CNN's Aaron Brown on the feds in Washington: "What planet are these people on?!"

I told you folks months ago that Aaron was a good cookie. He just had this to say moments ago on CNN:

At some point, these guys, I mean I shouldn't say this, but you hear these people in Washington saying "oh no, this is, things are going fine, it's ok." You want to say "what planet are you people ON?!" I mean, COME ON!

Now, I've vented that and I'll stop.... I apologize. Sort of.

Read the rest of this post...

FEMA's Michael Brown and Homeland Security's Chertoff need to be fired now

Read this CNN article documenting all the lies, and lies, and more lies coming from Brown and Chertoff. Jesus Christ. People are dying and Bush's top two aides working on this crisis are outright lying to people.

Fire their asses, now.

And it's time Bush stepped aside and let someone, anyone, with half a brain and half a backbone take over this entire effort. People are dying because of this man's incompetence. He's in office three more years, and there will be another disaster, either natural or man-made, and Bush will succeed in killing more Americans and more American cities with his incompetence. It's time for him to go. Read the rest of this post...

Friday Orchid Blogging Is Back

Just when we need it most.

I tried to pick something to lift spirits a bit. This is Paph Magic Lantern, a cross between Paph delenatii and Paph micranthum. I don't own this one, too the pic at a greehouse, but will at some point in my life :-)

Enjoy. Read the rest of this post...

"George Bush doesn't care about black people"

Wow. On MSNBC, live. From Kanye West. That men deserves a medal.

And he's right.

UPDATE: Someone just sent me this article about Kanye West. Pardon my ignorance, but apparently he's a rapper, and sounds like a damn good guy. Read the rest of this post...

The state of Louisiana begged for help on Sunday August 28

And Bush had no idea Louisiana needed help until after his vacation Wednesday night, at least that's what the GOP is now trying to spin. The state government NEVER said they needed federal help. Oh yeah, well here's the letter begging for it on SUNDAY, four days before Bush ended his vacation.

Read the rest of this post...

Where's Dick?

Just wondering. It's the worst natural disaster in our nation's history. Is the vice president too ill to perform his duties or is he just fly fishing in Jackson, Wyoming? Read the rest of this post...

AP nails Bush; Rhetoric doesn't match Reality

AP puts it in terms of rhetoric and reality. Basically, the White House just lies:

The Iraqi insurgency is in its last throes. The economy is booming. Anybody who leaks a CIA agent's identity will be fired. Add another piece of White House rhetoric that doesn't match the public's view of reality: Help is on the way, Gulf Coast.

As New Orleans descended into anarchy, top Bush administration officials congratulated each other for jobs well done and spoke of water, food and troops pouring into the ravaged city. Television pictures told a different story.

"What it reminded me of the other day is 'Baghdad Bob' saying there are no Americans at the airport," said Rich Galen, a Republican consultant in Washington. He was referring to Saddam Hussein's reality-challenged minister of information who denied the existence of U.S. troops in the Iraqi capital.

Read the rest of this post...

Virginia police told Louisiana doesn't need your help in NOLA

CNN is just reporting that a Louisiana sheriff asked a Virginia sheriff to please get some of his colleagues to come and help, he was in a panic. He got 22 deputies on the road, ready to move the next day. Spent 10 hours on the phone trying to get the approval he needed to make it official. Finally got the LA state police on the phone who told him don't come, there's no place to put you up for the night. The sheriff told them, we don't need to stay anywhere, we have tents. The LA state police still told them not to come, so they didn't. Read the rest of this post...

I'm watching a lovely fireworks celebration in DC at this moment

Who's dumb idea was that? Looks like it's coming from the Lincoln Memorial.

It just had a big finish. I don't care whose idea that was, dem or republican, it strikes me as a bit inappropriate.

Oh, isn't that special, it looks like it's a party our wonderful president is throwing for WWII - yes, he just won't let that WWII thing go. OH, I really hope he showed up to enjoy the fireworks.

A ceremony will be held on Friday, September 2, 2005 at the National World War II Memorial, on the National Mall in Washington D.C, An estimated 10,000, people including many Veterans from the United States and Allied Countries are expected to attend the event. The ceremony will start at 6 pm with pre-ceremony entertainment, the commemoration itself begins at 7 pm. The ceremony includes addresses by President Bush and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and WWII Veteran General John Vessey, and the laying of wreaths at the Atlantic Arch in honor of those who died during the war. The ceremony will conclude with fireworks and a live performance by the Liberty Belles, a USO 1940s-style show.

Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

So, has someone kissed Bush and woken him up yet? Read the rest of this post...

Spanish Member of Parliament trapped in NOLA convention center without food and water

UPDATE: I'm told ABC showed the MP being rescued this evening.

Bet the MP's glad our Secretary of State is on vacation today in NYC buying $3000 shoes and attending Monty Python musicals on Broadway because, after all, there's nothing for Condi Rice to do today.

The article below is from the Spanish paper El Pais, thanks to reader George for the heads up and the translation (I've checked the translation, it's good :-) And while I haven't found this specific article on El Pais, I have found articles noting this MP is in fact trapped in NOLA. There's actually a second article here, and the MP is pissed.

El País

La diputada del PSC Lourdes Muñoz Santamaría, que se encuentra atrapada en el Centro de Convenciones de Nueva Orleans junto con su familia, ha calificado la situación en ese centro de evacuación, en el que hay unas 10.000 personas, de "dramática y sin organización alguna", enaraciones a CNN +. En una conversación con la agencia EFE, Muñoz ha asegurado que "o nos vienen a buscar o no sé si saldremos de aquí". ...

La parlamentaria ha denunciado la falta de atención de las autoridades estadounidenses: "No hay agua ni alimentos desde hace 24 horas". Lourdes Muñoz ha informado de que en este Centro de Convenciones hay personas heridas en las avalanchas que se produjeron anoche. "La Policía pasa por delante y el Ejército de vez en cuando con algún camión, pero aquí no hay organización, no hay agua corriente, no podemos beber ni comer y la gente se está empezando a deshidratar", aseguró.

The decl MP from the PSC, Lourdes Muñoz Santamaría, who, along with her family, is trapped in the Convention Center of New Orleans, has described the situation in the evacuation center, in which there are some 10,000 people, as “dramatic and without any organization whatsoever,” in a statement to CNN+. In a conversation with the press organization EFE, Muñoz insisted that “either they come and get us or I don’t know if we're going to get out of here.”

The deputy has denounced the lack of attention from American authorities: “There has been no water nor food for 24 hours.” Lourdes Muñoz reported that in the Convention Center there are people who were wounded in the avalanches (?) that took place last night. “The police passes by and the Army every once in awhile with a truck, but there is no organization here, there is no running water, we cannot drink or eat, and people are beginning to become dehydrated,” she indicated.

Read the rest of this post...

Bush speaks in NO

Bush just made remarks at the NO airport. Hey, he said, "There's a flow of progress." Most would say the flow has been a trickle.

Then, he made a big announcement, "We've secured the convention center." Christ, like he conquered Baghdad.

He wanted everyone to know there's a lot of people working hard. Now, he didn't indicate he is one of them. We all know how that his job is "hard work"...he told us that many times last fall.

He let us know, "I'm not going to forget what I've seen." Then, a brilliant analyis, "It requires more than one day's attention."

"There will be a national response," the President said. To which, Americans should ask why there hasn't been one already. But, he was on vacation when this started. And, he actually made a joke about how he used to come to New Orleans and have too much fun, yuk, yuk, yuk.

The man is an idiot. Read the rest of this post...

Halliburton gets NOLA clean-up contract

That didn't take long.

The Navy has hired Houston-based Halliburton Co. to restore electric power, repair roofs and remove debris at three naval facilities in Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Halliburton subsidiary KBR will also perform damage assessments at other naval installations in New Orleans as soon as it is safe to do so.

KBR was assigned the work under a "construction capabilities" contract awarded in 2004 after a competitive bidding process. The company is not involved in the Army Corps of Engineers' effort to repair New Orleans' levees.

Read the rest of this post...

Lead religious right group promotes theory that God wiped out NOLA on purpose

Geez, this is from the American Family Association's propaganda organ AgapePress. It's one thing when some nutjob says this, it's another when the American Family Association, one of the LARGEST and most powerful groups of the radical right, gives those nutjobs air time.

Rev. Bill Shanks, pastor of New Covenant Fellowship of New Orleans, also sees God's mercy in the aftermath of Katrina -- but in a different way. Shanks says the hurricane has wiped out much of the rampant sin common to the city.

