MTP: Russert challenges St. Bern Parish President's "mother drowned" story

[tgnyc]

Timmy has Broussard on again. Timmy is pointing to MSNBC and bloggers that challenged the story that the feds failed to rescue his employee's momma. They say it was local, not the feds, who failed momma.

Broussard is basically: what kind of sick fuck (he used the word "blackhearted")would waste time nitpicking the details of an old woman's death in the wake of this disaster? I was obviously very emotional at the time. The bottom line is the feds WERE NOT HERE, period. THEY WERE NOT HERE.

I agree with Broussard completely. The man was an emotional wreck, and everybody knows the feds were out to lunch on this. What kind of mind sees the original Broussard interview and says, "you know, I bet that's not right. Let me investigate and determine exactly which person let the woman drown, in an effort to discredit Broussard?"

Which bloggers was Timmy referring to? It sounds like a classic Malkin heart-of-shit maneuver.

[sasha031]

1. Broussard called it for what it is , the black hearted.

I thought the interview made pumpkin head look like a Magot.

[Botany]

2. Tim got chewed a new ass.

he was trying to get repug talking points out ....

[tgnyc]

5. It wasn't jut Timmy who got chewed a new one.

Broussard was clearly directing his comments to whoever these shit-hearted bloggers were who went down the investigating warpath.

[fortyfeetunder]

15. Russhit is a shill

That idiot wanted to nitpick when and how a 92YO woman DIED?

[spanone]

3. Timmy was shilling hard for the Feds innocence.

What a prick. Russert isn't used to dealing with REAL people. He's used to DC pricks.

[liberalhistorian]

46. The whole point of these sick

fucks is to move the blame away from their God, the Boy King Impostor, anyway they can. That is why they're doing this, attempting to put it ALL on the local government, when the feds share a huge, huge part of the blame and THEY JUST WERE NOT THERE, PERIOD.

The pug bloggers, et al., know it's a horrible PR situation, and they're trying to do what they can to deflect from that by discrediting those who attempt to show the total incompetence and indifference of the feds.

And how typically conservative. Instead of caring about the fact that an old woman drowned, they have to nitpick the details and discredit the victims.

[liveoaktx]

4. VIDEO

Ass-chew

[goclark]

6. Aaron is my hero!! This is a must bookmark!!!! Nominated

He reamed the hell out of that nasty shill !

Timmy for the trash can.

Maybe NBC could hire Aaron for host of a REAL show instead of a phony airways sucker like Meet the Press.

[buzzard]

13. I can't view the video, which Aaron do you mean?

[goclark]

23. See the post above. The video is also on another thread here

If you can't open the one in this thread, you must find it on DU today.

Aaron Broussard

[Cha]

49. Here's the transcript from crooksandliars

..on another thread about it.

..Boussard responded Very Well, himself, to the GARGOYLE..big little timmy!


"Listen, sir, somebody wants to nitpick a man's tragic loss of a mother because she was abandoned in a nursing home? Are you kidding? What kind of sick mind, what kind of black-hearted people want to nitpick a man's mother's death? They just buried Eva last week. I was there at the wake. Are you kidding me? That wasn't a box of Cheerios they buried last week."

More..
..http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4880598&mesg_id=4883178

[SillyGoose]

14. Thanks for posting that video of the MTP segment with Broussard.

He sure told Russert where it was at. Good for him.

[skooooo]

26. This is an outrage

Tim Russert needs to be taken to the woodshed over this.

[warrior1]

7. little timmy lost

easily because remember our dear leader ran on he would protect us from harm. Given our dear leader is the 'feds' and they where not helping people and many people drown and starved to death, timmy lost this argument period.

[Halliburton]

8. he's citing Powerline!

i did a google search, and voila!

[johnfunk]

11. You mean POWER-LIE

Please use its proper name in the future. :evilgrin:

[gratuitous]

9. What kind of man are you, Russert?

At long last, have you no shame whatsoever? Is there no Republican talking point so repugnant to you, so offensive, so sick, that you won't repeat it? It's good to see that Mr. Broussard, heartsick as he is over his still fresh loss, had the decency and the humanity to refute your mean little question, but why should people who go on your show be prepared for that sort of pettiness in the first place?

