Gotta give some kudos to the press for not letting up on asking the tough questions about the response to Katrina, especially in New Orleans. Below are some exchanges between reporters and White House spokesman Scott McLellan yesterday (I've bolded some things that stood out to me):
Q Scott, the reality at hand right now is that the President said that we still live in an unsettled world. This is an administration that has told us since 9/11 that it's not a matter of "if," but "when" that we could be struck by a terror attack and, obviously, other disasters that are the result of Mother Nature. So at this point, where is the accountability? Is the President prepared to say where this White House, where this administration went wrong in its response to Katrina?
MR. McCLELLAN: You know, David, there are some that are interested in playing the blame game. The President is interested in solving problems and getting help to the people who need it. There will be a time --
Q Wait a minute. Is it a blame game when the President, himself, says that we remain at risk for either another catastrophe of this dimension, that's not manmade, or a terrorist attack? Isn't it incumbent upon this administration to immediately have accountability to find out what went wrong, when at any time this could happen again?
...
Q But, Scott, more concretely, an officer of the Northern Command is quoted as saying that as early as the time Hurricane Katrina went through Florida and worked its way up to the Gulf, there was a massive military response ready to go, but that the President did not order it. It could have been ordered on Sunday, on Monday, on Tuesday — the call didn't come. Why not?
MR. McCLELLAN: Bill, let's point out a couple of things. There were a lot of assets that were deployed and pre-positioned prior to the hurricane hitting. And you have to look back --
Q These assets were deployed, but the order to use them never came. The Bataan was sitting off behind the hurricane.
MR. McCLELLAN: I know these are all facts that you want to look at and want to determine what went wrong and what went right. I'm not prepared to agree with your assessment just there. There is a much larger picture here that we have to take a look at, and --
Article comments
1 - Canadian Gypsy
People in the press smell a career boosting and networking saving story in the [aftermath] of hurricane Katrina. Look at the coverage. I think the press has handled the situation poorly. Maybe they should have spent less time trying to get the [scoop] and more time helping those who [were] the story. I can't count the number of times I saw a reporter delivering their story to viewers while victims struggled close by. The reporter did nothing to help. I got the feeling they put the story first, hoping that somebody would help others for them.
The press exploits everything, asking politicians the tough questions was inevitable. I think the press could have waited until the situation in the Gulf States was manageable, if not controlled. There are more important things to report on at the moment, like the human side of the tragedy.
The finger pointing can wait.
2 - -R
Crew of Navy ship ready to play larger role in relief effort
Chicago Tribune, September 3, 2005
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/12554907.htm
...A 135-foot landing craft stored within the Bataan, the LCU-1656, was dispatched to steam up the 90-miles of Mississippi River to New Orleans. It took on a crew of 16, including a doctor, and its deck was stacked with food and water. The ship itself carries enough food and fuel to remain self-sufficient for 10 days...
Then the Bataan was ordered to move to the waters off Biloxi, Miss., and LCU-1656 was ORDERED TO RETURN. The landing craft was still 40 miles from New Orleans, but it wouldn't be able to deliver its cargo.
"It was a disappointment," Fish said. "I figured we'd be a big help in New Orleans. We've got electricity, and the police could have charged up their radios. We've got water, toilets. We've got food."
...LCU-1656 cruised 98 miles overnight Thursday with a failed electrical generator and broken starboard propeller to join up again with the Bataan, their mother ship. Repairs were under way Friday and the crew was preparing to set out for the shoreline near Gulfport, Miss., Saturday with a 15,000 water tank lashed to vessel's deck, as well as pallets of bottled water...
3 - John Bambenek
The press should really start reviewing the facts like ABC has.