In my last post, I expressed a great deal of anger over the fact that partisans were politicizing the horrible tragedy which has been unfolding in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, I accused them of being worse than the looters themselves.
First of all, I stand by what I said. Those who are using this tragedy to score political points against the President are scum.
Secondly, it turns out that the Mayor of New Orleans and Governor of LA ordered the mandatory evacuation only after receiving a special request from someone the radical left loves to hate, President Bush!
Here is the AP story which detailed the event:
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin.
Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort for people to go, including the Superdome.
The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave the city should. He exempted hotels from the evacuation order because airlines had already cancelled all flights.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding. [emphasis mine]
Okay, lets recap...
First, the President declared that whole area a disaster area before Katrina hit so that FEMA could move into the area and prepare for recovery efforts. Which they did.
Then, the President called to issue a personal appeal to the Mayor and Governor, asking them to order a mandatory evacuation, a major step, to get everyone out before the storm hit.
So, why hasn't anyone in the MSM talked about this?
We already know the answer to that, don't we? Liberals in the MSM are not interested in helping the President. As I've already discussed, their goal is quite the opposite, which is why this AP report remained conveniently buried.
Shocker!
*Hat tip to Power Line Blog.
David Flanagan
Viewpointjournal.com
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - RJ
No, wait! You don't understand!
Katrina was solely due to Global Warming! And Bush is solely at fault for Global Warming!
Bush sentenced all those poor black people to death in order to enrich his wealthy white oil baron friends!
BUSH IS HITLER!!!
2 - Matt
Bush isn't responsible for the Hurricane. But he is responsible for having his thumb up his ass, or in his mouth since Monday. The federal government's response was probably better for the tsunami than it was for this. Its just another example of how ill-prepared this president is to handle crisis. He sucks at it.
When was the first food brought in? Today, right?
I wonder how quickly it would have happened if it had happened in Corpus Christi.
Pathetic.
3 - patriot
The tragic disaster in New Orleans was predicted to happen.
The only variable was when it would happen.
The problem is that this pending disaster had no national priority.
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
Point is, an evacuation was made. I don't care if Cindy Sheehan or Pat Robertson requested it. It needed to be done.
5 - David Flanagan
Matthew,
The point is, scummy partisans are trying to score political points against the President when real people are suffering and dying! And in the end, when you look at what happened, the President did everything he could to help.
First of all, he declared that whole area a disaster area before Katrina hit so that FEMA could be activated and move into the area, which they did. Then, he called the Mayor of New Orleans and Governor of LA and asked them to order a MANDATORY evacuation resulting in the removal of 80% of the city on short notice.
What has happened has been horrible, made worse by what seems to me to be a tragically slow response from authorities. Our priorities are in front of us, rescuse everyone we can and bury our dead. Until then, lets can the political BS and lend help to those who so desperately need it.
David
6 - Dave Nalle
Bush also managed to get federal troops into the area on Thursday, apparently in violation of posse comitatus, which I imagine took some doing.
Dave
7 - Dave Nalle
BTW, did anyone else see Jesse Jackson on CNN spouting on and on about how this was a racist attack on black people in NO?
Dave
8 - Matthew T. Sussman
Well now, this could work against him.
So he issued the evacuation, and the evacuation didn't really work.
Just another thing to blame him for.
I'm such a devil's advocate.
9 - David Flanagan
Matthew,
Sorry, but you are not a great devil's advocate. The evacuation was not up to the President, that was the responsibility of local authorities, and they managed to get 80% of the population out.
How much worse would this whole thing be if, say, only 20% left the city before Katrina hit?
And to Dave's point, normally a President must wait for the Governor of a state to request federal aid before federal troops can be ordered into an area. President Bush pushed the envelope on that a bit, which is to his credit, but the last thing liberals want is to give him credit.
And that is the point of my post.
David
10 - Natalie Davis
Last I checked, Mr. Flanagan, the Associated Press is about as mainstream media as one can get.
Score political points against Shrubbie? I think people are stating their opinions and venting their frustrations, which is their right.
And while I think some of the blame can and must be placed at Dubya & Co.'s feet, trust me, there is plenty more to go around (NO's mayor, LA's governor, etc.).
11 - RJ
Fast-forward a couple weeks/months:
National Democrats are openly saying that Bush has the blood of African-Americans in New Orleans on his hands.
Hillary is demonizing Bush for his "weak, ineffectual" response to the tragedy.
All sorts of Leftists call for a pullout of forces from Iraq so that we can "better focus on priorities in the Homeland"...
Senate Democrats demand that Bush's tax cuts be repealed in order to pay for the rebuilding of New Orleans.
Yep. Should be a unifying, non-partisan, healing time for us all...
12 - Matthew T. Sussman
Wait, now I'm even more confused.
He ordered more national guardsmen to the disaster scene. Golf clap.
But if he didn't issue it, then there really is no story there. Basically he called up the governor and said "Yeah I'm for this evacuation?" And the local officials carried out the logistics, bullhorns and sirens.
So I guess the pressing question is "Would the evacuation have happened had President Bush not phoned Louisiana?"
Probably.
13 - RJ
I remember BJ Clinton smashing Bush-41 over the head with the President's relatively tepid response to Hurricane Andrew back in 1992, an election year.
Now, these two join hands for disaster relief.
