Bush to lead inquiry into Katrina

[Bren]

No problem there. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4220246.stm)

[Midnight Son]

Actually, Frist assigned Lieberman and a lady whose name I forget to look into it. Dubya leading an investigation? That's hilarious!

[Marcus]

Bush is the right man for the job.

[JMR]

He'll stay the course and he's a man of faith, that's all that matters right now.

[Nellie]

The other guy won't protect it like George will.

[Andrew Mayer]

I think this will come back to bite him in the ass very quickly.

[Stroker Ace]

Just like the 9/11 commission?

[Nellie]

Did he have his buddies in the media questioning everything like they are now when he did that 9/11 commission?

[Andrew Mayer]

Just like the 9/11 commission?

In that case he was smart enough to not actually attach himself to it.

It seems oddly out of character for this President to be in the path of any blowback.

[Nellie]

Actually from his point of view doesn't it make sense for him to lead the investigation? That way blame can be directed firmly at departments like FEMA, local state setups and pretty much allow him to sling mud, kick butt and keep the finger of blame from going too high up the hierarchy to point at, say, him?

The 'can do' President doing it to make sure this crap doesn't happen again. "They told me the organisation was in place, now I'm making sure it actually is."

[Enidigm]

What's funny, and somewhat frightening, about these after-hurricane investigations is that from the finger pointing and harrangues i've so far heard conservative pundits seem to imply the only solution to government inefficiency is to increase the power of the President and the executive and bring even more agencies under the guidence of His benevolent wings (pbuh).

[Andrew Mayer]

Actually from his point of view doesn't it make sense for him to lead the investigation? That way blame can be directed firmly at departments like FEMA, local state setups and pretty much allow him to sling mud, kick butt and keep the finger of blame from going too high up the hierarchy to point at, say, him?

The 'can do' President doing it to make sure this crap doesn't happen again. "They told me the organisation was in place, now I'm making sure it actually is."

It certainly sounds like the kind of thing Bush would think was a good idea.
It makes me wonder where the hell Rove has got to.

[awdougherty]

I think he's going to find WMDs.

[Jason McCullough]

He's going to bury it and turn the reconstruction into a corrupt slush fund, like he does everything else.

[Rward]

Only problem is he'll probably decide the Enquiry is in Saudi Arabia and America will go off to war again ...

[Dave Long]

I heard the terrorists can make hurricanes now. Who knew?

--Dave

[Rward]

We are looking for HMD's .. "Hurricanes of Mass Destruction!"

[Andrew Mayer]

I think Dean captures the right tone (http://www.democrats.org/a/2005/09/dean_statement_6.php) here:

"Based on today’s reports, it seems clear that President Bush’s visit today is just another callous political move crafted by Karl Rove. It’s just appalling to see how quickly President Bush and Karl Rove have mobilized a political strategy in their own defense, but simply failed to mobilize a swift response to either keep the people in the Gulf Coast region safe in the first place or aid the victims in the aftermath of the storm.

"Thousands of people have lost their lives. Our nation faces difficult times as we address the painful aftermath of Katrina, yet President Bush is worried about shifting blame and passing the buck? Shouldn’t he be worried about restoring stability, plans to evacuate survivors, and ensuring that our communities have the resources they need to help the victims of this tragedy rebuild their lives? Now is a time for leadership not partisanship. This is one failure we will not allow Rove and the GOP attack machine to spin away with their usual barrage of photo-ops, misinformation, smear campaigns and press conferences."

[Dave Long]

I just have to wonder if Americans really care to cut through the bullshit. I think as long as "it doesn't happen to me", most of them are fine with things this way and will elect whoever these extremists pick to succeed Bush. Is there anyone moderate in the Republican party who can even try to get the nomination next time in the face of the success of these guys?

--Dave

[jeffd]

If Bush's approval ratings stay where they are I wouldn't be surprised to see quite a few republicans break ranks. Odds are the next GOP candidate is going to want to run against Bush's legacy.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some Senate Republicans go after Bush on this one. It's about time for people to start gearing up for the 2008 election, and going after Bush on this probably wouldn't be a bad way to start.

JD

I just have to wonder if Americans really care to cut through the bullshit. I think as long as "it doesn't happen to me", most of them are fine with things this way and will elect whoever these extremists pick to succeed Bush. Is there anyone moderate in the Republican party who can even try to get the nomination next time in the face of the success of these guys?