Retire, Mr. Russert. If all you can do anymore is parrot the meanest, most spiteful talking points from anonymous postings on the internet, then you aren't earning a salary anymore. Get your twenty off the dresser and call it a night.

Despicable.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

10. beautiful. Your words really hit the point perfectly

for myself, I was seeing red too much to respond rationally.
He hath no shame at all. But the person I really want to ID is the editor who set this up. It was not Timmy alone. He had help, a staff, a content editor, and more.

[goclark]

12. The "No Shame" dog bone goes to Timmy this AM

And he got his bone and his hat brought to him by Aaron.

Aaron was skilled in his debating techniques, a master.

Notice that he did not attack Timmy, he attacked the "blackhearted" which certainly included TIM!

[tblue37]

17. Oh, he IS earning his salary!

Super-RW GE CEO Jack Welch brags about how he turned liberal Russert into a water-carrier for the RW by plying him with money and perks.

[soleft]

18. I emailed similar sentiments to MTP comments

Congratulations Mr. Russert, you may have just become the most hated man in America. What you TRIED to do to Mr. Broussard was shameful. I'd go as far as to say it was evil. He pegged you right - blackhearted. And the really tragic thing is I look at the men you're trying to protect and they are just so not worth the loss of your soul.

[Spinzonner]

69. It was kind of a McCarthy moment

[lala_rawraw]

16. Let's take a guess on those unamed bloggers tube feeding timmy

shall we?

[Catrina]

19. Wow, Karl Rove was on the phone

to Timmy this week ~ what they are afraid of is the power of Aaron Broussard's honesty and real grief. And the fact that he is a true hero, who spent every day trying to save lives, while they strummed and shilled and ate cake. And they think we will forget, by dressing the idiot-in-chief in a suit and making him go to a bunker to try to look like he cares!!

Even in the first interview with Broussard, Timmy tried to stop him. He's not used to talking to ordinary people who are not impressed with him. He's in the cocoon of DC where they all drink cocktails and the only ordinary people they ever meet are the service people who wait on them hand and foot.

Time to tune out again, Karl Rove is out of the hospital and they have all received their orders again, so it'll be back to the same old 'let's make George look good' routine. Except I doubt it will work this time. They'll be checking the polls, and we'll be told that Bush is regaining the 'confidence of the American people'.

Broussard is someone I would vote for ~ I hope he runs for Congress or the Senate. The man is a lawyer, he's not an ignorant slob like Timmy. But he has a heart, and that's something that is so rare to see in the good old USA these days. 'Black hearts' ~ 'bureaucratic murder' ~ exactly!! That's what happened in NOLA ~ and no amount of rehab will change it.

Dogs eating bodies on US streets, bodies still not retrieved because only Bush's buddies are allowed to pick them up, four weeks after the storm!!! Shame on America and on the likes of Tim Russert. No wonder there were Republicans at the peace march yesterday with signs saying they are ashamed of their party!!

[Igel]

20. Apart from the sympathy to be shown to Broussard for his loss,

there's the little matter that he used his mother's death to make a point. A highly politically charged point. His mother's death may make no point at all if it wasn't Katrina-related. However humans have difficulty in accepting that things just happen: some*body* must be responsible, blame must be assigned. At least at first, early in recovering from grief.

It may make a different point, however, with Broussard stuck by it. In the *state* evacuation plan, locals do the heavy lifting; they ask for help when they need it, from the state; and the state asks for federal help, after it's resources are maxed out. It works fine, with praise, before landfall; after landfall, local authorities are only victims, passive, and blameless for anything they can shift one or two rungs up the power scale.

If his mother died as a result of Katrina because she wasn't evacuated when the first responders failed, first responsibility goes to the first responders. Then the second responders failed, with secondary responsibility going to them. Then, it seems, the third responders failed. Broussard was the chief first responder: in addition to the sense of guilt from knowing that he could have sent a police officer to look after his mother, I can't help but wonder if he regrets the job he and his people did in the evacuation. That would make his grief a heavy burden, indeed.

