Bush's House of Cards in New Orleans
Landrieu Implores President to "Relieve Unmitigated Suffering;" End FEMA's "Abject Failures"
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., issued the following statement regarding her call for President Bush to appoint a cabinet-level official to oversee Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts within 24 hours. Sen. Landrieu said:
"Yesterday, I was hoping President Bush would come away with a new understanding for the magnitude of the suffering and for the abject failures of the current Federal Emergency Management Agency. 24 hours later, the President has yet to answer my call for a cabinet-level official to lead our efforts. Meanwhile, FEMA continues to be overwhelmed by the task at hand.
"I understand that the U.S. Forest Service had water-tanker aircraft available to help douse the fires raging on our riverfront, but FEMA has yet to accept the aid. When Amtrak offered trains to evacuate significant numbers of victims -- far more efficiently than buses -- FEMA again dragged its feet. Offers of medicine, communications equipment and other desperately needed items continue to flow in, only to be ignored by the agency.
"But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast -- black and white, rich and poor, young and old -- deserve far better from their national government.
"Mr. President, I'm imploring you once again to get a cabinet-level official stood up as soon as possible to get this entire operation moving forward regionwide with all the resources -- military and otherwise -- necessary to relieve the unmitigated suffering and economic damage that is unfolding."
5 Comments:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/index.html
What they said vs what was happening.
Bob
You should check out what she said in an another interview! It's been the only thing keeping me from screaming some days... politicians and media are being honest in unseen numbers. LOL
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001054594
Sen. Landrieu Threatens to 'Punch' President if He Keeps Hitting Local Response to Katrina
By E&P Staff
Published: September 04, 2005 5:40 PM ET
NEW YORK Senator Mary Landrieu, the Democrat of Louisiana (whose father was a mayor of New Orleans), appears to have finally found her voice after offering only cautious criticism of the federal relief effort in the hurriance catastrophe earlier in the week. Today she promised to literally "punch" anyone, "including the president," who contnued to question the local response to the tragedy, considering the gross federal misconduct.
Appearing on ABC's "The Week" TV program this morning, Senator Landrieu still appeared to be smarting from President Bush's comments, during his national radio address, that state and local bore a fair share of blame for the slow response. On a copter tour of the area, Landrieu said that if she heard any more criticism from federal officials, particularly about the evacuation of New Orleans, she might lose control.
"If one person criticizes them or says one more thing - including the president of the United States - he will hear from me," she said on the ABC program. "One more word about it after this show airs and I might likely have to punch him. Literally."
She burst into tears as she looked at a broken levee. "The President could have funded it," she said. "He cut it out of the budget. Is that the most pitiful sight you have ever seen in your life? One little crane."
She also referred angrily to comments Bush had made Friday at the New Orleans airport about the fun he had in her city in his younger days.
"Our infrastructure is devastated, lives have been shattered," Landrieu said. "Would the president please stop taking photo-ops?"
You're with him or you're against him?
From wwl-tv, which picked it up from AP, this... Bush apparently didn't tell the LA governor that he was stopping by the capital city.
2:30 P.M. - BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- As President Bush visits Louisiana, it's hard to hide the rift with Louisiana's governor over hurricane relief efforts.
Both leaders have been talking to people in Baton Rouge today, but not always with each other.
At the Bethany World Prayer Center, Bush and Kathleen Blanco seemed like estranged in-laws at a holiday gathering, keeping their distance as they walked around.
According to Blanco's office, the governor wasn't informed of the timing of Bush's visit, nor was she immediately invited to meet him or travel with him.
So the governor and the mayor are off the hook for not doing anything to evacuate the city? And why was Landrieu doing a "photo op" on This Week during a state of emergency?
Well, at least she wasn't playing the guitar or shopping for shoes.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home