The pastor explains that for years he has warned people that unless Christians in New Orleans took a strong stand against such things as local abortion clinics, the yearly Mardi Gras celebrations, and the annual event known as "Southern Decadence" -- an annual six-day "gay pride" event scheduled to be hosted by the city this week -- God's judgment would be felt.

“New Orleans now is abortion free. New Orleans now is Mardi Gras free. New Orleans now is free of Southern Decadence and the sodomites, the witchcraft workers, false religion -- it's free of all of those things now," Shanks says. "God simply, I believe, in His mercy purged all of that stuff out of there -- and now we're going to start over again."

The New Orleans pastor is adamant. Christians, he says, need to confront sin. "It's time for us to stand up against wickedness so that God won't have to deal with that wickedness," he says.

Believers, he says, are God's "authorized representatives on the face of the Earth" and should say they "don't want unrighteous men in office," for example. In addition, he says Christians should not hesitate to voice their opinions about such things as abortion, prayer, and homosexual marriage. "We don't want a Supreme Court that is going to say it's all right to kill little boys and girls, ... it's all right to take prayer out of schools, and it's all right to legalize sodomy, opening the door for same-sex marriage and all of that.”

Read the rest of this post...

Newt slams Bush

Gingrich makes sense. That's scary:

Even Republicans were criticizing Bush and his administration for the sluggish relief effort. "I think it puts into question all of the Homeland Security and Northern Command planning for the last four years, because if we can't respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the Gulf for days, then why do we think we're prepared to respond to a nuclear or biological attack?" said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Damn it, Newt, you have to understand, the President was on vacation. He couldn't have responded faster. Read the rest of this post...

Picture of Condi hitting a Monty Python Broadway show this past Wednesday while people were dying in New Orleans

(Note, the text above is a screen capture of the Broadway.com Web site - Condi is Secretary of State, not NSA, though it's not really relevant to why she's off on vacation during one of greatest national disasters.) Read the rest of this post...

CNN's Cafferty says relief arrival is being timed for Bush's arrival

CNN's Jack Cafferty, moments ago:

Jack Cafferty: Do you suppose, Wolf, that the arrival of the relief convoys and the political photo ops on the gulf coast happening at the very same time were a coincidence today?

Wolf Blitzer: Uh, well, we'll, I'm sure our viewers have some thoughts on that as well. These pictures, by the way, Jack, that we're getting in...

Wolf Blitzer: Jack a final thought before I let you go.

Jack Cafferty: It's embarrassing [followed by dead silence]

Crooks and Liars has the video, though I think they're getting a bit overwhelmed with traffic. Read the rest of this post...

Fanny Dooley says...

AP

Asked later how the richest country on Earth could not meet the needs of its people, Bush said "I am satisfied with the response. I am not satisfied with all the results."

Read the rest of this post...

George Bush needs to step aside

Two things have become clear.

1. Fire FEMA Director Michael Brown.

FEMA director Michael Brown is either incompetent or a liar, and his only job seems to be giving non-stop interviews on TV when he should be coordinating hurricane relief. It's time for President Bush to appoint someone else who can handle the job, and give the guy $60,000 bucks to hire a spokesman.

2. President Bush needs to step aside.

It's time we talked about the elephant in the room. Bush isn't presidential, he never was, and we all knew it. He won reelection because John Kerry sucked, not because the majority wanted him in office. As a caretaker president, he might be fine, but when disaster hits we need a real leader, not some guy who simply isn't smart enough, and doesn't have the backbone or instinct to lead. We are witnessing first-hand what happens when a weak leader responds to a crisis. The crisis worsens, and people die.

I'd almost say that next time there's a terrorist attack we won't be so lucky, but in fact, we haven't been lucky at all. People are dying. An entire American city is gone from the face of the earth. And a good part of the blame goes to an "aloof" president (so says the Manchester Union Leader) who bullheadedly stayed on vacation two days after the storm hit (so says the Washington Times) and still hasn't been able to get his sea legs 5 days after the storm hit.

And now, the disaster response is a disaster itself. It's a chicken with its head cut off, and seemingly only getting worse and worse while people are starving and dehydrating, waiting for someone, anyone, to lead.

