There are obvious factors; degradation of the gulf coast, environmental change, financial pressures, and the bureacratic changes in US govt since 9/11.

Actually not all these factors can be directly blamed on Bush.

This is culmination of factors that have been building up for some time. Some are to do with the forces of nature.

However, don't get carried away with the notion that we are powerless in the face of nature, because in this case we were not.

Not only have we influenced these forces ourselves, but New Orleans initially survived intact. It was the flooding that caused the severe damage and humanitarian crisis in NO, and this flooding was avoidable. That is the key point as regards NO.

The scale of Katrina was not unprecedented. There have been hurricanes of similar maginitude. And if the walls had not broken the city would have survived it, with only repairable wind damage to contend with.

But the flood barriers broke because of underinvestment over a period of time, and that's not just Bush's fault.

But he certainly added to that by implemeting big cuts in such investment as result of shifting money to DHS security measures and Iraq. When the Department of Homeland Security subsumed FEMA, FEMA was downgraded and resources diverted elsewhere (including to Iraq.) FEMA went from an independent Cabinet level agency to a underfunded part of the DHS.

Also see the slashed budget of the Army Corps of Engineers, who were tasked with implementing the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA):

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001051313

A category 5 direct hit would have lead me to lay less blame on the authorities. However this was not a direct hit. NO initially survived intact. Just the type of storm that decent flood barriers can protect.

There's the smoking gun.

Posted by: Benjamin at September 6, 2005 12:28 AM

Well lets see now...FEMA goes first and always by its big fat stupid rule book ( sorry Michael Moore). The governor of Louisiana fails to execute her responsibilities, then issues a veiled threat to punch the president in the face. The mayor of New Orleans curses and cries on TV..not the stuff of leadership. New Orleans police officers participate in riots and then abandon their city by the dozens in its hour of greatest need. A dependent population is left stranded, a situation made worse by the fact that many them have not developed coping skills, thanks to welfare dependence.

So...now we will have the Congressional investigation..sorta like a 9/11 Commission. Yawn. And we will continue to point fingers, and argue and bicker about how to structure FEMA, Homeland Security, yada yada. I feel MUCH better! And I feel so much safer. We now know just how well the Dept of Homeland Insecurity performs during a major disaster. I bet Al Queda is really scared of us now !

From "Meet The Press" Sunday :

"We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don't give you the fuel." Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines." Sheriff Harry Lee said that if America--American government would have responded like Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis." - from yesterday's "Meet The Press."

This is a textbook example of how the private sector works and how government doesn't.

How could any sane person with more than a double-digit IQ look at this nightmare and conclude that the government can fix it's own problems ? Don't you see ? NO ONE wants to take responsibility. Everyone in government is to blame, and no one is to blame. How much more evidence do some people need in order to be convinced of the libertarian philosophy of government ?

"The heroes are grunt-level individuals most of us have never even heard of and probably never will."

Precisely. Always has been. Always will be.

Posted by: freeguy at September 6, 2005 12:33 AM

You're not being fair.
There needed to be a plan (there was).
It needed to specify WHO should do WHAT (it did).
Those who were supposed to act should have their actions judged -- did they act according to the plan?
Dem Mayor - NO, definitely NOT; (busses AND cops, terrible)
Dem Governor - NO, not; (evacuation too late, no correction to Dem Mayor)
FEMA head, prolly not. While it's not clear when he had what authority/ responsibility, it looks like he failed to see the Democratic Party Mayor & Governor failures "soon enough".

To be able to give constructive criticism, one must feel confident that some OTHER orders could have been given than were given.

The MSM Press, in so quickly criticizing Bush with so little examination at who was supposed to do what, is covering up the Dem mistakes.

Meaning, if one wants to press to criticize the gov't, and thus make it better, one must vote Rep, so that MSM Press will do ITS job and report the facts of gov't failure. Name & Shame; if the press will only do this with Reps in office, the USA needs more Reps in office.

Abu Ghraib -- Rumsfeld's DoD fired a General.
How many have to die before LA voters fire their Mayor and Governor?