[mandyky]

21. It wasn't Brousard's mother

It was emergency manager's mother, which is neither here or there, but
why are you sticking up for the feds?

[Igel]

39. So it seems.

Somewhere I got the idea it wasn't Rodrigue's, but Broussard's.

One can stick up for accuracy without making a partisan point. I believe that what I said for the chain of responsibility is accurate. To allow inaccuracy to go unchallenged, much less to accept inaccuracy, is to be part of the irrealis-based community.

[Verve]

73. Whomever's mother it was, waited for 5 Frickin Days to be rescued

before she DROWNED! This was not first, second, third, or even fourth responders!

The FEDERAL government played a role in her death! What don't you understand?

[Flubadubya]

76. "part of the irrealis (sic)-based community"...

and I see one of your hobbies is "fantasy"... oh, not to mention "linguistics". :)

In all seriousness... you really need to have a look at this and get a taste of something reality-based:

http://karenas.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/09/disgusting_tim_.html

Russert is nothing but a water-carrying butt boy for the Bushies... THAT, my friend, is reality based, I guarantee! :eyes:

[txindy]

27. Not his mother. Not his juridiction. Not his guilt.

What in the world are you talking about? Where did these talking points come from?

[johnaries]

53. You completely missed Broussard's point.

You must not have seen the interview because he made the point very well.

They were told the Calvary was coming, and the Calvary never arrived!

As to the evacuation, the nursing home was responsible for evacuating the residents and charges have been brought against the home. Some of the home employees are saying that they were afraid too many residents would die during the evacuation, but I'm sure all of that will be covered in the court case.

[Garbo 2004]

54. When a fed state of emergency is declared in advance of an anticipated

disaster it is done so the feds can work with the locals to prepare, engage in mitigation (like evacs) prior to the event and then be available asap after the event to assist, working with the first responders.

And the prepositioning of resources (troops, supplies) is supposed to enable the Feds to be on the scene asap along with the local first responders. For the simple reason that the magnitude of the disaster is anticipated to be beyond the ability of the first responders to handle. Which is why the Fed declaration is made in advance of the storm in the first place.

The point is after the declaration the Feds aren't supposed to wait until after the event and then wait to be specifically called in. (Which, however, is what people conveniently have been led to believe by the Administration. Hence, all the "blame the first responders" sentiments.) They're supposed to be on the scene asap after the event working with the first responders.

That's the way it's supposed to go. It didn't.

[markus]

66. But Bush was playing political games

and insisted on federalizing the Guard. (He couldn't risk having Democrats come out looking good in comparison to his failure).

Governing-in-waiting Blanca refused his initial demand, due to the infalted news reports of looting and shooting. Federalized troops can't perform law enforcement duties, and he didn't want them disarmed.

It was Bush who left people to die to make political hay.

He is a fucking murderer.

Anyone who interferes with communicating that point is an accessory to murder.

[Rex_Goodheart]

22. A bit of clarification...

Aaron Broussard is actually the president of Jefferson Parish, not St. Bernard Parish.

St. Bernard is a neighboring parish, and the place where the mother to which he referred drowned in the nursing facility.

[Imajika]

24. Well....

That clip of Broussard sobbing on MTP a few weeks ago was replayed over and over on NBC/MSNBC. His story was a major indictment of the Federal response to Katrina, and he pointed his finger directly at FEMA for effectively causing the death of this woman by not arriving in time to save her.

Turns out, that story isn't quite true. What is wrong with Russert getting to the truth of such highly charged accusations?

Sure, Broussard is basically right about the appalling Federal response. But he chose to use that example, and it appears that local officials and the nursing home were directly responsible for her death - not the Fed's.

Looked to me like Broussard was trying to dodge the question by saying it is wrong for anyone to ask for clarification.

Further, this line about how he's never watched the video of his previous appearance on MTP struck me as simply not believable.

Something is odd about this, and I wouldn't be so quick to jump on Russert.