For those who are fans of the FOX TV shows "24." George Bush is the vice president who had to step in when the president was injured in a terrorist attack. The VP didn't want the job and certainly isn't up to the job, and basically, he just sits back in a wide-eyed panic. His aides say they need answers NOW, the country is falling apart as terrorists are striking, and the know-nothing scared-to-death but-proud-as-hell president just sits there and says "I'll have to get back to you."

The nation can no longer afford George Bush as president. Bush ought to just resign and leave office before he breaks something else, and since Congress is unlikely to impeach him (though they should). But at the very least, if the frat boy who would be president cares one lick about our country, George Bush should step aside and pass the hurricane relief baton to someone with the intelligence and guts to get the job done.

After this is all over, our country has a lot of hard thinking to do. We've got three more years of this president, and as New Orleans clearly shows, George Bush is not personally prepared to respond to a devastating attack on an American city, nor has he adequately prepared the nation with the four years he's had since September 11.

The next time George Bush panics, ignores a national crisis, or simply is incompetent in the face of a clear and present threat to our people, even more Americans will die.

And next time, Osama won't give us the advance warning we so graciously got from Katrina. Read the rest of this post...

Fed response to hurricane is a disaster, so GOP congress will devote next week to tax cuts and the Supreme Court hearings

It's just downright gross.

From George Bush to Bill Frist to Arlen Specter, not one of them can understand why the public is getting angrier and angrier at their inability to give this disaster more than a moment's attention.

Bill Frist should NOT be scheduling a vote on the estate tax next week, and Arlen Specter should delay next week's Supreme Court nomination hearings of John Roberts for at least a few days.

Good God, people, it's not just a sign of respect. We shouldn't be focusing the entire nation, and the entire Washington political machinery, on tax cuts and John Roberts when we need to be focusing like a laser beam on getting those people out of New Orleans.

Does the Republican party care about anyone who isn't unborn?

Or brain dead. Read the rest of this post...

Bush: "Casual To The Point Of Careless;" World Stunned

UK's Independent captures the brewing storm of criticism that is building around Bush on virtually EVERY level -- his lack of preparedness, his initial indifference to the unfolding disaster and his current ineffective actions. It's a humdinger.

The Biloxi Sun Herald in Mississippi...surveyed the disaster around its editorial offices and asked: "Why hasn't every able-bodied member of the armed forces in south Mississippi been pressed into service?"

As when the Asian tsunami hit last year, Mr Bush found himself on holiday at his Texas ranch when disaster struck. As with the tsunami, he was soon in the firing line for reacting slowly - he spent Monday on a fundraising tour of the American West - and failing to provide adequate leadership. As survivors complained of a lack of water, food and medical supplies yesterday, fingers from across the political spectrum were pointed at the White House.

Experts on the Mississippi Delta...noted that flood-control spending for south-eastern Louisiana had been chopped every year that Mr Bush has been in office, that hurricane protection funds have also fallen, and that the local army corps of engineers has also had its budget cut.

And here's Reuters on how the world is stunned at watching Bush and the US struggle to deal with this disaster. Read the rest of this post...

Bush in Biloxi

All he talks about is stuff and cleaning up the mess. WHAT ABOUT THE FUCKING PEOPLE???

Is he incapable of connecting with people?

UPDATE: Bush eventually managed to mention people but then went off talking about the oil pipeline. And on and on and on and on. He spent more time talking about oil than people. Read the rest of this post...

Open Thread -- and a thought

I'm as happy as anyone to watch Ted Koppel blast the head of FEMA with tough reasonable questions. But really, doesn't he have a spokesperson or something? It's important to communicate with the media and the public at large, but shouldn't the HEAD of FEMA be too busy to sit down for dozens of interviews every day? File this thought under the damned if you do and damned if you don't category. Read the rest of this post...

The Ray Nagin transcript and audio

I'm looking forward to seeing the Bush-Nagin meeting that they've mentioned might happen later today. In the mean time, here's the full transcript with audio link of Nagin blasting the relief effort on local radio. Read the rest of this post...

Bush finds time to fill a Justice Department job

Another incredible story that in the midst of his teams failure to take care of dying people, Bush found time to bypass the Senate using a constitutional provision to stick another political hack in to the Justice Department. What are a few starving, thirsty, poor, black people when politics can be played? Read the rest of this post...

