What Bush Forgot About the Katrina Event

Thank goodness I don't have to point out the grotesque, egregiously inaccurate summation of federal response to the flooding of New Orleans contained in President Bush's Monday news conference. Fortunately, Stephanie Grace in the Times-Picayune has done the research, and lets Republicans--Bush's former homeland security advisor and the GOP-led House Homeland Security Committee--rebut the Republican President. Even while the rest of the country may have not noticed Bush's parting insult, New Orleans sure got the message.

Comments

[barriosbabe]

WTG Harry, agree completely. Separately have you ever thought of playing jane elliott. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02s430q66&continuous=1

[stayinsouth1981]

So efficient they couldn't find Mr. Cowsill for months and he was hanging out right there in the CANAL. No one seemed concerned that there were bodies lying about for months afterward.

[doctorj2u]

The man is simply delusional, but many of his supporters are too. Four more days of their whining and then he will belong to the trashheap of history and I can consider myself an American again. Thanks Harry for being so supportive of my hometown New Orleans in these last few dark years. At times it seemed you were the only voice we had in this country. Good job, brother, GOOD JOB!

[ObjectiveRealist]

This is less ironic and more directly parallel to their attempted secret society than I'd like, but despite the Bush junta's attempt to entitle themselves to their own facts, "the truth is out there."

[slarabee]

There are some things to feel good about out of all this.
I am very impressed with the very large number of writers, pundits and bloggers who are dedicated to clarification of the Bush record. The response to mis-information is almost immediate and is nearly always scathing (as it should be)
There will always be people like Fox News, Rush Limbaugh etc... Who will try very hard to circumvent history, however we should find solace in the fact that they are outnumbered in numbers, the depth of data, reports and raw facts.
Any attempts to rewrite the history of the Bush administration are (so far) proving to be as inadequate and self destructive as the man himself.
For these reasons I am thankful.

[slarabee]

I almost forgot. Special thanks to Keith Olberman, Rachel Maddow and Cenk Uygur for their timeliness in responding to the GOP mis-information machine.

[demfriend]

I do believe the country an the world has gotten notice that Bush has decided to re write his time in office and I do believe if Bush decides to write a book as Cheney now threatens to do we will find alternate realities from them both!! When either one has spoken these past days nothing sounds like what we know has happenedbecause of them so it is odd that they keep trying to rewrite history like we somehow mised it all. Suffering through it now as New Orleans has never stopped since the Katrina times and now the economy being blasted to heel all the while Bush pats himself on the back nd Laura the wife stands bac and maes noise as if she ever has cared that her husband and cronies have tried to ttally destroy the country they were sworn to protect and it all appears like the reality they lived missed the true one we have left over from their incredible waste and although the proof might be missing I do not doubt the pockets they have while they leave DC will be full of Haliburtin dollars....

[breakingpoint]

What I don't get, judging by the split reactions to Katrina among many Americans, is why do Americans hate other Americans so much? Especially, coming from the side that constantly complains about job protections, stronger borders and taking care of our own, first.

I thought folks in NOLA were Americans?

Is it only stronger borders, certain jobs and just some of our own that the government should respond to in a catastrophe?

Where are all the voices of the so called majority of good-ol'-C­hristian-v­alues? Surely, you can't all be Libertarians.

Part of being a great nation is helping your neighbor, in this case people who live in a state that is a member of the Union.

What a tragedy it would be for any critic here to have a heart attack while an emergency-­tax-payer-­funded-par­amedic took his sweet time coming to your aid, was concerned about being double parked, then stood over you in judgment and rather than administer immediate attention said, "Well, you shouldn't have eaten that last hamburger."

If you're not going to own up to your responsibility as a Citizen of this nation, followed up by confronting the problems though remedy and education and instead go on your merry way, like Bush, and continue to blame the victims you’ll not only lose your country you may very well, like many after Katrina, lose your life.

m...

[breakingpoint]

In the words of Republican President Abraham Lincoln, A house divided against itself cannot stand.

As a public servant the persistent arrogance of George W. Bush and his lack of ownership in response to Katrina continues to rip at the fabric of this nation; a wound that is slow to heal and a scare that will never fade. Our government's response under his charge is one of the greatest tragedies in the life of this country.