[aquart]

28. The woman died after waiting beyond 48 hours?

Then the fault is NOT with the first responders WHO MUST BE ASSUMED TO BE OVERWHELMED BY THE DISASTER, but with FEMA which was supposed to arrive before two days were up.

Your defense of Russert is as ill-founded as his information.

[Imajika]

30. His original telling of the story....

...was simply not accurate.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9368952/

"New details and interviews with the son whose mother died in the flood show that the tragedy unfolded from Saturday through Monday, Aug. 29 — not Monday through Friday, Sept. 2 as recounted by Broussard. The owners of the nursing home were indicted Tuesday for the deaths of more than 30 residents, which officials say occurred on Aug. 29."

Broussard goes on national TV, makes highly charged accusations that get repeated over and over, and it turns out his timeline is way off the mark. No one at all should be surprised that Russert and/or other people in the media won't question it.

The owners of the nursing home and local officials appear to be most at fault for this particular incident, not FEMA or the Federal response. Had this woman really been trapped in the home till Friday one could say her sitting there all week without help was due to horrific Federal response, but the timeline was Saturday through Monday - not stretching throughout the entire week through Friday as Broussard had claimed.

Even FEMA at it's very best is not going to be able to respond to every stranded person in 3 days.

I also highly doubt that Broussard hadn't seen at some point a replay of his appearance 3 weeks ago on MTP till this Sunday. That was broadcast over and over and over and over again on NBC, MSNBC and elsewhere. Infact, I believe Matthews ran it several times as a lead in to his interviews with Broussard.

All I am saying is, something is very odd about this.

[pacalo]

59. Odd?

Have you ever been in a disaster? Even better, have you ever been in a disaster as a leader of a large community?

I live in a neighboring parish of Mr. Broussard's & I can attest to the fact that he's a very honorable, caring man. As he explained on today's MTP, he reacted to the information he received from his employees during a very chaotic, stressful time.

Anyone with a sense of empathy & compassion would readily overlook that, but Russert's goal was to cut him down to size -- inappropriately using a very sensitive issue to do it, I might add -- because Broussard accurately exposed the ineptness of the WH administration.

As for FEMA, I do believe it could have anticipated its role 3 days before the storm & acted accordingly. During that time, the dire sense of urgency was on tv 24/7. I heard the pleas of the local leaders. Thank God I was lucky enough to have the resources to get out.

"There, but for the grace of God, go I."

[expatriate]

71. Thank you!

I know Aaron Broussard personally. And I can say that he would not have cried like a baby on national television for any reason other than being completely emotionally destroyed. He is no Jerry Falwell or Oprah Winfrey, with a patented tear pump at the ready, all set to start gushing on cue.

He had to have been under horrific stress. The story of Mr. Rodrigue's mother dying had been relayed to him by his office staff. He told what he knew at the time - during a terribly stressful and emotional time. He is a parish president, not an investigative reporter, and he certainly had his hands full at the time, and wasn't going to go running around trying to find out exactly when the old lady died.

The anecdote was and is illustrative of the fuckup that has been the federal government's response. Nitpicking over what day an old woman drowned in her bed in a nursing home? These people are really grasping at straws, are they not?

The federal government knew, just as everyone in America knew, that this was a huge hurricane, and it was heading for New Orleans. The President failed to act and do what was necessary to protect American citizens. Had he reacted as was fit, far fewer people would have died. Full stop. He is an incompetent, neglectful, arrogant, plutocratic ass.

[pacalo]

75. If you know him personally, then you know what a good man he is.

I was on the road that Sunday when Broussard had accurately proclaimed, "Bureaucracy committed murder." It got my attention immediately; I was thinking how much credibility Broussard had just added to Nagin's plight. Once we found a place to stay, I was able to catch up on the news I'd missed, including the fact that * had been more concerned with photo ops with guitars & birthday cakes while New Orleans was under water, still waiting for help from the federal government.

If the scores of tv reporters could get into New Orleans, why couldn't FEMA or the National Guard? During the first few days after the storm, I saw crowds of people begging, pleading for help. It was surreal; I couldn't believe it was happening.