(Able Danger prolly shows the 9/11 Commission has folks, Dems and Reps, that should be fired.)

Posted by: Tom Grey - Liberty Dad at September 6, 2005 12:42 AM

Part, and IMO a main part (though unless they have a journal at the time it's somewhat speculation - I say this because of watching senate hearings and such), of the reason that the funding was diverted was that it wasn't being used for what it was earmarked for.

Money for disaster prepardness wasn't used (should be obvious as they had more than enough funding to mobilise busses and such during the evacuation, if they were not using thier "small" budget all the way a larger one wouldn't help - just more waste), the plans being developed (and the money put into them) were not being implemented on a state level (again, should be obvious now), just LA in general didn't seem to care and the federal govt didn't push the issue too hard for unknown reasons (I would guess because no one else had and it was deemed "in the future") - just put the money elsewhere. Nor is the solely the fault of the currect local/federal administration - it's been going on for decades.

The federal plan required the states to be the first responders, the feds normally take a few days to mobilise (hard to do multi-state large mobilisations - they simply take time - not to mention that Mississippi was hit much harder, just most killed instead of being able to be filmed). Much of what worked now was developed in the 90's under the Clinton Administration (and you will find I very rarely give them any praise) after several bad responses to Florida. NO and LA both had plans that used lessons learned in Florida, but they simply were not followed.

Plus, somethings like the total disentigration of the NO Police Department was never forseen (and no reason why it should - not to mention how that reflects on the local govt who hired them and maintained them).

I think looking back on it and calling it speedy - no, not really. But it's about as well as the feds could have done - Mississippi has considerable more damage but has coped quite a bit better - thier plans were followed, the govenor, mayors, local PD's, all the civil services did as they should (and they had the same level of support from the feds), and they had used thier federal funding accordingly beforehand. If that had happened in NO I don't think we would be complaining so much - or at least it would be mroe focused on why the levies were not strengthened (but, again, the federal govt provided funding for many many years and the local govt never took advantage of it, well before Bush ever diverted funds). NO and LA is suffering from the vast corruption of thier local govt, something the whole country has known about for decades, unless the feds use power that they are explicitly denied under our laws (which they basically have right now, main fault is that they sit and twiddled thier thumbs wondering if they should for too long - LA failed so miserably that it should have just been done and be damned the political fallout) it's hard to blame, under our laws they're just man power (even the national guard is run by the local police during stuff like this), they are not the leaders.

Posted by: strcpy at September 6, 2005 12:46 AM

Benjamin, nice try -- but there was plenty of money sloshing around.

The Levee that broke on Canal street was NOT one underfunded (by a bill the NYT called a "boondoggle" in April). It's rated to withstand Cat 3 -- Katrina was Cat 4 (wetland destruction over last 50 years, biggest threat to NO).

NO prolly needs Cat 5 barriers, VERY expensive. Certainly needs better cops. Also prolly expensive.

(Mayor Nagin seems to have been doing fine on anti-corruption; one can be great in one area and terrible in another. )

Posted by: Tom Grey - Liberty Dad at September 6, 2005 12:51 AM

"...the funding was diverted was that it wasn't being used for what it was earmarked for. "

This is what government does best. Your tax dollars at "work". Oh, and about priorities..Why are we spending millions on highways to nowhere in Alaska, when levees need fixing in Louisiana ? Of course that is a rhetorical question. ALL questions about the "why" of government are rhetorical, because no one has any honest answers. Why ? Because no one is responsible of course. So go out and vote. Voting is good. Voting will "change" things for the "better".

How did we ever survive before we had FEMA ? Thank God for FEMA. Those FEMA helicopter pilots rescued a lot of people.

It's a good thing we can depend on our leaders. After all, we are just a bunch of helpless sheep, in need of herding.

Posted by: freeguy at September 6, 2005 01:04 AM

Tom

Yes, but its interesting to note how well the levee system did hold up, given the circumstances. Not many breaches, just that even those lead to catastrophe.

So funding does matter. If funding had not been cut back the system would have stronger, and then on with plans to strengthen it further to withstand a 4 or 5. However, the funding was cut back so they never even got to thinking further ahead.

