McCain And Katrina Ravaged New Orleans: Facts vs Spin

Lucky for GOP presidential candidate John McCain, The Associated Press has a report on his New Orleans visit that omits what he and his supporters have said about the city. McCain is in New Orleans on what he calls his forgotten areas tour.

John McCain toured still hurricane-damaged areas of New Orleans and declared that if the disaster had happened on his watch, he would have immediately landed his plane at the nearest Air Force base...

...McCain was unsparing in his criticism of the Bush administration. He said Congress must share some of the blame, too.

Drawing a sharp contrast to President Bush, McCain said he would have landed his plane "at the nearest Air Force Base and come over personally."

But on the day Hurricane Katrina actually ravaged New Orleans, Senator McCain wasn't far off from President Bush. In fact, the two were standing right next to each other. Check out the slideshow of the two celebrating McCain's birthday on the tarmac.

• • President Bush holds up a birthday cake for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., upon his arrival at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Az., Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. McCain turned 69 Monday. Bush is traveling and will attend "conversations" with experts and the elderly

While traveling in New Orleans today, McCain told voters that such a disaster of government response "will never happen again in this country." And yet, the Democratic National Committee points out that McCain voted against relief measures for Katrina victims multiple times, as well as voting against an investigation into the failures of the government response. McCain also voted against providing additional funding for first responders' communication systems, despite claiming today:

We know that we had a situation where first responders were unable to communicate with each other. Where government agencies were getting information by watching cable television, rather than having a flow of information themselves.

As for solutions, John McCain told reporters he didn't know if he'd rebuild the lower 9th ward as president. "That is why we need to go back is to have a conversation about what to do -rebuild it, tear it down, you know, whatever it is," he said.

While he was in Lousiana
Think Progress reports:

Pastor John Hagee -- whose endorsement Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said this past Sunday he was "glad to have" -- told NPR's Terry Gross that "Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans." "New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God," Hagee said, because "there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came."

McCain first dodged the issue of Hagee when he brought up by a New Orleans voter during a town hall. Watch here.

McCain later told reporters the comments were "nonsense" no less than eight times, despite saying this weekend that he still is glad to have Hagee's endorsement.

It's nonsense, it's nonsense, it's nonsense, it's nonsense, it's nonsense. I dont have anything additional to say. It's nonsense, it's nonsense, it's nonsense, I don't have anything more to say...it's nonsense. I reject it categorically.

McCain has still not rejected John Hagee's endorsement.

Comments

[OnceProudAmerican]

What else do you expect from a Republican. More of the same McCain is fishing for the election and will say ANYTHING to get Elected. This includes Lying like a dog.
From all I've seen the whole Moral Majority has the morals of a snake!

[fourex]

Yes McCain would serve tea with the cake.

[tea in the harbor]

So McWar is willing to piss off God, to interfere with devine punishment ? There goes the Hagee endorsement!

[Dawnn]

This is just another reason why this man should not be the President. I mean having cake during Katrina. Really? Bush was and is worthless, what makes you think that McSame would be any better? Republicans just need to give up the race and go away for about 16 to 24 years. Maybe when they have their freaking act together they can run for small offices again.

[shockmagog]

A birthday cake during America's worst disaster is a testament to Bush' monstrously cruel legacy. What is it with these elitist, hypocritical Republicans and cake?

The Iran-Contra scandal:

'While it was dressed up in grand geopolitical rationales by the then National Security Adviser, Mr Robert McFarlane, the exercise never rose beyond an arms-for-hostages swap.'

'The search for moderates backfired as hard-liners leaked the secret dealings. At first incredulous at the report of a flight to Tehran by Mr McFarlane and Oliver North bearing a Bible and a chocolate cake, the public was engulfed in yet another major presidential scandal.'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/1989/jun/05/iran.marktran

[lysistrata]

Thanks for the reminder, had forgotten about the cake and bible. If it were not so sad it would be funny.

[Moxo]

So, what exactly STOPPED Panama Juan from rushing to NOLA?
The Canadians certainly didn't delay sending rescuers.

Was the cake THAT good??

[CarlyCorday]

Approximately one-fourth of all voting Democrats have sworn to vote for this person. Okay, take away 17% of that group--they're the ones who've sworn to stay home, which is a submissive, down on your knees vote for John McSame.

Bet you wouldn't do that if you had a loved one in the military. Too bad for us who do, that half of Hillary's base isn't in this for anything but Hillary.

[johnfoirdfw]

Huh?

[CarlyCorday]

Know what? I looked it up, and I owe Hillary's supporters a thousand pardons, because Obama's supporters are doing the same thing--apparently:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/03/keystone-democr.html

It depends on where you read it. CNN had Clinton supporters way ahead of Obama supporters in the "defection to McCain" coven. ABC has it the other way around. Every website has slightly different stats on this, but it doesn't matter, because it is the running Republican joke of the day.

Wouldn't this be hilarious if it weren't so sickening? Wow. What times we live in.

Get on out there, you Democrats, and finish snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This was the year you could have taken the White House blindfolded, with both hands tied behind your back--and you flat REFUSED to! LOL.

[iPolitics]

The mainstream media isn't going to be happy if you keep telling the true about their buddy Johnny McCain. No McCain BBQ for HuffPost!

[CarlyCorday]

Time for the Democratic candidate to campaign on this stuff, before it gets cold! Too bad. McSame remains a teflon dictator-to-be. Nothing sticks, because nothing's getting thrown. Who's gonna throw this at McCain? Nobody! Huffpo. The blogs. A couple of newspapers for maybe a day. Kieth Olbermann'll get around to it on Countdown. Then it'll grow cold and go away.

We are so screwed, LOL. And there ain't a thing we can do but watch.

[live]

EXACTLY!

[willfarnaby]

buSSh, McBushBunBoy and all the other myriad Political Whores, Chickenhawk Stormtroopers, Propagandists, and Corporate Slimebags - like that bunch of greedy vermin so recently richly rewarded by the buSSh-Creature for their virtual pyramid scheming and blowing up financial markets - are the lethal parasites feasting on All The Rest of US.

[PDXTransplant]

McSame's hindsight now - Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda... - Let them eat cake!

[ajax2]

Instead of cutting brush while NOLA drowned, McCain what have cut nose hair.

[V4Vigilance]

Aide: Sir, New Orleans is being wiped out by a major hurricane!

McSame: Let them eat cake.

OBAMA 08

[dax49]

it shocks that there can be any republicans at all left in louisiana. it says a lot about their self respect if any of them vote for mc cain

[CarlyCorday]

There's already a 9th Ward woman braying that McCain's visit has moved her to support his candidacy and vote for him for president.

(I can say "bray" because I am a former native of that area. Hurricanes? Pfft.)

[zigzag1]

John McCain and George Bush were at a fund raiser in Arizona the day the levees were breached in New Orleans. Smiling, waving, and collecting cash while people were drowning.