Why didn't they leave? They didn't have the resources. For those who think they should have packed up & left, I can tell you that it cost my family several thousand dollars on our evacuation trip. And for those who sit in their comfortable surroundings & sneer about "they are the ones who cried the loudest", as though they had a lot of nerve to demand help: Try sitting in 100-degree, baking-hot weather without water or food for a few days; of course, they were demanding help -- they were afraid for their lives & felt as though no one cared!

I do believe with all my heart that our Democratic leaders' pleas were snubbed because of their party affiliation. When you consider the pettiness & selectiveness of this administration for the last 4 years, it's not hard to see that was the case.

During our trip out of town, we listened to WWL radio. We heard Haley Barbour's (Republican Miss. gov.) kissing up to this administration. When I was able to watch the news, I saw that Mississippi was the first stop on *'s tour -- it included a photo op with two attractive black women who had been hurricane victims. I saw how he had his arms around their shoulders for a long, lingering time so that all cameras present could snap the shot. You'd have thought he'd visit those in New Orleans who were left out on the interstate ramp in the baking sun, pleading for days for not only to be rescued by the helicopters flying over, but for the smallest tokens of humanity: water & food.

It's all about priorities. Aaron Broussard couldn't have said it better: "Beaurocracy committed murder." And I think politics was just as much to blame.

[dalaigh lllama]

74. I thought I heard that these people drowned

If the "official" story is that they died on August 29th, but the levees didn't break until Tuesday, then that, too, seems to be a very odd "fact," if they died from drowning before the flooding. Does anyone have more details on the nursing home deaths?

[Garbo 2004]

51. A Canadian search and rescue team were first to arrive in St. Bernard's

parish. Before the Feds. Good for the Canadians, but how pathetic is it that Canadians can get on the scene before the Feds?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050908/wl_canada_nm/canada_canadians_neworelans_col;_ylt=AoxPvbvFQX_cCWkC0BKEDU4DW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1125978665424_119

[kath]

72. yes, and practically the minute the Feds got there (finally) they sent the

Vancouver team home -- even though the Candadian team had enough food and water to be self-sufficient for 5 MORE DAYS.

Fokkers.

[mandyky]

32. You really think Broussard has had time to watch TV in the last month?

Pulease!

[Imajika]

33. Yes

He's had time for plenty of press interviews. I suspect he also had a moment to see his MTP segment that became symbolic of the failed Federal response.

I'm not saying he is a bad guy. I don't fault him for not getting the story about the nursing home right. It was a hectic time and he reported what he'd been told. All I am saying is, he got the story wrong and it shouldn't be a surprise that the media called him on it. Were the situation reversed, and this guy was a Republican laying the blame on Blanco, we would demand the media bring to light any error in his story.

Something just struck me as odd about his appearance this morning. I have a hard time believing he'd never seen his famous previous interview on MTP. I thought his suggestion that anyone questioning his account of what happened at the nursing home was "blackhearted" was disingenuious.

[Rainscents]

36. Flood happened on early (1:00 am Tues Morning) and they (FEDS)

didn't come in the flooded area un Friday! Where the hell you get off trying to spin this shit? Local nor the state can handle mass amount of floods and disasters without FEDS help!

REMEMBER??? FEDS cut their phone line? How did you forget???

[Imajika]

37. The problem is still the same...

..the story as Broussard told it in his first MTP interview 3 weeks ago was not accurate.

Broussard does not even defend it, he just says that he was relaying the story as it was told to him, and how dare any "blackhearted" person nitpick or question it.

I do not have a problem with the media looking at someone's statements, and calling them on any inaccuracies. We would be outraged if the media did not grill a Republican who blamed a Democratic administration for negligence by telling a story which was later proven not to be entirely true.

My point is not to criticize Broussard, though I did find his appearance on today's MTP a bit odd what with all the burning of witches and western justice, rather it is to point out that there is nothing wrong with Russert revisiting the inaccurate statements Broussard made 3 weeks ago.