Degradation of the wetlands? Absolutely, and you can blame both Dems and Republicans for that. Including Bush, who diluted even Clinton's preservation measures.

Money talks, economic development over everything, and then the inevitable happens. We live in a finite world. The concept is a difficult one it seems.

Posted by: Benjamin at September 6, 2005 01:36 AM

Cuba has a more effective system of hurricane evacuation and protection, using limited resources.

Obviously you chaps don't want to adopt the political system of Cuba, fair enough, but clearly the total lack of organisation in the evacuation and subsequent rescue efforts left many dead. The system has to be better organised.

And there should be a system in place to evacuate the poor, aged, infirm etc. That's hardly expensive, nor is it rocket science.

And yet, in the richest, most powerful country in the world, old folk (life long US citizens and taxpayers) died in old folks home. Why?

Because they were old, infirm and could not move.

That surely is a national disgrace.

Posted by: Benjamin at September 6, 2005 01:52 AM

The residents of NO have to hold the mayor responsible, it's the job of the citizens of Louisiana to hold the governor responsible. As an American from NH there's very little reason for me to express a lot of frustration about the job those people did - they may be incompetents but they are not accountable to me. The President and the Federal Government are accountable to all Americans and they are the ones taking my tax dollars, so for most of us that is to whom we are going to direct our rage.

Posted by: vanya at September 6, 2005 02:10 AM

If you are looking for something to enrage you this story ( http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/201754/2484 ) might be it. Not sure how true it is, but the idea that repairs were faked for a photo op is disgusting.

Posted by: Fence at September 6, 2005 02:48 AM

The Commissar has been railing against the levee system - see here and especially here. The money quote in the second post:

"The construction of an extensive levee system along the Mississippi River from the 1950s to the 1970s, with the goal of maintaining navigation and reducing the flooding of adjacent homes and businesses, has prevented the coastal wetlands from receiving their regular nourishment of riverine water, nutrients, and sediment, a diet critical to wetland survival."

Question: can something artificial be done to correct these problems, or is there an alternative to levees that will benefit both the wetlands and New Orleans?

Posted by: Alan K. Henderson at September 6, 2005 03:38 AM

The buck's gotta stop somewhere, and FEMA is that somewhere.
You can't argue that this is a state issue. It's not. This hurricane has effected the entire economy and harmed national security.
If terrorists are flying through the Washington/Canada border, the federal government is not going to wait for the state to stop them. In 2000, the federal government took immediate action.

The problem is that FEMA is under prepared. The FBI covers the nation from a Federal level. There are federal courts. The kind of power needed to help this situation rests in the hands of the federal government with national jurisdiction, not Louisiana.

Katrina is a multi-state issue. The Federal government should have been there, but wasn't.
And I can't help but think that Bill Clinton would have sent hundreds of buses down to New Orleans. First off, he would've been at the office. Secondly, he would have shown immense concern, which was what he did best.
Maybe I'm wrong, but the current Federal government doesn't really seem to be worrying about anything outside of its niche.

Posted by: lebanon.profile at September 6, 2005 06:13 AM

I agree with you Michael. I would have preferred NOT to play the blame game.

But IMHO, the reason many Conservatives are determined to hang the Mayor and the Governor out to dry, is the nasty,vicious,pathetic politicisation of the issue started by the morally bankrupt 'progressives'.

Instead of STFUing for a decent interval and trying to HELP, all these clowns could do from day 1 is BLAME Bush, and view the whole thing through a partisan lens. The Conservative attitude is largely self-defense.

Legitimate self-defense. It is unfair to lump these actions together as if they were merely two sides of the same coin and therefore 'equivalent'. They are not.

Posted by: dougf at September 6, 2005 06:15 AM

If you take a look at the National Response Plan, which was written by the Bush Administration, you will note that in the event of an emergency, the Federal Government becomes the managing agency, not state or local officials.

Obviously, there's lots of blame to go around. I'd like to see everyone at fault suffer the consequences. A lot of people, I think, don't want their guys to suffer the consequences, so they're trying to pass the buck. You know what? Fuck the Louisiana Democratic Party. Also, fuck the national Republican Party. The Republicans control all three branches of the federal government.

