Calif. Gov. Scorns Bush Response to Levees

[Rose Siding]

LOS ANGELES Apr 23, 2006 (AP)— Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sharply criticized the Bush administration Saturday for refusing to declare a pre-emptive federal disaster for California's fragile levees.

President Bush offered California some aid Friday, issuing a rare directive letting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers help with badly needed levee repairs.

"I think the response that the federal government has given us is unacceptable," Schwarzenegger said. "We need the federal government to come in and help us so we can build the levees as quickly as possible."

The state would begin strengthening the levees in June regardless of federal help, he said.

"We're not going to wait for their response," Schwarzenegger said. "We have seen what happens in New Orleans when people waited for the federal government. Their response was terrible there and we don't want to be a victim of that."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1879251&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

Failing repub shreds failing repub.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

1. Ironic, that being pissed at Lord Pissypants . . .

. . . is evidently what Ahnold needed to actually accomplish something!

[niceypoo]

11. But, but....

I thought Bush was the "decider"? The only preemption he knows involves mangled, smoking corpses and vaporized infants.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

22. too true . . .

[CanuckAmok]

2. love him or hate him....

... you can't deny Arnold speaks his mind. He's gotta be the most impolitic politico ever.

[wryter2000]

5. Ahnuld learned something last November

He's still a repuke, and I'd never vote for him, but he's turned into a better governor than some of our other repuke governors. He even hired a...gasp...lesbian Democrat as chief of staff, and he appears to be listening to her.

He's at his best when he's an embarrassment to *asshat. :evilgrin:

[goclark]

7. His learning curve is smoke and mirrors

Recall his groper days( he is probably still doing it.)

Remember that at first he said he didn't do it and then, when the POWER of getting in office stared him in the face, he said,"Sorry for anything I may have done bla bla, bla" and got DIEBOLTED into office.

He is smoke and mirrors and should not be trusted at all.

[blondeatlast]

18. Agreed. Let's keep our sanity, DU.

Ahnold is just protecting his own ass here--doesn't want to get the bad publicity Blanco got.

[XanaDUer]

36. Thank you.

And probably trying to distance himself from, "The Decider."

[Kikosexy2]

51. Although...

he won't get my vote for re-election because I want a real experienced governing politician not some actor turned politician, maybe Gov. Groper should switch parties and really piss off the Repugs and Lord Pissypants.

[CAcyclist]

54. No,he hasn't

Man, S. does one little obvious thing and people still want to give him undeserved praise.

[Garbo 2004]

14. He's running for election in a blue state. It won't hurt that much to

criticize the fed gov't on a matter such as this. His comments, IMO, are not so "impolitic" as it may seem.

[blondeatlast]

19. Again agreed. This ain't RW political incorrectness, it's Ahnold

political incorrectness.

[awoke_in_2003]

33. Bingo

I sure we will see a lot of the same thing from congressional republicans in the coming months. CYA, a necessary trait in washington.

[DS1]

3. Ya! Unt we need der Govarnment to stop chaaging us so many taxes!

But they should comm in and fix our levees!

[peekaloo]

8. Ah-nold's new movie: Pumping Irony.

[Olney Blue]

20. LOL

A little leveety never hurts.

[calimary]

38. "Pumping Irony" - that is a GREAT one!

A GREAT one! ROFL

:thumbsup:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

Except in California's case we spend 60 billion more in fed taxes

than we ever get back...so I'd rather they come fix the levies than pave some red state's highways

[DS1]

12. I perfectly understand

We're in the same boat in that regard

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. Oh I know

wasn't spanking you with that reply (that is, unless you want me to :evilgrin: )

[Che_Nuevara]

21. Most blue states have a tax surplus,

and most red states a deficit.

[JeffR]

4. Why can't the Governator pump up up those levees by himself?

Or enlist the help of an army of cyborgs or something?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

32. The answer is complicated.

[antiblazer]

52. LOL

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Food fight in the dysfunctional family. I love it.

[0007]

44. "As dead as a doornail"

[peekaloo]

9. NBC showed a clip of the two of them this a.m. and it was nauseating.

Bu$h was giggling like a school girl at Ah-nold's lame ass jokes and I half expected Ahnie to reach over and twist a nip to show his support. :shrug:

[VP505]

13. And listening to

Ah-nold criticizing chimpy makes ME want to giggle like a school girl!}(

[BrklynLiberal]

10. Guess Ahn-ald learned that kissing *'s ass is not enough to get a lefty

state like California help in an emergency.
The BFEE wants all those Dem voters bussed out to the hinterlands so the next election California will go Repuke!!!

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

16. Exactly...

...considering how GW gets so giggly and happy when speaking of death and destruction.

[Canuckistanian]

43. Why should Chimpy help Cahleefohnia?

No votes to be had there. Nothing that a few ES&S machine couldn't fix, though.

[admsitio]

15. Another Bush Administration Disappearance

I think the federal government must help to the states, this malicius administration had been showed what can do... nothing, just look what happens in New Orleans... we are pissed... God Help Us....

[Olney Blue]

23. Welcome to DU, admsitio....

I am angry too.
:grr:

[iamjoy]

24. Good For Arnold

I'm not becoming a fan, but I think when a Republican does something correct we can commend them on it without being unfaithful Democrats.

Arnold is placing the safety of the people of California above party loyalty and while that SHOULD be a governor's job, we know that isn't always what happens.

[cyclezealot]

27. the interests of California might be secondary concerns.

but, lets not forget. Pols don't listen to their chief of staff. But, to their campaign staff. This is mostly a political move to distance himself from the unpopular chimp. want to gauge his true colors, recall McCain was in Calif. couple of weeks ago working for the governator. McCain is also scoring points right now with the religious crazies.

