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September 05, 2005
It Ain't W's Fault
Next time you hear a talking (empty)head blather on about how the federal government is to blame for everything wrong in New Orleans, remember this post from Rich Lowry at the Corner. Here's a few highlights:
and more:
--“The mayor and the governor are negligent and incompetent. The administration has tried to smooth out the chain of command, but she won't do it. The constitution says that the governor is in charge of the Guard.” (The Washington Post wrote about this on Saturday--and KJL excerpted the relevant bit in here.)--“None of those poor people were moved prior to the storm. They were told to go to the Superdome, but they had to walk there. Whose responsibility is that?”
-- “General Honore in one day got 20,000 people evacuated from the convention center with a ground and air evacuation. Have you heard about that in the media?”
--“There are no law enforcement problems in Mississippi. They have been acting there with the cooperation of the governor. In New Orleans, they don't have the same kind of cooperation from the governor or the mayor. It's not as stream-lined or as effective as it could be.”--“The New Orleans police disintegrated. The national response plan calls for state and local to be the first on the scene. But the catastrophe wiped out the whole local infrastructure and the emergency communications. 80% of the police disintegrated and they are just not beginning to re-constitute.”
note: DHS = Department of Homeland Security
Posted by Matt at September 5, 2005 05:37 PM
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Matt, sure there is plenty of blame to go around, but while it may not be directly "W"s fault, I think there was a major failure in DHS. I'm not the only one saying this. Listen to Mitt Romney and Senators Vitter and Lott (among MANY republican Congressman from affected districts). There is plenty of blame to go around and a even a hefty portion for my beloved President; afterall, the buck stops with him. Sure, NO is no NYC, but knowing what I know about the planning for this type of incident and seeing what is being said now by our leaders about that planning, I'm ashamed. What ever happened to taking responsibility for failure? That's the humble thing to do.
Posted by: Rick Brady at September 5, 2005 09:09 PM
Not buying it. Not for a minute. The buck stops with him, but if there's no apology from the city leadership in NOLA (which has been corrupt for generations), none from the state leadership in LA (which has likewise been corrupt), none from the congressional delegation, and if said apology would be further damage to his administration and his party, then W should under no circumstances take responsibility.
Posted by: Matt at September 5, 2005 09:50 PM