Mission Accomplished

Read the rest of this post...

CNN says Bush visit to hurricane is nothing but a political photo op

Just now on CNN, after having watched Bush being briefed by the head of FEMA and talking with the GOP governors of Mississippi and Alabama

Daryn Kagen:

I gotta say that was rather an odd thing to be watching. The president finally making it to the gulf coast after five days, and then spending a big chunk of time, when he could be out seeing the devastation, getting a briefing that frankly he could have gotten back at the White House, if not then, then on board Air Force One. A lot of that seemed like a political opportunity for the cameras and for the Republican governors of Mississippi and Alabama.

Bill Schneider:

I'm not sure that's what most Americans and certainly most people in the area wanted to hear, as if the president were being filled in, told what was going on, there was a lot of thanking a lot of congratulations. Look these are frantic desperate people who have lost everything, who are in a very desperate situation, what they want is someone to come there and say the government is in control, we have control of this situation, there's a leader in charge here and we're gonna make it work....

What people want there is leadership, they don't want someone being briefed, they want leadership.

Gee, give the guy a break, people, he only got back from vacation 36 hours ago. Read the rest of this post...

Bush Praises FEMA Director

Not kidding...direct quote, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

Man, if Bush thinks FEMA is doing a heck of a job, those poor people are in serious, serious trouble.

CNN then trashed the Bush photo op. Schneider and Kagan both wondering why the President was standing around getting a briefing and handing out thanks and praise to Republican Governors and his FEMA Director. It's not what people want in this crisis.

And Chris is right in his post below...Bush looked annoyed and bored. Read the rest of this post...

Bush press conference/photo op in Mobile

Could he look any more bored? He looks like he'd rather still be on vacation as people are talking about the disaster. It's amazing to see how this guy folds when it's not a scripted event. He keeps looking around, drifting off and generally not often not even looking at people who are talking. Disgraceful. Read the rest of this post...

CNN Interview with General Steven Blum of National Guard

What an incredible discussion just moments ago on CNN with the Chief of the US National Guard about the Katrina devastation. The General was getting in a bit of bootlicking with the Secretary of Defense (like we need more slaps on the back right now) and talked about getting the job done in a timely manner and the CNN person (don't know the name, sorry) cut him off and said isn't "a timely manner" a bit late after so many days? To paraphrase, the general said that "no, there are still plenty of people still suffering and dying out there."

Uhhhhh, yes. That's the bloody point you moron. They've been dying and suffering for days so sending in troops in a piecemeal fashion like this, a few thousand per day, is not exactly what I would call jumping on the problem you stupid ass.

I'm bracing myself for the Bush fly-by of New Oreleans. I see that he gave Haley Barbour a big hug but let's see how much person-to-person emotion he shows for the citizens of New Orleans. Read the rest of this post...

Why does the Washington Times hate America? Lead editorial blasts Bush

In an editorial entitled "Time to Crack Heads," the ridiculously pro-Bush yellow-journalistic Washington Times just eviscerated Dear Leader today.

Why is the Washington Times playing partisan politics with the hurricane? Oh yeah, that's right, the Washington Times is partisan in favor of Bush, and they're STILL bashing him.

Time to crack heads

TODAY'S EDITORIAL
September 2, 2005

Troops are finally moving into New Orleans in realistic numbers, and it's past time. What took the government so long? The thin veneer separating civilization and chaos, which we earlier worried might collapse in the absence of swift action, has collapsed.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has suspended his police department's search-and-rescue operations to struggle with looters. Health-care centers remain under siege. The evacuation of thousands of refugees from the squalor and stink of the Superdome, inexcusably delayed, was delayed further when someone fired on a military helicopter. A National Guardsman was shot outside the arena. A Mississippi man murdered his own sister over a bag of ice. Rotting bodies float free above submerged streets and crying children haven't eaten in days. Their parents plead from rooftops for rescue, and survivors of the flood line the freeways by the thousands, stumbling in the sweltering heat with no food, no water and no place to go. If this is not hell, it is close to it.

This horror will not subside with the flood. The government must treat the battlefield of Katrina as it would any other field of engagement: Protect and provide for the innocent and eliminate the enemy, and do it now, before we lose New Orleans. Send the 40,000 troops Gov. Kathleen Blanco has requested. If looters fire on the troops, the troops should answer with suppressing fire. If the United States can project power anywhere in the world in a matter of hours, it can defend New Orleans and the coast of Mississippi.

