How the Republicans washed out under Katrina

[BobG]

Today - Bush avoids Texas and Republican Governor Rick Perry, and sneeks off to Colorado to avoid facing the fiasco of the evacution around Houston.

Hiding out in Colorado, Bush will pretend to be in charge.

Meanwhile, Democrats are trying to get some accounting of the $billions spent by the administration and federal government.

The $400 million allocated to the Corp of Engineers sure didn't help New Orleans.

His original plans had him going to San Antonio or somewhere closer to the activities. He actually listened for once and went where he could monitor all of the response activities without getting in the way.

Bush is at NORTHCOM's headquarters on Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs. That's where different response activities are being coordinated and actually the best place to get the big picture on the overall relief effort.

It makes more sense than the New Orleans photo op with the firemen. If located in the area of the hurricane, you only get a small slice of the picture, plus the security requirements of having a President on site will disrupt the response.

 

[SOS2008]

His original plans had him going to San Antonio or somewhere closer to the activities. He actually listened for once and went where he could monitor all of the response activities without getting in the way.

Bush is at NORTHCOM's headquarters on Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs. That's where different response activities are being coordinated and actually the best place to get the big picture on the overall relief effort.

It makes more sense than the New Orleans photo op with the firemen. If located in the area of the hurricane, you only get a small slice of the picture, plus the security requirements of having a President on site will disrupt the response.

Certainly better than being on vacation at his ranch.

You mean in 2000? Bush was governor of Texas!

I think SOS means nationally, Bush was unknown to the general population. He was well connected through his father's associates, of course.

Yes.

 

[Astronuc]

BTW - Bush is the essentially the same person he was in 2000, then governor of Texas. Makes one wonder on what basis people voted for him as president? Competence, capability, leadership, foresight?

 

[Astronuc]

When Storm Hit, National Guard Was Deluged Too
By SCOTT SHANE and THOM SHANKER, NY Times - Sep 28.

In interviews, Guard commanders and state and local officials in Louisiana said the Guard performed well under the circumstances. But they say it was crippled in the early days by a severe shortage of troops that they blame in part on the deployment to Iraq of 3,200 Louisiana guardsmen. While the Pentagon disputes that Iraq was a factor, those on the ground say the war has clearly strained a force intended to be the nation's bulwark against natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

Reinforcements from other states' National Guard units, slowed by the logistics and red tape involved in summoning troops from civilian jobs and moving them thousands of miles, did not arrive in large numbers until the fourth day after the hurricane passed. The coordinating task was so daunting that Louisiana officials turned to the Pentagon to help organize the appeal for help.

At the convention center, 222 soldiers trained in levee repair, not police work, locked themselves into an exhibit hall at the convention center rather than challenge an angry and desperate crowd of more than 10,000 hurricane victims at the center.

All I can get from Michael Brown's testimony yesterday is
- paraphrasing - "It wasn't my fault. It was the Mayor, it was the Governor - they are both Democrats you know - it was Homeland Security - it was the president. It wasn't me!"

 

[Ivan Seeking]

A 25 year FEMA veteran, Leo Bosner, talks on Nightline
http://www.afge.org/Documents/2005_09_13NightlineBosner.wmv
From:
http://www.afge.org/index.cfm?page=hurricanekatrina&fuse=document&documentID=961

 

[SOS2008]

Associated Press
Updated: 3:29 p.m. ET Oct. 6, 2005

WASHINGTON - Millions of dollars in federal contracts for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts that were handed out with little or no competition will be rebid to prevent any waste or abuse, FEMA chief R. David Paulison said Thursday.
----------
In the weeks after the storm, more than 80 percent of at least $1.5 billion in FEMA contracts were awarded with little or no competition, or had open-ended or vague terms that previous audits have cited as being highly prone to abuse.

Also there is criticism that the contracts went to other states. On the other side of the coin (literally):

The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee told Snow to carry a message back to the White House that they’re frustrated with the administration for fighting their effort to expand Medicaid health benefits for hurricane victims.

“Unfortunately, the White House is working against me behind the scenes, and I resent that considering how I’ve delivered for the White House so much over the last five years,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

“It’s six weeks now. Where is the administration?” asked Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, the panel’s top Democrat. “It is slow-walking, it is opposing, it is obfuscating, it is delaying.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9612060/page/2/