Pickles defends Bush's "Katrina Fly-over," leaves out the gee-tar strummin' and cake-eatin' delays

[Amerigo Vespucci]

On several occasions in the book, Mrs. Bush admonishes her husband’s political adversaries for “calling him names,” and she pointedly rebuts criticism of some of his key decisions. She suggested that his highly criticized fly-over of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina was in the best interests of the victims and aid workers on the ground.

“He did not want one single life to be lost because someone was catering to the logistical requirements of a president,” she says about the Katrina fly-over. “He did not want his convoy of vehicles to block trucks delivering water or food or medical supplies, or to impede National Guardsmen from around the nation who were arriving to help.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/books/28laura.html?src=mv

[Canuckistanian]

1. He certainly kept NOLA free of rescue vehicles

If he HAD gone in with a "convoy", he probably could have rescued some people himself.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. Al Gore, flying evacuees out in his own plane

Jamal Simmons

Posted: March 21, 2006 02:48 PM

Remembering Al Gore's Katrina Heroism

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamal-simmons/remembering-al-gores-katr_b_17653.html

As The American Prospect covers Al Gore, I still think his heroism during the Katrina crisis is evidence that Gore is the most passionate national Democrat out there right now -- speaking his mind, but also ACTING on his convictions. Whether he runs for President again or not, he deserves more credit for saving those people in Louisiana.

Gore For It
The current Democratic leadership has a lot to learn from Al Gore.

"Don't talk about it; be about it" is what R & B star R. Kelly's disgruntled lover advised him to do if he wanted to remain in her good graces in his 1998 song "Don't Put Me Out." The infamous Kelly may be an unlikely tutor for American politicians, but some of our elected officials should heed the same advice when it comes to leadership.

President Bush fell down on the job of leading us so badly in the days after Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans that even the reporters at conservative-leaning FOX News could not restrain themselves from criticizing the administration for allowing literally helpless Americans to die from starvation, dehydration, drowning, and heat stroke while waiting days for rescue. The American people, faced with the irrefutable televised evidence of babies screaming for milk and the elderly left to die seems to be losing faith in the president they elected because they believed he would "be about" protecting them. Thus, the twin tragedies of Katrina and Iraq have pushed Bush's poll numbers down to Watergate-era lows.

***

Gore has been reluctant to discuss what he did on those two flights, most likely for fear of politicizing his actions. But maybe his actions should be politicized; Americans are hungry for any conviction in today's politics. That hunger was evident as people flocked to the promise of presidential candidates Howard Dean, John McCain, and Wesley Clark in past election years. Voters believed these men offered us something different, something genuine. They were convinced for a time that these guys wouldn't just "talk about" leading us, they would "be about" leading us.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Smirk." - xCommander AWOL (R)

[gratuitous]

4. I agree totally, Mrs. Bush

Your husband flying into the middle of flood-ravaged New Orleans would have done far more harm than good. So it was a good decision on his part (or, more likely, his handlers' part) not to touch down while relief efforts were in full swing. But that's not why he was being criticized, much as you would like to make the discussion about that. No, George was criticized because of the slow overall response that cost people their lives. He was criticized for all the self-congratulatory speechifying and photo op blitz for what was a mediocre effort. He was criticized because the flyover photo op was pumped up into "Look how concerned the president is" iconic moment, when it was nothing of the sort.

But congratulations: You found one minor point on which he didn't completely fuck up and have made a herculean effort to reduce all of your husband's administration's incompetence to that one, halfway defensible, point. You didn't succeed, but I can't blame you for trying.

[rudy23]

5. They love to twist the argument that it was the flyover, and not them turning away rescue & water

I'd like to see them defend Bush's decisions to turn away water trucks, rescue units, and aid from other countries.

They can't and won't because they need to use FEMA's failures to push for the privatization of EVERYTHING, along with Bobby Jindal's presidential run.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. She also said it was "uncalled" for when Democrats called him "incompetent" and a "loser"

I guess this means she believes everything else he was called was warranted then. :shrug:

[FSogol]

7. I agree with her. He shouldn't have been call incompetent and a loser

He should have been called a "total shithead" and the "free world's biggest imbecile" for starters. ;-)

[Webster Green]

8. And the flyover was after he had ignored Katrina for how many days?

She's really missed the point, as usual.

More Xanax might help. Go back to bed Laura.

[Javaman]

9. nothing worse that the "more popular" of the two has to go out and try and fix his fuck ups. nt