Let's understand what we're talking about: the United States is the richest, most powerful entity ever. Not just now, not just in this hemisphere, but the most powerful organization in the history of humanity. We can airdrop food and water onto Afghans while we simultaneously bomb them, but we couldn't airdrop supplies into New Orleans?

I'm sorry, but there is no - no no no no no - excuse for what happened. None. Nope! None.

Posted by: The Commenter at September 6, 2005 06:32 AM

We can airdrop food and water onto Afghans while we simultaneously bomb them, but we couldn't airdrop supplies into New Orleans?--Commenter

In the total absence of security , no we couldn't.The thugs were already taking everything they could get their hands on. This would not have helped and might have actually killed people as the predators did their thing. And you should be(and likely are) aware of that. The behaviour(or more accurately the non-behaviour) of LARGE segments of the NOPD and the failure of Blanco to use the National Guard to establish ORDER, made anything else virtually impossible.

The disaster plans are really driven from the BOTTOM for the first 3-4 days. You KNOW that. Stop playing politics. If you want to postulate that Nagin and Blanco should have been literally pushed aside and thrown overboard by the Feds so that they took over control of all available resources, then I agree with you. But what a STINK that would have raised from some quarters.

Hmmm, wonder what quarters those might have been?

Posted by: dougf at September 6, 2005 06:52 AM

Amen, Commenter

At least some of the federal response team was ready, but they didn't act. What was the problem?
The military needed a direct order form the president. They didn't get one. Check the link out. Unforgivable.

MJT, how could you not be angry about this anymore? because local authorities screwed up too?
lay off the kool-aid

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/5167.html

Posted by: John Mc at September 6, 2005 07:28 AM

If any conceivable good will come out of this, it will be two-fold:

First, it will have exposed the utter and total incompetence and failure of the Bush administration.

Second, it will have exposed the utter and total moral failure of anyone who is falling over themselves to blame anyone - the mayor, the governor, those damn people who just didn't walk out of the city when they were told to, whoever - anyone but the people who are, in fact, responsible.

We couldn't drop food because there were armed thugs in New Orleans? But we could drop it on Afghanistan? Wasn't Afghanistan, I don't know, filled with the very modern epitome of the armed thug, the Taliban and al Qaeda?

That's your excuse?

I'm beginning to wonder if anyone's knees are starting to get sore, what with all the kneeling being done in front of Bush by his defenders.

Posted by: The Commenter at September 6, 2005 07:30 AM

Bush did to NO what he did to Iraq...shit all over them both!

Posted by: NeoDude at September 6, 2005 07:31 AM

Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said it all, starting his news briefing Saturday afternoon: "Louisiana is a city that is largely underwater..."
Well there's your problem right there.

If ever a slip-of-the-tongue defined a government's response to a crisis, this was it.

The seeming definition of our time and our leaders had been their insistence on slashing federal budgets for projects that might’ve saved New Orleans. The seeming characterization of our government that it was on vacation when the city was lost, and could barely tear itself away from commemorating V.J. Day and watching Monty Python's Flying Circus, to at least pretend to get back to work. The seeming identification of these hapless bureaucrats: their pathetic use of the future tense in terms of relief they could’ve brought last Monday and Tuesday — like the President, whose statements have looked like they’re being transmitted to us by some kind of four-day tape-delay.

But no. The incompetence and the ludicrous prioritization will forever be symbolized by one gaffe by of the head of what is ironically called “The Department of Homeland Security”: “Louisiana is a city…”

Politician after politician — Republican and Democrat alike — has paraded before us, unwilling or unable to shut off the "I-Me" switch in their heads, condescendingly telling us about how moved they were or how devastated they were — congenitally incapable of telling the difference between the destruction of a city and the opening of a supermarket.

And as that sorry recital of self-absorption dragged on, I have resisted editorial comment. The focus needed to be on the efforts to save the stranded — even the internet's meager powers were correctly devoted to telling the stories of the twin disasters, natural... and government-made.