We expected to see, many hours ago, the president we saw standing atop the ruin of the World Trade Center, rallying a dazed country to action. We're pleased he finally caught a ride home from his vacation, but he risks losing the one trait his critics have never dented: His ability to lead, and be seen leading.

He returns to the scene of the horror today, and that's all to the good. His presence will rally broken spirits. But he must crack heads, if bureaucratic heads need cracking, to get the food, water and medicine to the people crying for help in New Orleans and on the Mississippi coast. The list of things he has promised is a good list, but there is no time to dally, whether by land, sea or air. We should have delivered them yesterday. Americans are dying.

Read the rest of this post...

Live on CNN

Congressional Black Caucus is on TV blasting Bush right now, joined by the Urban League and the NAACP. This is now a racial issue, and rightly so. It's an interesting question, if all those people in NOLA looked like the cast of Desperate Housewives, would Bush have stayed on vacation until the 3d day AFTER the hurricane hit? Read the rest of this post...

Bush: Results are not acceptable

No shit, Mr. President. Bush made remarks before his big helicopter adventure. He said, "results are not acceptable." Most Americans have been thinking that for days -- even while you were on vacation and playing guitar.This is a national disaster on your watch. You own this. Read the rest of this post...

Breaking: Bush To Go On Helicopter Ride!

Charlie Gibson of GMA in a special report points out that Bush told Diane Sawyer he wouldn't go on a helicopter tour until it wouldn't be distracting and now -- less than 24 hours later -- he's headed out there.

Gibson: The White House has decided Bush has to be seen doing SOMETHING. And yet the question is will an aerial tour of New Orleans indicate that something is being done and that people are in charge? Read the rest of this post...

White House: Don't Blame us, blame the hurricane

The White House just cannot take any criticism. They only have one line over there...they just change a word or two:

White House officials, already sensitive that Mr. Bush is suffering the lowest approval ratings of his presidency and under pressure to manage a catastrophe of what they called biblical proportions, reacted with frustration.

"Seventy-two hours into this, to be openly posturing about this, to be attacking the president, is not only despicable and wrong, it's not politically smart," said one White House official who asked not to be named because he did not want to be seen as talking about the crisis in political terms. "Normal people at home understand that it's not the president who's responsible for this, it's the hurricane. This will get better, hour by hour and day by day."

For Christ sakes, make the White House staff talk on the record if they want to defend the President's incompetency and play politics. And, that same quote could be used for Iraq almost verbatim, just substitute "it's the terrorist" for "it's the hurricane." These people suck and people are dying in America because of their incompetence. Read the rest of this post...

The Head of FEMA is delusional

No kidding, Michael Brown told Katie Couric this morning "people are getting the help they need."

WTF?????

Does anyone in America believe that? He's a good Bushie, though. Just lie and lie...

If the head of FEMA really thinks that people are getting the help they need, he's incompetent and truly delusional. Get someone in that job who gets it FAST. Bring back James Lee Witt. Read the rest of this post...

NY Times: Bloggers force Condi back to work

They are paying attention to the blogosphere:

The White House battled a chorus of criticism throughout the day as bloggers made much of the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, vacationing in New York during the disaster, where she was spotted at a Broadway show and was to attend the U.S. Open. By Thursday evening, Ms. Rice had cut short her vacation and returned to Washington, where she headed to a staff meeting to discuss ways of coordinating offers of foreign assistance from more than 30 countries and organizations.

Read the rest of this post...

Republican Congressman trashes White House

Wow, even their own are turning on them:

Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr., (R-La.), said he spent the past 48 hours urging the Bush administration to send help. "I started making calls and trying to impress upon the White House and others that something needed to be done," he said. "The State resources were being overwhelmed, and we needed direct federal assistance, command and control, and security -- all three of which are lacking."

Silly, silly Congressman, you were calling while the President was on VACATION. What did you expect? He had cakes to deliver and guitars to play.

Congressman Boustany should stop playing politics and blaming the Bush White House for partisan gain....he must hate America.... Read the rest of this post...