[Garbo 2004]

44. Here's Russert "grilling" Condi...he lobs them up, she spins the absurd

and inaccurate party line and he lets it go. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5640412/

[Justice]

48. Broussard defended it - did you actually watch the interview?

He said he had relayed the story that he was told by his staff and the man's mother.

You point seems to have plenty to do with criticizing Broussard and not much to do with anything else. Blackhearted - is that the term Broussard used?

[never_get_over_it]

52. The most important part of Broussard's story is

that the woman died on Friday - Russert said she died on Monday - Broussard still maintained that she died on Friday in today's MTP. That is the critical point - the freaking storm came on Monday and the first REAL Federal response started on Friday the same day of the freak in chief's first photo op. Sure the state and locals made mistakes - but they DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES to respond to such a disaster - that's why I think we have a FEDERAL Emergency Management Agency - there is NO EXCUES for tht e four day delay of getting Federal help to these people - FEMA should have been set up to go into action BEFORE the storm happened in order to move in immediately after the storm - in fact the Feds should have had someone bolstering up the levees on Saturday and Sunday.

The point of Russert's interview was to move the blame from the Feds to the state and locals and there is no freaking way this is possible.

If the Feds didn't make mistakes how come they got Federal assistance set up before Rita hit - seems to me by their actions for Rita they admitted they made a big fat fucking mistake for Katrina.


edited to include Broussard's comment from today that the woman died on Friday after the strom not the Monday of the storm:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9438988/

Mr. Broussard: "Sir, this gentleman's mother died on that Friday before I came on the show."

[pacalo]

58. The "burning witches" & "western justice" references...

were in regard to the current McCarthy-like atmosphere, generated by the "you're either with us or against us" mentality, where those who don't agree with this administration are "punished" with character assassination.

I didn't find the references odd at all; the analogies were right on for this administration.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

38. the press called a man on being wrong? WMDs spring to mind

when I hear that. Who ever called that little prick wrong on that one? That's the problem you see? Who cares if Broussard got a few facts wrong? The result is the same--the woman dead because of negligence. I'm sick of everyone being held to some sort of standards except the ones who need to be. So stick it.

[Imajika]

42. Sorry, but I just don't buy your arguments...

First, the media regularly mention that Bush was wrong about WMD's. They may qualify it in such a way to minimize the point (by saying "everyone" thought Iraq had WMD's), but they do point out with regularily that Bush said Iraq had WMD's and that he was wrong.

Second, I don't accept the notion that the press shouldn't hold people on "our side" to account for the statements they make. That clip of Broussard telling the story of the woman dying in the nursing home was gripping and became symbolic of the failure of the Federal response. It was played over and over again. Broussard's telling of it was not accurate. There is nothing wrong with Russert revisiting those statements.

"Who cares if Broussard got a few facts wrong?"

I do. When I am told something, I want to find out if it is true. He did not get a few facts wrong, he got the entire timeline wrong.

"The result is the same--the woman dead because of negligence."

Yes, but who's negligence? In this case, it seems likely that the biggest culprit was the nursing home - not the Federal Government.

"I'm sick of everyone being held to some sort of standards except the ones who need to be."

Tough. I want the truth, not half baked tales that make my side look good or my opponents look bad.

I question everything and everyone, not just Republicans.

I questioned Bev Harris when she was a hero on DU. I was regularly castigated and flamed for doing so. Bev Harris was a fraud. I was right to have questioned her and more people should have.

"So stick it."

That's very adult of you.

[karlrschneider]

47. For what it's worth, I agree with you. I am more interested in facts than

political points.

[Imajika]

50. Thanks

[markus]

64. What he understood

still illustrated a valid point.

The Texas documents were never debunked either, and the secretary who said she thought those were not valid copies said the contents were accurate.

If you don't get what's going on here, then please at least don't interfere and futher muddy the waters by sticking up for Bush apologists.

