WH: Rove is not in charge of the relief effort

[Rose Siding]

In today's Houston Chronicle, the WH responded to Lautenberg's criticism of Rove attending a fundraiser:


"Hurricane Rita is bearing down on the Gulf Coast even as the nation reels from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. It would be expected that Mr. Rove would be at his post '24/7' during this crisis," Lautenberg wrote, according to Cox News Service.

The White House said Rove was not in charge of the relief effort and that the federal response to the storms continues regardless of his trips.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3367668

But last week:


Republicans said Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff and Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, was in charge of the reconstruction effort, which reaches across many agencies of government and includes the direct involvement of Alphonso R. Jackson, secretary of housing and urban development.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/15/politics/15bush.html?ex=1127707200&en=137856631cafa91a&ei=5070

[rodeodance]

1. Why has the WH allowed the press to print this for days without saying

anything? I have seen it in print several times--and now all of sudden they-the WH says NO--Rove is not in charge. umm... was that a trial ballon?

[bigbrother05]

9. What hurricane!!!!!

I wanted to see that giant brain in a hardhat and willies for years, better yet a orange jumper.

[clitzpah queen]

2. He was only charge long enough to assign all the contracts

to all their buddies. All the impt. no bids have already been doled out...so he can move on to his primary role: securing mega booty for bush and his cronies to be able to continue looting our country

[skylarmae]

8. you're reading my mind

[crispini]

3. Relief effort for Rita not the same as reconstruction effort for Katrina.

Sounds simple to me.

[Rose Siding]

7. True- and that's logical, but

it's also pretty tacky for him to fundraise when there is so much to be done re: reconstruction. SOMEONE should be on that full time.

[atommom]

4. Silly press, we're at war with EASTasia, not EURasia!

Why do they continue to get away with this? Reminds me very much of a pathological liar I once knew, who would change stories on a dime and then vehemently deny all previous versions of those stories. That person had Borderline Personality Disorder ... what's the Administration's excuse?

[gademocrat7]

5. So is he or isn't he ?

too busy looking for his get of jail free card to assist in plundering the Gulf Coast??

[MADem]

6. Seems pretty clear to me!

Helping people? NOT HIS JOB.

Doling out cash to cronies? He's holding the till...

[applegrove]

10. Guys be fair. Rove may only be able to raise money until the report

by Fitzerald comes out. Could be his last political events.

Be nice to Rove. He's in a frenzy. He couldn't control all of the American Public all of the time.

[grasswire]

11. notice the difference: RECONSTRUCTION -- RELIEF

He's not in charge of the RELIEF effort. (Getting people out, getting supplies in, etc. -- the humanitarian aspect.)

He's in charge of the RECONSTRUCTION. Letting no-bid contracts to cronies, planning to seize people's land via condemnation so profiteers can buy it up, diverting assets through privateers and pirates.

Words mean everything.