Commander Chickenhawk afraid to visit New Orleans

The foot-dragger is finally heading to the area for a visit but so far the plan is to not land in New Orleans, but to just fly over the area. Heaven forbid the president was to actually mingle with black people or poor people...oh the horror! Bush has always preferred living in a bubble where nobody dares question him, no matter now incompetent so why start interacting now with people who have real questions, not scripted slaps-on-the-back questions. What a coward. Read the rest of this post...

FEMA operating under conditions of "urban warfare"

This is according to director Michael Brown. Foot dragging, budget cuts and failed plans don't really work out too well, do they? But at least Bush got his war in Iraq and tax cuts for his friends.

Residents expressed growing frustration with the disorder evident on the streets, raising questions about the coordination and timeliness of relief efforts.

"Why is no one in charge?" asked one frustrated evacuee at the convention center. "I find it hard to believe."

Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Since you're being a chatty bunch today, I'm throwing an open thread into the mix. Read the rest of this post...

Not All National Guard Troops Are Alike

Here's an interesting detail from USA Today about the TYPES of National Guards that are here in the US versus the ones deployed in Iraq:

The problem for Louisiana and Mississippi isn't how many troops are in Iraq, but rather the kind of soldiers who are there, said Dave McGinnis, a military analyst who specializes in National Guard personnel issues.

"It's combat brigades, which are the types of units you need in these situations," he said. Combat brigades — large, self-sustaining units of about 3,000 troops — have the vehicles, communications equipment and structure to cope best with a natural disaster. In Louisiana, communications and mobility are especially critical because most of New Orleans is without water, power and telephone service.

Apparently the most effective sort of Guard units for this situation are EXACTLY the Guard units that have been sent to Iraq. So the sheer shortfall in numbers tells only half the story. Kudos of course to the brave men and women doing a dangerous and difficult job. I'm unclear as to the various types of training the Guard goes through or what sort of troops are on the ground in LA. But to make a blunt comparison, you don't want cops to fight fires, you want firemen. Anyone know more or can link to info on this issue? Read the rest of this post...

Is Cheney ill?

Vacation, my ass. We've heard nothing from him for weeks. And now that New Orleans, and the entire Bush administration, is a massive disaster, no word from Cheney at all?

Is that because he's on super secret double background vacation, or because he's seriously ill? This is just a hunch, but it would explain why Bush is SO off his game this week, why the administration is falling apart at the seams, essentially leaderless. Because their leader is seriously ill.

NOTE FROM MICHAEL IN NEW YORK (sorry to intrude, boss): And if Cheney IS ill, this is why he and Bush were wrong to lie to the country about the state of Cheney's health. The worst natural disaster in our history and the vp is too ill to chip in. And though Froomkin pointed this out in WaPo, why has no one else in the MSM asked "Where's Cheney?" Are they collaborating with Bush to keep an "open secret" out of the public eye because they know Bush will be furious if they do? Does everyone in DC know Cheney is ill but only Charlie Rangel of NYC has the guts to say it? (Thanks Jo Public for the link.) Read the rest of this post...

Omigod: DICK CHENEY Has Been On Vacation!

Dan Froomkin of The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Dick Cheney has spent part of August at his home outside Jackson Wyoming. A Cheney spokesperson insisted it wasn't a vacation because he'd had some briefings.

As of Wednesday -- two days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf States -- Cheney was STILL VACATIONING IN JACKSON WYOMING. And when was Cheney headed back to Washington?

"He will certainly be coming back. I'm not able to tell you the day right now. I don't have that handy."

Can you believe it? (Kudos to reader Aaron for pointing us to this.) For days AFTER the worst natural disaster in our nation's history:

Bush stayed on vacation. On Monday he went to Arizona to cut a birthday cake with John McCain and play politics on Medicare. On Tuesday -- as the flood waters were rising and the death toll mounted -- Bush played politics again, heading out to California to make a speech offering another excuse for staying the course in Iraq (oil!) and jamming on a guitar. He knew he had to end his vacation early (sigh) but couldn't bring himself to head straight to Washington DC. So Bush went BACK to Crawford for one more cozy night of rest before finally heading back to Washington DC on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Condi Rice is in the midst of a THREE DAY vacation that began AFTER the hurricane struck New Orleans. She's gone to a Broadway show, played tennis with Monica Seles and reportedly bought really expensive Ferragamo shoes.

