Huffington: Tim Russert "dutifully followed Karl Rove's script" with Nagin

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Russert Watch: Shills Gone Wild New Orleans Edition

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/russert-watch-shills-gon_b_7194.html

The problem with this Sunday's Meet the Press starts with the guest selection. Given the magnitude of the administration's failure in the Katrina aftermath and the at least partial admission of that failure with the removal of Michael Brown, couldn't Tim Russert have rustled up a single administration official to respond to the mounting outrage at Washington's handling of Katrina?

The only government representative on the Katrina portion of the show was New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin! So the White House was as absent from this Sunday's Meet the Press as they were from New Orleans when disaster struck. In typical Tim fashion, Russert got down to business right away. Third question: "Do you believe that New Orleans could have Mardi Gras in February of 2006?"

Once that was settled, it was on to Tim's Gotcha Game, in which he dutifully followed Karl Rove's script of completely shifting responsibility to the locals. Tim had done his homework, too -- and he was very proud of it: "But, Mr. Mayor, if you read the city of New Orleans' comprehensive emergency plan -- and I've read it and I'll show it to you and our viewers -- it says very clearly, 'Conduct of an actual evacuation will be the responsibility of the mayor of New Orleans.' ... It was your responsibility. Where was the planning? Where was the preparation? Where was the execution?"

There were no additional questions like: Where was the president? Where was the vice president? Where was the secretary of state? Where, for that matter, was the head of FEMA? Where were the massive resources of the richest country in the world? Not on Tim's talking points. There was no accountability demanded of the federal government on Meet the Press today -- only of the local mayor.

[shaniqua6392]

1. Mr. Russert always gives us what we expect from him.

A Republican viewpoint. Plain and simple.

[blm]

3. Even when it looks like he isn't...he STILL IS....if you listen carefully

and watch for his emphasis....it always pops up in BushInc's favor eventually.

[graywarrior]

2. Russert is a complete waste of space.

Has nothing to offer, except the same old dreary story about his father...that seems to be his only claim to fame.

[underpants]

4. I saw it and thought Nagin did very well

Russert was back on WH script. Gee that was nice while it lasted.

[EVDebs]

5. Tim was reading from the old plan, not IEM, Inc's Bush outsourced plan

IEM Team to Develop Catastrophic Hurricane Disaster Plan for New Orleans & Southeast Louisiana
June 3, 2004

http://www.ieminc.com/Whats_New/Press_Releases/pressrelease060304_Catastrophic.htm

"IEM, Inc., the Baton Rouge-based emergency management and homeland security consultant, will lead the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans under a more than half a million dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In making the announcement today on behalf of teaming partners Dewberry, URS Corporation and James Lee Witt Associates*, IEM Director of Homeland Security Wayne Thomas explained that the development of a base catastrophic hurricane disaster plan has urgency due to the recent start of the annual hurricane season which runs through November. National weather experts are predicting an above normal Atlantic hurricane season with six to eight hurricanes, of which three could be categorized as major.

The IEM team will complete a functional exercise on a catastrophic hurricane strike in Southeast Louisiana and use results to develop a response and recovery plan. A catastrophic event is one that can overwhelm State, local and private capabilities so quickly that communities could be devastated without Federal assistance and multi-agency planning and preparedness."

Maybe Bush & Co. should be suing to get the taxpayer's money back ? And Tim Russert should be asked about this Bush / FEMA plan...that superceeds the old plan...am I correct ?

[Julius Civitatus]

6. As expected, good ol' Timmy got back on script

He may have been outraged and upset the first days after Katrina, but after a couple of swift calls from Unkle Karl, Timmy got back on script faster than you can say "partisan hack."

:mad:

[Catherine Vincent]

7. I saw that interview he had with Nagin and the impression I got was

that Russert was asking all those questions because he wanted to know the answers himself. It's like he has made it in his mind that all the failure in NOLA was Mayor Nagin's fault. He wouldn't dare put anything on Bush and his people because he doesn't think they are responsible.

Russert does so well at shilling for the Bush administration I wonder if he even knows it.

[blm]

8. Sure he knows it. Every time he picks up his paycheck from GE he knows it.

.