[sunnystarr]

68. OK let's get few things straight

I watched the segment on MTP. I was paying close attention especially when Russert was accusing him of lying. Broussard stated that he was told that Friday (4 days after Katrina) that the mother of his friend was dead by the people in the office and they filled him in on the details. These are the details he relayed on his first MTP appearance. I don't see any lie here. Since she was found dead on Friday, I don't think that anyone would jump to the conclusion that she died on Monday or Tuesday. The point Broussard was making was that the calvalry (feds/FEMA) didn't come and let down all Katrina victims at the cost of many of their lives. Not only didn't they come but they were stopping non-fed help from getting in.

I also don't understand who can say she died on Monday. The flooding happened on Tuesday. If she was part of the group left behind in the nursing home by those two who are now arrested, we don't know when they actually died. They may have been left on the highest level of the nursing home.

We don't even have a death toll yet on Katrina - and we all know it won't be accurate and only an investigation will give us a close number. With temperatures in the high 90's, along with flooding, it would be really difficult to get an accurate time of death. That's assuming autopsies have actually been performed. Four weeks after Katrina hit there were still bodies in the streets that had not been respectfully picked up and removed.

Bodies would deteriorate at a higher than normal rate in those conditions. If you can keep a body on ice to throw off a coroner as to the time or day of death, then conversely conditions that would hasten body deterioration can make it appear that a body was dead longer than it actually was.

Then there's the political Karl Rove angle. Since Broussard's first emotional appearance and it's effect on viewers, you can bet that the political machine went to work quickly. Even if they autoposied those bodies from the funeral home, it would be difficult for me to accept the "official" results knowing what I know of Rove's tactics. He was after all in charge and would be working hard to neutralize, marginalize, and villify Broussard. Why do you think Russert brought it up in the first place? I notice Russert doesn't bring up things from liberal blogs when he's questioning guests from the right wing. That should have caused an alarm to go off in your head in the first place.

[npincus]

60. silly- his reaction to hearing the interview was NOT acting.

[pacalo]

62. The "blackhearted" reference...

was in regard to Russert's priorities in choosing to nitpick about information Broussard was given by his employees during a very chaotic period. As for Broussard's initial claim that "bureaucracy committed murder", he continues to stick by the remark. And I stand by Broussard on anything he says.

[Garbo 2004]

41. I wish Russert was as assiduous in his follow ups with members of the Bush

Administration when he has them on, given all the stories they've promoted in furtherance of their policies that turned out to be "not quire true."

[Imajika]

43. Agreed

I completely agree.

[Flubadubya]

77. Well isn't that the whole damned point here?

Not once has Russert's "agenda" been one of your "stickling points". It's all been about the "accuracy" of Mr. Broussard's story. When it all comes out in the wash, the fact of the matter is, Mr. Russert was trying to hang Mr. Broussard and let his little masters BushCo off the hook, being the superb little sycophant that he is.

Don't you find it the least bit "odd" that Russert never brought up or challenged Mr. Broussard on the charges he made about FEMA coming in and cutting off their emergency communications or the fact that he did not challenge him on his charge about FEMA turning away Wal-Mart trucks bringing in tons of bottled water? Why do you NOT question that or think it odd that Russert would not have "investigated" the accuracy of these statements. Could it be that the charges are true, and that to bring them up would have been to indict FEMA and BushCo, which is exactly the opposite of what Russert was up to?

You truly miss the point. Whether Mr. Broussard's emotional testimony was not absolutely factual pales in the face of the real political agenda that Tim Russert and his "blogger minions" were up to... i.e. discredit this "rube" Broussard, point the blame at local officials, and give Bush a ticket to ride, blame-free.

My GOD what does it take to get through some THICK skulls? :grr::mad:

[malaise]

45. Well has power returned to Jefferson County yet

I believe him that the had not seen the tape of the interview. Further, it hardly matters what day his worker's mother died. She died because she was not evacuated and he was correct that instead of dealing with rescue missions, the bureaucracy was holding press conferences and photo ops.

Everyone has said that the resources were just not available and federal help was late. If the Louisiana national guard was not fighting an illegal war, they might have been able to save people.