--Dave

[Jason McCullough]

Check out today's press conference; they weren't putting up with McClellan's shit.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001055403

[Jason McCullough]

http://fafblog.blogspot.com/2005/09/with-great-power-comes-little-else.html

With Great Power Comes Little Else

Predictably enough, the president has come under attack in the wake of the New Orleans disaster, as embittered partisans seek to blame him for every little thing the agencies under his control failed to do for days while Americans were starving and drowning to death. Loose talk of lack of preparation, underfunded levees, and apathetic response has provided some with the mistaken impression that the US government could've done more to save those trapped in the destroyed city. This, of course, is ridiculous: as anyone knowledgable in the nature of the structure and history of the American executive branch would explain, the president is utterly powerless in the face of disaster, and can only look on helplessly and leave things to those powerhouses in local government.


More importantly, one must recognize that there are limits to what powers the federal government should exercise in a crisis. Yes, it is the right and duty of the president to override state drug policy, to determine who can or cannot marry, to indefinitely detain citizens without due process and to torture and kill prisoners as he sees fit, but disaster relief is a matter that should be left to the states. Yes, the images of the drowned, the diseased, and the desperately dying drove much of the country to outrage, but how much more outraged would America have been if FEMA had fed the Superdome refugees without the full oversight and authorization of the State of Louisiana? Had the president sent rescue helicopters to evacuate New Orleans the day the levees burst, he might have saved thousands of lives, but he would also have overstepped his authority - and if there's one thing George W. Bush refuses to countenance, it is abuse of power.

[Midnight Son]

Check out today's press conference; they weren't putting up with McClellan's shit.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001055403

Oh yeah, that was a nice one. Finally.

[Ranulf]

Q I just want to follow up on David's questions on accountability. First, just to get you on the record, where does the buck stop in this administration?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President.



Heh, they played that clip on ABC news tonight.

[Dave Markell]

If Bush's approval ratings stay where they are I wouldn't be surprised to see quite a few republicans break ranks. Odds are the next GOP candidate is going to want to run against Bush's legacy.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some Senate Republicans go after Bush on this one. It's about time for people to start gearing up for the 2008 election, and going after Bush on this probably wouldn't be a bad way to start.

Don't forget 2006. All representatives, and one third of the Senate, are up for re-election in 2006. In fact, just yesterday I was saying to my wife, "I wish elections were two months from now, not a year and two months from now. Katrina could completely reshape the American political landscape if they were." Sadly, by next year, the effects will be muted. Voters have short memories.

[Andrew Mayer]

Voters have short memories.

Political ads never forget.

Honestly though, as much as I despise this administration, and the gang of criminals and cronies in charge of the Republican party, the Dems need to earn the win.

If it's about winning on a backlash the DLC clowns won't get the message. They'll think they'll have a mandate, and we'll end up with more photo ops without any attempt to help a system that has been badly abused and corrupted.

[Nellie]

Check out today's press conference; they weren't putting up with McClellan's shit.

Is this really the same US media that spent the first week of the Iraq war asking generals in press conferences whether the Iraqui's had been "shocked and awed" and little else?

If I hadn't seen those Fox News clips and the various Op-Ed bits over the past few days I'd have assumed they were European/Canadian news agencies asking those questions.

[Daydreamer]

In my opinion the best condemnation of President Bush's response to Katrina, and almost to the same extent our congress' response can be found on NBC of all places. (http://media.putfile.com/OlbermannSwings)

Props to Andrew Vestal (www.yukihime.com) for the link.

[Jasper]

Damn, that was NBC -- on national broadcast?! When did network television find it's backbone?

[Talisker]

Damn, that was NBC -- on national broadcast?! When did network television find it's backbone?
MSNBC, actually.

[Brian Rucker]

Actually, if that's the Olbermann clip, it was on his show on MSNBC, Countdown. Wasn't it?

[Daydreamer]

Yep, I figured that out a few minutes after posting. Already fixed it, but thanks.

[jeffd]

That's why I didn't include it. What's more, it's not like Bush's response to Katrina is going to be a big issue in the Iowa State Fourth District or wherever the fuck.

The real calculus is going to be in the 2k8 presidential race. Smart money is on the GOP candidate positioning as "not like Bush at all" and a good way to start doing that for a Senator is to go after Bush on Katrina.

JD

If Bush's approval ratings stay where they are I wouldn't be surprised to see quite a few republicans break ranks. Odds are the next GOP candidate is going to want to run against Bush's legacy.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some Senate Republicans go after Bush on this one. It's about time for people to start gearing up for the 2008 election, and going after Bush on this probably wouldn't be a bad way to start.

Don't forget 2006. All representatives, and one third of the Senate, are up for re-election in 2006. In fact, just yesterday I was saying to my wife, "I wish elections were two months from now, not a year and two months from now. Katrina could completely reshape the American political landscape if they were." Sadly, by next year, the effects will be muted. Voters have short memories.