[Up2Late]

25. It's UN-BE-LEE-VEE-BULL! (read with odd Austrian accent)

Welcome to reality AAA-Nold.

[cosmic _mind]

26. Arnold...

knows helping Caa-lee-forniaa is the last thing Bush wants to do. With our quakes, fires, mudslides, or whatever, i'm sure Bush just figures it's all God's will, you know, like Sodom and Gomorrah...

[Imagevision]

47. Arnuld: "We have seen what happens in New Orleans when people

waited for the federal government. Their response was terrible there and we don't want to be a victim of that." -- my-my, Arnie seems to have changed his dialogue pertaining to jordge Boosh, yah!

This is getting sweeter with each passing week, who will be the next republikon next week to find dissatisfaction with jordge Boosh? -- payback for Bushco?

Prediction: Rove is indicted in 10-20 days, late breaking news will read; " President Bush rush to hospital after hitting his head in a fall sharpening a pencil" (mental check-up)

[classysassy]

28. Who do you trust?

neither of the lying goons.

[RedG1]

29. Der Leevee-nator

<snicker>

[Canuckistanian]

30. Shrub doesn' want to be responsible

Not that he's ever been responsible for anything else going wrong, but he proabably knows FEMA is still a mess and another disaster will draw more criticism.

From now on, don't look for help from FEMA. At least this time, there won't won't be any feds actively PREVENTING help from coming into a disaster area from civic groups.

[ClintonTyree]

31. Couldn't Ahhhhnold hold back the water with his rippling....

Rolls of fat? :shrug: Zee fall has been great since zee tuhminator days, ya?

[Renew Deal]

34. Boom boom boom

He eviscerated the feds. Damn

[Mz Pip]

35. I'm glad Ah-nold is criticizing Bush

about the levees. However I suspect it's a calculated move. It's probably in his best interests to do so. Bush is at about 25% in CA so the only support he'd be losing is from people who wouldn't vote for a Dem no matter what. If Ah-nold wants to get re-elected here it won't happen do to the Chimps coat tails.

But I will never, ever vote for Ah-nold no matter what he says now. He went to Ohio the day before the election and I believe his superstar status and pep rally helped push Bush over the top. I will never support him after that.

Bush owes Ah-nold. Perhaps the governator will be pissed enough to speak out more. It just won't be enough for me.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[bliss_eternal]

37. Such a Silly goose--

what did he expect? Fix those dumb levees, why that would require money, and all the boy king's money is tied up in his war games don't you know.

[Pachamama]

39. Ahnuld thought his lips pressed on *'s rear at the RNC convention etc. was

going to pay off for him somewhere down the road.... :eyes:

Sorry Ahnuld....when you lie with dogs, you wake up with flea bites...That dog isn't going to do anything but bite you too.

I feel the least bit sorry for Ahnuld. Frankly, I think his "anger" and frustration is just all show for the voters of CA since most of us distinctly remember the lips of the Governator firmly placed on the behind of Bush and his administration. That's an image that won't bode well for Ahnuld come election time and no matter how much he acts like he's not a supporter of this Administration, most of us have good memories and recall.

[cassiepriam]

40. The complaint line forms on the left (please wait your turn).

[SoCalDem]

41. Rove..page 38..paragraph 16

Unpopular Bush, who's not running for anything, visits California, where he is immensely unpopular.

Governor S is unpopular, and likely to lose, so the plan is to have him bravely criticize the president.. Proves he's no "girly-man"... she sheep gleefully bleat in the background..


baaaaaaahnold,he's not so bad after all..let's re-elect him:(

[Dan from Queens]

42. no one, not even Ahnuld, is talking about peak oil. why not?

Ahnuld is right about this one. Real bold of him to stand up to Bush on this, Ka - lee - fornia being a blue state. But no one is talking about how peaking of world oil supplies, which is supposedly taking place right about now, will send oil prices through the roof. Looks from the ad on DU like they're having a conference on it in NYC, and about time. Will Hillary and Chuck address it? Will any prominent Democrats? Or will everyone keep pretending the 4,000 lb. elephant in the room is still invisible?

[sandnsea]

45. Bash Bush, Bash Big Federal Government

Great campaign strategy. Is that going to be how they use Bush? Haul him in so locals can run away from him?

[liberaltrucker]

46. Ahnold has finally realized what we Southerners knew all along

You lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

:sarcasm:

[demigoddess]

48. isn't it a little anti republican to be asking for the federal gov't to

bail you out. isn't that the states' job. I thought under the republican ideology the federal government is only supposed to handle military defense of the country, not every little state problem. The health and welfare of the people is not their business. (sarcasm)

[pinniped]

49. Maybe this is all a set up to get Californians to be more mad at the....

POS* wh idiot. This way, Herr Gropenator can be seen as a hero and anti-POS*.

The POS* is already fcked in CA and doesn't give a shit. Meanwhile, Groper thinks his sorry ass political career can still be salvaged.

Gropenator is an actor and has some familiarity with movie scripts.

I wouldn't be surprised if Grope's popularity rises after this stunt.

[RedStateShame]

50. Man, up, Arnold!

Does this make Ah-nuld a "girly man" now?

[0rganism]

53. Hey Ahnold, just get your precious Private Sector to do all the repairs

"Yah, ve havink no tahxes, keepink ze guvahnment out of ah hair, und ze govahnment ees to be bildink ze levees."

Republican hypocrisy knows no bounds.