Bush had all the power he needed to mount an effective response

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

to the hurricane. He chose not to. He was either too remote, too distracted, too un-informed, too dense, too dispassionate, too under-handled, or too stupid to respond as the President of the United States and the Commander-in-Chief when one of the major cities of this country was going underwater. He doesn't need any more "POWER" to misuse- the structure we have in place is just fine. You don't restructure the government just because the Village Idiot is in charge. As the head of Jefferson Parish said - you get a better idiot.

[JuniperLea]

1. My guess....

too many people playing power struggle instead of worrying about the people who needed help!

I'm the boss! No, I'm the boss! Nuh-uh! I'm the Boss!!! You aren't the boss of me! Yessir! Nosir! Neener neener neener!

I swear!

[Cleita]

2. This will be his legacy. It will be what goes down in the

history books. He will be remembered for this forever. It's a good thing he had daughters because his granchildren won't have to carry the shame attached to his name.

[Said1]

4. Hmmm

I'm no constitutional expert on State and Federal powers, but aren't there certain conditions in which the President can intervene in state affairs.,....such as issuing an evacuation order?

[Cleita]

6. I would think so.

However, the evacuation order was issued. The problem is that many people needed a ride out of town and since most of the NG were in Iraq, there wasn't an response team to handle the emergency. I think Clinton would have been on top of the situation before the hurricane hit, however, even if he was caught short on emergency personnel. GWB instead went on his way with his fund raising plans, eating birthday cake, playing a guitar and playing golf while the storm raged, the levees broke and people drowned. I just don't see how even a Forrest Gump could have been so oblivious. This brings me to his lack of character. I guess he didn't care that many people were going to die. Disasters happen. Who could have predicted this? Yadda, yadda, yadda.

[Said1]

8. Speaking of character judgements.....

What was the state and city's response? And when?

Not that I'm defending Bush, but when we're judging the character of those with the authority to act, lets include everyone, huh?

[Cleita]

10. Excuse me but there aren't others. The local politicians did

what they were able to. They needed federal help on the way right after that. It didn't get there until five days later. I don't know why you would defend Bush on this board. We know his administration is responsible for this lack of response, if not him directly. There is no whitewashing one can do if you read the facts in the real media.

[Said1]

13. Uhhh

I'm not defending Bush, I thought I wrote that somewhere.

Anyway, if, as stated, Bush intervened on the 28th and the storm hit on the 29th.....doesn't leave much time to get people out does it??

Also, I'm of the opinion that it should have been a combined effort before the 28th AND after the 29th. Among other things, the city and state did not utilize all it's resources available at hand in order to provide adequette evacutation. Whom is to blame for this?

[Cleita]

16. Why would he have to intervene on the 28th?

They knew the storm was coming a couple of days before, enough time to warn people to evacuate. Since a lot of the poor, didn't have a way to evacuate, it seems to most of us that a competent President would have issued the orders to move those people out using FEMA funds. Well, that was Bill Clinton's FEMA it turns out, not George Bush's FEMA. I mean he's the President of the United States. He can call the CEO's of every transportation company in the country and get things moving. Instead he vacationed and partied.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. The evacuation was successful

It was the Federal response that was a complete failure.

Once the President issued the State of Emergency on Sunday, Aug 28 he was in charge of the show at that point. Instead Bush went on vacation and completely ignored the disaster until public pressure forced him to respond and even then it was inadequate.

Bush doesn't need anymore power or authority, he just needed to use the authority he had already been granted.

[Said1]

9. Could you

direct me to any primary sources stating those facts?

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. No problem

Conditions prompt evacuation of Big Easy

August 31, 2005

NEW ORLEANS - After dodging a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina, this historic city descended into such chaos and destruction Tuesday that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco ordered evacuation of all remaining residents, including tens of thousands of refugees huddled in the Superdome.

<snip>

Roughly 80 percent of New Orleans' nearly 500,000 residents evacuated before Katrina's center came ashore Monday morning, passing just east of the city.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/31/Worldandnation/Conditions_prompt_eva.shtml

[WePurrsevere]

15. Maybe these too...

A DU Bush Timeline with links to exc sources.

Katrina Timeline with links to exc sources.


(edited to change subject :) )

[Said1]

17. Those were good, but not exactly what I meant

I was refering to a source which outlined the state and city's duties after the fed's take over and lack of initiating aid to the city after the 29th. I'll readily admit presidential public appearences are not "help" the situation, but you didn't expect him to sit in his office by the phone, a hardworking boy like him?? :D

Here is a much easier link to follow pertaining to Gov Blanco's press releases and whatnot: http://www.gov.state.la.us/workonkatrina%20.asp

Either way, the citizens of New Orleans have been let down by ALL levels of government. I mean, in one of the documents dated the 27th of August, Blanco had only requested nine million dollars in federal funds, that's not much considering they knew their pumps would not work without power and they knew their levees would be toppled. Those two points alone equate almost total devestation of the surrounding areas. Just doesn't make sense to me.

[babylonsister]

3. My take is his handlers were on vacation/out of town.

Condi shopping, Rummy seen at a ballgame, Kkkarl getting his kidney stones removed, Cheney finding clots in his leg. No one was around with any authority to tell the blivet what to do or to write his speeches. He proved how truly helpless he is.

[flordehinojos]

5. AND THE POWER & CONTROL FREAK WANTS more power now!

[Wizard777]

11. I screwed up AGAIN! I'll need more power and a couple hundred billion .

If Congress falls for that one AGAIN. They all need to be locked up. Every last one of them! They are a bigger threat to America than Usama bin Laden and every last terrorist on the face of this earth every possibly could be.

[Said1]

12. ..

If Congress falls for that one AGAIN. They all need to be locked up. Every last one of them! They are a bigger threat to America than Usama bin Laden and every last terrorist on the face of this earth every possibly could be.

Without money, how is the city going to be rebuilt? Where will the money for the most basic of infrastructures come from?

[Wizard777]

18. NOLA can have the money. Bush CAN'T. That moron shouldn't even be there

to ask for it.