Linkmeister

Eyes but cannot see

New videotapes show Bush was told Katrina would be disastrous.

Linked by secure video, Bush expressed a confidence on Aug. 28 that starkly contrasted with the dire warnings his disaster chief and numerous federal, state and local officials provided during the four days before the storm.

I wonder if this is more of that "comforting" business he seems to think is the primary point of the Presidency.

VARGAS: When you look back on those days immediately following when Katrina struck, what moment do you think was the moment that you realized that the government was failing, especially the people of New Orleans?

BUSH: When I saw TV reporters interviewing people who were screaming for help. It looked — the scenes looked chaotic and desperate. And I realized that our government was — could have done a better job of comforting people.

Comforting people? They're freakin' drowning, you incompetent fool! Throw them a FEMA life ring!

This is the same outfit that laughed at Clinton's "I feel your pain" language, mind you. I submit that at least Clinton meant it, while GWB is talking through his hat.

These tapes even redeem good ol' Brownie, if only a little bit.

Video footage of the Aug. 28 briefing, the final one before Katrina struck, showed an intense Brown voicing concerns from the government's disaster operation center and imploring colleagues to do whatever was necessary to help victims.

"We're going to need everything that we can possibly muster, not only in this state and in the region, but the nation, to respond to this event," Brown warned. He called the storm "a bad one, a big one" and implored federal agencies to cut through red tape to help people, bending rules if necessary.

"Go ahead and do it," Brown said. "I'll figure out some way to justify it. ... Just let them yell at me."

Posted by Linkmeister at March 1, 2006 04:05 PM | TrackBack