[Vinnie From Indy]

55. Well, OK you just sit there and I'll jump all over Russert

I laughed out loud when Russert suddenly found himself on the wrong end of the discussion. It reminded me of a guy pulling out a club to hit somebody and then getting their ass kicked with thier own weapon. It was truly one of the most entertaining MTP shows I have ever seen.

Russert is a morally vacant media whore of the first order. His show is monument to the decrepit, rotting corpse that used to be the american press.


Your post is nonsense!

[notadmblnd]

25. Russert never mentioned any source

There are so many people here at DU with their fingers on the pulse of freeper types groups that it's not likely we missed any negitive stories out there. I'm thinking this is just typical Rover BS.

BTW.... has anyone googled for the stories yet?

[lateo]

29. Broussard laid the smack down.

I bet they won't try that lame shit again. I have a dream that high profile Democratic leaders would be like this on these bullshit shows.

[Vinca]

31. Mr. Broussard brought Timmy back to reality.

Who the hell cares if mom died on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. The point is, she died because no one came to the rescue even though they said they would. FEMA was promising the sun, the moon and the stars to everyone and delivering to no one. It broke my heart when Broussard began crying after viewing the tape of himself. What a hard job he has.

[fishwax]

34. Man, Russert is a dick

he was condescending throughout. :puke:

[Citizen Jane]

35. In re: not watching himself on TV

I have no problem believing that. My assumptions would be one of the following:

1. Used to being on TV and doesn't have to or want to watch himself.

2. Not used to being on TV and doesn't have to or want to watch himself.

While I can't speak to the first, I can to the second. My husband has been interviewed at least a dozen times over the past few years for his expertise in treating certain rare and non-rare types of diseases (he is an academic researcher and practicing physician). He doesn't want to see himself to the point that he won't even tell ME when he is on so I won't tape him. Even now that he is getting used to it I can only occasionally get him to tell me or get him to watch it.

So, no, I don't have any problem believing Broussard did not want to be on TV. Not everyone wants to see themselves in the limelight--especially when people's deaths are the focus.

[mandyky]

40. I think he's just been too busy

trying to get help and probably bone tired by the time he gets home, assuming he even goes home. And then there's the matter of availablity of electricity.

[melody]

56. I lost ALL respect for Russert over that crap

He should be ashamed of himself.

[oasis]

63. "I went to Tommy's momma's funeral, we didn't bury a box of Cheerios...a

92 year-old woman is dead". Broussard opens a can of whoop-ass on Russert.

[lakeguy]

57. gawk, i just want to punch that tub o lard so damn hard!

unbelievable he would call that man a liar...and based on what, some crap he read on a blog?

[oasis]

61. "get outta my face". Don't mess with Aaron Broussard. He stands by his

statement.

[gardenista]

65. This is proof that Russert is a tool for Rove. Broussard calls it when he

says, "I don't know what kind of agenda is going on here."

Yep, Russert has an agenda. It's the same as Rove's.

[Tower]

67. Amazing how Russert developes such an eye for detail when the story

makes Bush look bad, eh? He didn't see much of anything that was fishy in Bush's Iraq invasion arguments, or his Social Security scam arguments, or any of the other Bush Administration con jobs. But boy, you suggest that the feds are incompetent, and Timmy can spot the smallest inconsistency- even if that inconsistency is completely irrelevant.

[chat_noir]

70. American Politics Journal's take on it

the last four paragraphs...

Broussard was assertive as all get-out as he totally demolished Russert — the Jefferson Parish Mayor made his point forcefully and effectively, and refused to become a victim of Russert's sleazy ambush tactics.

And Russert inadvertently exposed the sloppy tactics of MSNBC: they'll gladly parrot right-wing bloggers out to smear a local official who tried his best in the face of a massive natural catastrophe, but won't even bother to contact him to get his side of the story.

MSNBC's story was not journalism. It was media McCarthyism.

It's time for Tim Russert, MSNBC president Rick Kaplan, NBC president Nathaniel Padilla, Wuzzadem and Powerline blog to issue a public apology to Aaron Broussard.




http://www.americanpolitics.com/20050925punditpap.html