And DICK CHENEY HAS BEEN HANGING OUT IN JACKSON, WYOMING ALL THIS TIME!!!!

Every damn reporter in this country better insist on asking again and again and again exactly what Cheney and Rice have been doing these last few days and why the HELL THEY WEREN'T BACK IN WASHINGTON DC DEALING WITH THE WORST DISASTER IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY.

If this doesn't wake people up to their utter callousness, stupidity and contempt for average Americans -- especially at a time of the most dire crisis -- well, then nothing will.

Bush is relaxing in Crawford, Condi is going to a Broadway show and Dick Cheney is probably fly fishing -- all AFTER the hurricane struck.

WHERE IS DICK? WHEN DID HE GET BACK TO DC? WHY WASN'T HE BACK THERE ON MONDAY? OR TUESDAY? OR WEDNESDAY? Read the rest of this post...

MUST READ: Krugman on Bush's utter failure to save American lives

NYT:

At a fundamental level, I'd argue, our current leaders just aren't serious about some of the essential functions of government. They like waging war, but they don't like providing security, rescuing those in need or spending on preventive measures. And they never, ever ask for shared sacrifice.

Yesterday Mr. Bush made an utterly fantastic claim: that nobody expected the breach of the levees. In fact, there had been repeated warnings about exactly that risk.

So America, once famous for its can-do attitude, now has a can't-do government that makes excuses instead of doing its job. And while it makes those excuses, Americans are dying.

Read the rest of this post...

Buses of refugees reportedly being turned away from the Astrodome

Apparently CNN is reporting that buses of NOLA refugees are now being turned away from the Astrodome. The Astrodome can't take 25,000 refugees, even though everyone told us it could, it can only take 5,000 to 8,000 people or so they're now telling us.

Uh, so no one knew this before we sent all these people over there? If I were on that bus... Read the rest of this post...

Ted Koppel Rips, Rips RIPS Michael Brown of FEMA on "Nightline"

Some choice highlights.

Koppel (on the number of people at the convention center -- the mayor says 15,000 to 25,000 and FEMA said only 5000): One of you is wrong. It's either 5000 or 15,000. Do you know?

Brown of FEMA: Blah blah blah. 25,000.... We just learned of the convention center -- we being the federal government -- today.

Koppel: I've heard you say during the course of a number of interviews that you found out about the convention center today. Don't you guys watch television? Don't you guys listen to the radio? Our reporters have been reporting on it for more than just today.

Brown of FEMA: We learned about (the convention center) FACTUALLY today that that's what existed.

(Brown responds to another question by saying troops are going to be moving in soon.)

Koppel: Here we are essentially FIVE DAYS after the storm hit and you're talking about what's going to happen in the next couple of days.... You didn't make preparations for what was going to happen in the event that [a category four storm hit]. Why didn't you?

(Brown then complains that poor people who don't own cars and can't afford hotel rooms didn't jump into their SUVs and head to the Hyatt in Atlanta. He then sidesteps Koppel by implying it was the city's fault for not having buses available for the very poor.)

Koppel: I'm not asking you why the city didn't have buses available. I'm asking you why you didn't have National Guards with trucks to get them out of there. Why you didn't have people with flatbed trailers if that's what you needed. Why you didn't simply get as many Greyhound buses from surrounding states as you could lay your hands on to get those people out of there. Why you haven't done it TO THIS DAY.

Transcript and video coming soon.

Thank God Koppel is there to ask the common sense questions we've been talking about all day. And how soon before Brown gets his Medal of Freedom?

NOTE: One quote caught my ear but I didn't quite focus on it. I've played it again and Brown is laying the groundwork for putting the blame on LA's governor. (It must be a Fox News talking point; my dad made the same argument earlier.)

Brown of FEMA: We work closely with the state government. The federal government didn not just come in here and tell the state governor how or what to do. We came in here and said, 'What do you want us to do? We will help you.' We are now taking it upon ourselves to do what we think needs to be done. And we will continue to do that.

Translation: LA's Democratic governnor screwed things up royally and now we're cleaning up her mess and taking charge. Read the rest of this post...

Quote of the Day

"This is a national emergency. This is a national disgrace. FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control. We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can't bail out the city of New Orleans."

- Terry Ebbert, New Orleans Homeland Security Director

Read the rest of this post...