The point is, finger-pointing doesn't get anything accomplished. Donations and elbow-grease get it done.
Everything else is just partisan bullshit.
14 - patriot
Should have known it would come…
The hurricane was a storm of biblical proportions, the most destructive natural disaster in modern history of the area. There were torrential rains and by the time it was over, the hurricane had caused extensive damage. In the section hardest hit, one of the poorest was hit hardest. Some three weeks later, forensic teams will be still searching for bodies buried in the rubble.
The death toll has climbed beyond 6,000, while an even greater number is still missing.
Drinking water is scarce because the sewage and water systems were cut and badly damaged. It may be years before they're rebuilt. Meanwhile, the economy is virtually paralyzed because bridges and much of the highway system were wiped out and will have to be rebuilt.
Beyond the highways, the bridges and the infrastructure that's been destroyed, fully one-fifth of the population -- remain homeless. Many of them are still stranded, dependent on helicopters -- and the mercy of relief agencies --- for their food and water. Others live in makeshift tents along highways near their homes, which are still too damp and caked with mud to re-inhabit.
It's estimated that the state will need to rebuild upwards of 200,000 houses, and that much of the money will have to come from lending institutions like the Inter-American Development in Washington.
One bank president says he's never seen a natural disaster more destructive than this hurricane.
Hurricane Mitch hitting Central America
November 30, 1998
15 - Ronald Eakins
If Bush is such a good man and leader and the people love him why doesn't he just go spend a couple of days in the Super Dome without any food, water or guards. I'm sure all the people that have been stuck in that hell hole will take good care of his sorry ass.
16 - Bob A. Booey
The federal response has come way too slow.
This should have been done right after the hurricane hit, not days later.
That is all.
17 - Dave Nalle
They did have national guardsmen at the staging point the day before the hurricane hit they just couldn't figure out how to get them where they needed to be after that.
But if the Federal response has been slow, the state and local response has been virtually nonexistent, especially as far as planning.
Dave
18 - David Flanagan
Ronald:
Why don't you? What would that accomplish anyway, other than have partisans like you accusing the President of grandstanding?
David
19 - David Flanagan
When all is said and done, what has made matters worse is almost no leadership at the state and local level. In New York, after 9/11, Guliani was in the fray, leading all of the efforts, helping to coordinate the federal resources that the President put at his disposal so that they were used to best effect, and that made all the difference.
This thought that a President would overrule a Governor and/or Mayor of an effected area and act as if he were the ultimate dictator is just stupid. It tells me that all of the finger-pointers are just playing the role of armchair quarterback.
But, of course, some of the responses to my post here proves that nothing the President could do or say would ever make them happy. They bash the President because thats all they want and ever intend to do.
First they say, "the President sat around and did nothing about this." Then, when I show beyond a doubt that the President did more than anyone else the response becomes, "yeah, well he should have had Scottie beam him in so that he could have delivered all those supplies himself!"
It's the same old partisan BS. I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed.
David
20 - Jesse James
During a campaign year, bush was the first on scene in Florida, handing out ice bags to those (white people) in need. He was three days late in NO and only did a "fly by". The man is no leader...
21 - Steve
David Flanagan wouldn't recognize the truth if it hit him in the face. I read the so-called "buried" AP story in the "liberal" NYTimes, but so what? So what if a mandatory evacuation was called for. The point is that many of the city's poorest couldn't get out, either because they didn't have cars, didn't have the money to stay in a hotel/motel in a safer, distant location,and or because they had just too many people they didn't want to leave behind.
Anyone with a brain in their head could see it. The Feds screwed up. it took 5 days -- count 'em FIVE DAYS for sufficient federal forces to show up.
Get a life Flanagan. Stop whining about the "liberal" media and open up your mind.
22 - Hal Pawluk
Where exactly, David, do you "show beyond a doubt that the President did more than anyone else?"
The guy may have made a phone call.
23 - ATTICUS
Blind to your last breath. How can anyone support that incompetent fool we have in the white house much less make excuses for him? I never heard people make excuses for why a leader doesn't lead before. Sure it is time for actions not acusations, but I don't know how anyone can feel comfortable with Mr. Bush at the helm. If the left is complaining now it is only because they've learned the once the Rove spin machine takes off, black becomes day and white becomes night. God bless you in your ignorance sir.
24 - Dave Nalle
We can support him because you can't tell me one realistic thing he could have done more or better than he did.
Yes, I suppose he could have parachuted into the Superdome with a submachinegun and a backpack full of food, but that's not normally something one wants the President of the US to do - lovely meaningless gesture though it would have been.
Dave
25 - Bob A. Booey
How about declaring a mandatory evacuation and sending FEMA and the troops in 2 days earlier?
How about approving more of the requested funding to build the levees hire and study the effects of a Category 5 hurricane and how to prevent it (also as requested by his own agencies and scientists) over the last few years?
The reason Bush came out yesterday and said the results were "unacceptable" and the reason almost all the press reported it as a rare admission of a mistake on his part, was because he acted too slowly and didn't prod others to act fast enough.
People are at real risk of starving to death and dying in hospitals throughout New Orleans because of the delay -- dozens, maybe hundreds have died during the delay.
This isn't a political point of attack/counter-attack to be outraged about. It's a colossal failure in leadership and management that extends far beyond Bush but which Bush too has been slow (and yes, indecisive) in his response to.
That is all.