After the pomp and circumstance of President Elect Obama’s inauguration he will have to put aside his pride, take on the humble roll of janitor, grab a mop and clean-up many of the messes Bush has laid waste across this country and the world. Let’s all hope for the sake of our nation he has a strong sense of responsibility, justice and the Rule of Law.

[stayinsouth1981]

Astonishing isn't it? We have so little regard for human beings. God's children, regardless.

Love Mercy

[oafishcad]

While Bush was at John McCain's birthday party during Katrina, I was screaming, literally, at my television. I could not believe that America would allow such horror to happen. Not the storm, duh, but the response. My God, I still cannot believe that in America such a thing could ever be allowed to happen. And heckuva job thought everything was hunky dorey. Even today I get so angry it isn't good for my health. I will be so glad to never see his sorry smirk again in my life. Except maybe while he's trying to hide his face under a raincoat on his way to jail. Please. I need that. As for New Orleans itself. It's one of the most unique, pleasurable places in America. Too bad it's fate has been ignored by Bush etc. except for the usual money for my buds contracts.

[lotechgma]

Good post... but you need to know that many of us did notice ole "you've done a heckava job, Brownie" GWB trying to gloss over his administrations (lack of) response to Katrina. Besides which, there are thousands of hours of tape in many TV stations of reporters covering the news for many networks which cannot be disputed. I remember personally hearing Shepard Smith on Fox News pleading w/ the government to "do something" 4 days after Katrina hit. The conditions were deplorable, and red tape held up rescue efforts and kept the people from getting supplies and help (physicians from other states came to help but were not allowed to because they weren't licensed to practice medicine in LA.) ... to name a few facts.
The whole administration for 8 years lived in la la land, deciding what info they would accept and believe. Anything else was discounted, and discredited.

[exhale09]

George Bush's only thought about Katrina was that perhaps he could have done his Photo-op better.

This was an astounding admission even for clueless shallow George Bush. Does this man EVER listen to himself?!

His excuse for NOT immediately going to New Orleans to take charge of his responsibilities, is his critics would have accused him of getting in the way...so, George CHOSE to let people suffer and die, rather then be critisized?

Is that why he let four days go by before he even bothered to FLY OVER New Orleans?

FOUR MORE DAYS.

[leftcoastindy]

But its OK to have spent $1000 BILLION to devistate a small backward country on the other side of the world?
If we can 'fix' NOLA for 50 to 100 Billion, it would be money well spent, keeping in mind that we have to spend many billions just to protect the environment in that area.

[lotechgma]

Right on! and the small backward country as well as NOLA are still not fixed, how many years later?

[Spender]

BobLablah, that is wrongheaded and a slap in the face of any American who has suffered through a natural disaster. Anyone who has endured the devastation of a tornado, earthquake, hurricane, flood or firestorm knows at least some of the misery that the good people of New Orleans endured and can relate to their suffering.
My heart has and will go out to the people who were victims of not only Katrina but the massive failure of the federal government to assist them before, during and after the storm.
Hang in there, New Orleans! We're coming to visit in August!

[Nostraboris]

yet, LA remains a red state.
baffling

[Harry Shearer - Huffpost Blogger]

I fail to understand why so many of you are baffled about this. Do you live in a big city? Is it located in a state? Do the "downstaters" or the "upstaters" feel the same way about stuff as the folks in the city? That's the way it is between New Orleans and Louisiana.

[surfcitysteven]

Not to mention that many of the mostly left leaning population of New Orleans before Katrina now live in other states, most assuredly helping turn them blue. Red got thicker in Lousiana , but elsewhere it was diluted.

[Chopa2less]

Obama received about 80 percent of the vote here in New Orleans. We also voted for Kerry in overwhelming numbers in the previous election.

[GreatNews27]

Kanye West was wrong. It's not just black people that George W. Bush doesn't care about, it's everyone.

[luziannagirl]

You are correct, GreatNews.

Rest assured that when it's time for action rather than words, it's evident Bush doesn't care much for his fellow Americans, including those for whom he is Commander in Chief. Otherwise, he would never have led our country into a war of aggression on a country which had not attacked us, under false pretenses, and then essentially abandoned the troops we already had fighting in Afghanistan.
And don't get me started on how shabbily he has treated wounded veterans, or investors, or consumers, or the environment...

[denlong]

Did you notice that the only thing he thought about doing different was to land AF-1 ??? Wow!

[exhale09]

Bush's concern about getting his photo op wrong was underwhelming.