Administration lies, just as the American public has believed so many of their other lies, no matter how outrageous. The Big Media reporters and commentators were "supposed" to go along with all this and enable it wherever it needed a boost or a suppression. Some have (like Bill O'Rielly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and to some extent Wolf Blitzer), but many have actually dared to tell the truth with most convincing outrage. Looking at Brian Williams on site in New Orleans, I see a man of passion who has found his own voice.

I believe that it will be the things the PNAC neocons don't understand that will bring them down: intregrity, compassion, courage, dignity, generosity, and a deep, burning outrage that is far larger than they ever expected. Even optimism in the sense that Americans have a strong sense that if they apply themselves, throw themselves whole-heartedly into a bad situation, they can make it better. It's the downside of being a sociopath, you see: you can get blindsided by those emotions and passions that real human beings have. Lies and tricks only go so far, and I think they've just about reached their limit.

We cannot let it be otherwise.

[onehandle]

89. Liberal Media Lie.

Every photo I see online of him in Jackson Square is fully lit.

If they cut the power, wouldn't the photos reflect that?

[Nothing Without Hope]

91. I hope that's sarcasm, but if not - the broadcast setup includes its own

power source, which is a generator. Here's a scene from the blog page showing Williams making his broadcast on Sept 15:



Brian Williams comments on this in an update of the entry in the opening post:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9314188/#050916c
Blogged by Brian Williams • Sept. 16, 2005 | 4:10 p.m. EDT

Two brief follow-ups from last night's broadcast (pictured below... this is what Nightly News looks like from the field... power, including lighting, supplied by generator... note the ingenious water bottle holder, invented by cameraman Dwaine Scott) having to do with two specific stories. First, the marriage certificate we found on the interstate highway: We found the couple, who are apparently staying at two SEPARATE shelters, both military bases. Details on tonight's broadcast.

And about young Charles Evans, the little boy who is just so extraordinary: So many people have come forward and there are such big plans for him, please rest assured that if just HALF of it comes through, his future will be much brighter. It's important to all of us who have been touched by his life that he have a good future, but more immediately that he have a childhood and get a good education.

(snip - there is more)

This is standard - these broadcast trucks go everywhere, and if they had to plug into local electrical sources they wouldn't function as needed even in normal times.

[onehandle]

100. yeah, it was just a dumb joke. nt

[Nothing Without Hope]

90. PERMALINK FOR THE BRIAN WILLIAMS BLOG ENTRY IN OPENING POST:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9314188/#050916

The link in the opening post is to a blog in which Brian Williams wrote that entry. As time passes, it moves down the page. ALL of the entries are important and interesting, but to return to the one quoted in the opening post, you need the permalink.

[blue agave]

98. kick

[sakabatou]

99. Using the power for a semi-photo-op?

WHAT A FUCKING JERK!

[HR_Pufnstuf]

101. Remember Dick.

"I think we are in fact on our way to getting on top of the whole Katrina exercise. We've got a lot of work ahead of us," D. Cheney, 9/10/5

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050910/ts_nm/katrina_wrap_dc

[paineinthearse]

104. John Conyers: Lights Go On In N.O. for Bush Photo-Op and than Off?

http://www.conyersblog.us/archives/00000243.htm

Blogged by JC on 09.16.05 @ 09:11 PM ET

Lights Go On In N.O. for Bush Photo-Op and than Off?
And More Fuzzy Math from Bush

From Brian Williams via Kos , I see that in parts of New Orleans, power came on shortly before the speech, to much aclaim, and the power stopped after the...

From Brian Williams via Kos, I see that in parts of New Orleans, power came on shortly before the speech, to much aclaim, and the power stopped after the Prez spoke. We are clearly in the theater of the absurd when a president can use entire communities and their electricity needs as mere props in his political propoganda.

As for the speech itself, it would seem to defy credulity. Let me get this straight, the Administration blows up the deficit, cuts taxes for the wealthiest one percent, engages in a war on false pretenses that has cost $200 billion and counting, and now we have a national tragedy, due in large part to the incompetence of his Administraton, and he proposes to rebuild with savings from whats left in the domestic discretionary budget? So the poorest of the poor will bear the burden of rebuilding? This is true Alice in Wonderland stuff.

I'm glad the American people are getting that this Administration does not share our priorities. We need to put a stop to this sophistry and hypocrisy soon, starting in 06, and continuing in 08 and beyond.

[plutus5]

106. Look at yourselves

Rep. William Jefferson : Katrina Shame - An Outrage And A National Disgrace (so as long as the left is race baitng, for reference purposes, this "man" is an African American)
Topics: Natural Disasters

Sept. 13, 3005 — Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a local congressman used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings — even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned.

On Friday, Sept. 2 — five days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast — Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who represents New Orleans and is a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, was allowed through the military blockades set up around the city to reach the Superdome, where thousands of evacuees had been taken.

Lt. Col. Pete Schneider of the Louisiana National Guard tells ABC News that during the tour, Jefferson asked that the truck take him to his home on Marengo Street, in the affluent uptown neighborhood in his congressional district. According to Schneider, this was not part of Jefferson's initial request.

The water reached to the third step of Jefferson's house, a military source familiar with the incident told ABC News, and the vehicle pulled up onto Jefferson's front lawn so he wouldn't have to walk in the water. Jefferson went into the house alone, the source says, while the soldiers waited on the porch for about an hour.

Finally, according to the source, Jefferson emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded up into the truck.

"This wasn't about me going to my house. It was about me going to my district," he said.