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September 06, 2005
Why don't they do what they say...
Do what they say, say what you mean
One thing leads to another
You told me something wrong, I know I listen too long
But then one thing leads to another.
The vultures of the venomous left are attacking on two fronts, first that the president didn't do what the incompetent mayor of New Orleans and the pouty governor of Louisiana should have done, and didn't, in the early hours after Katrina loosed the deluge on the city that care and good judgment forgot. Ray Nagin, the mayor, ordered a "mandatory" evacuation a day late, but kept the city's 2,000 school buses parked and locked in neat rows when there was still time to take the refugees to higher ground. The bright-yellow buses sit ruined now in four feet of dirty water. Then the governor, Kathleen Blanco, resisted early pleas to declare martial law, and her dithering opened the way for looters, rapists and killers to make New Orleans an unholy hell. Gov. Haley Barbour did not hesitate in neighboring Mississippi, and looters, rapists and killers have not turned the streets of Gulfport and Biloxi into killing fields.
And it's all Clinton's fault that 9/11 happened, the CIA's fault that we invaded Iraq, Clinton's fault that the military was understaffed and underequipped for the Iraq occupation, Joe Wilson's fault that his CIA operative wife was outed by the White House, Michael Schiavo's fault that his wife was in a vegetative state, Cindy Sheehan's fault that insurgents are attacking in Iraq...
God bless our absolved leader.
A full court assault against the Democratic Governor of Louisiana is now underway..led of course by Rove. And Haley Barbour, Republican..is the new Giuliani. Nevermind that Barbour didn't have near the scope and scale of damage to deal with. He didn't even want the President coming down to tour the damage in his state. His swagger is in stark contrast to Blanco's distraught pleas for assistance. Barbour did no more than Blanco in practical terms. But the cowboy crap goes a long away with the Grand Old Bush Water Boys.
Somehow this blathering by the rightwing media establishment is supposed to make everyone forget that FEMA was a complete and total mess in it's response.
FEMA was doing a hand over fist turning away offers for assistance:
FEMA turns away business help for Katrina
FEMA snubs off experienced emergency workers
Walmart supply trucks turned away by FEMA
FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food to New Orleans
FEMA keeps citizen flotilla from assisting New Orleans
FEMA fails to use Navy ship to take care of survivors in New Orleans
FEMA turns away offer of generators
No state or local government could manage a natural disaster of this scale. Even with a disaster and evacuation plan followed to the letter at the local level the poor, indigent and sick are still going to be in need of federal assistance. The local politicians in the region have some responsibility..but for this large of a disaster the feds absolutely should have been there. And with the federal government actually blocking assistance from reaching the stranded in New Orleans, were Blanco and Nagin supposed to wave their magic lefty wands to make things hunky dory?
The excuse making by conservatives is ridiculously typical. Every single time the Bush Adminstration screws up, conservatives and White House spinners come out full throttle to make up reasons why it's everyone else's fault. This time it's the locals fault for not asking for help, the victims fault for not getting out, the hurricane's fault for being so big and bad.
It couldn't have anything to do the fact that the federal government is run by a group of people whose focuses are cutting taxes, cronyism for loyalists and making sure their campaign contributors get fatter so they can give more campaign contributions. That just can't be it.
And don't be surprised when Mike Brown gets the Medal of Freedom next year.
Posted by Carla at September 6, 2005 10:54 AM