But now, at least, it is has stopped getting exponentially worse in Mississippi and Alabama and New Orleans and Louisiana (the state, not the city). And, having given our leaders what we know now is the week or so they need to get their act together, that period of editorial silence I mentioned, should come to an end.

No one is suggesting that mayors or governors in the afflicted areas, nor the federal government, should be able to stop hurricanes. Lord knows, no one is suggesting that we should ever prioritize levee improvement for a below-sea-level city, ahead of $454 million worth of trophy bridges for the politicians of Alaska.

But, nationally, these are leaders who won re-election last year largely by portraying their opponents as incapable of keeping the country safe. These are leaders who regularly pressure the news media in this country to report the reopening of a school or a power station in Iraq, and defies its citizens not to stand up and cheer. Yet they couldn't even keep one school or power station from being devastated by infrastructure collapse in New Orleans — even though the government had heard all the "chatter" from the scientists and city planners and hurricane centers and some group whose purposes the government couldn't quite discern... a group called The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

And most chillingly of all, this is the Law and Order and Terror government. It promised protection — or at least amelioration — against all threats: conventional, radiological, or biological.

It has just proved that it cannot save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water.

Mr. Bush has now twice insisted that, "we are not satisfied," with the response to the manifold tragedies along the Gulf Coast. I wonder which "we" he thinks he's speaking for on this point. Perhaps it's the administration, although we still don't know where some of them are. Anybody seen the Vice President lately? The man whose message this time last year was, 'I'll Protect You, The Other Guy Will Let You Die'?

I don't know which 'we' Mr. Bush meant.

For many of this country's citizens, the mantra has been — as we were taught in Social Studies it should always be — whether or not I voted for this President — he is still my President. I suspect anybody who had to give him that benefit of the doubt stopped doing so last week. I suspect a lot of his supporters, looking ahead to '08, are wondering how they can distance themselves from the two words which will define his government — our government — "New Orleans."

For him, it is a shame — in all senses of the word. A few changes of pronouns in there, and he might not have looked so much like a 21st Century Marie Antoinette. All that was needed was just a quick "I'm not satisfied with my government's response." Instead of hiding behind phrases like "no one could have forseen," had he only remembered Winston Churchill's quote from the 1930's. "The responsibility," of government, Churchill told the British Parliament "for the public safety is absolute and requires no mandate. It is in fact, the prime object for which governments come into existence."

In forgetting that, the current administration did not merely damage itself — it damaged our confidence in our ability to rely on whoever is in the White House.

As we emphasized to you here all last week, the realities of the region are such that New Orleans is going to be largely uninhabitable for a lot longer than anybody is yet willing to recognize. Lord knows when the last body will be found, or the last artifact of the levee break, dug up. Could be next March. Could be 2100. By then, in the muck and toxic mire of New Orleans, they may even find our government's credibility.

Somewhere, in the City of Louisiana.

Keith Olberman, Monday, September 5th

Posted by: The Buck Stops Here at September 6, 2005 07:33 AM

Obviously you chaps don't want to adopt the political system of Cuba, fair enough, but clearly the total lack of organisation in the evacuation and subsequent rescue efforts left many dead. The system has to be better organised.

Hurricanes bring all the cockroaches out of hiding. Apparently they bring out the Stalinists too. They're all over Harry's Place too.

Stalinist opportunism aside, it's pretty clear that while the Federal Government may have been following the rules, they did not demonstrate leadership ability during this disaster. This disaster required an effort above and beyond the usual. They didn't do it.

Instead, the government did exactly what the Democrats did during 9/11 - they dithered, whined and said "don't blame me, I'm not in charge here". A goverment can be judged by how it treats its weakest members. When the Republicans are as bad as the Democrats, there's a problem.

I love the city, but before Katrina arrived, the political system of New Orleans already resembled a third world nation - the police department was so corrupt that they were cited by Human Rights watch. During the mid-90's, the police department was literally a death squad, carrying out hits, working with drug dealers and committing robberies. Some improvements were made, but as we've seen, they were inadequate.

It's no surpise that many residents of the city didn't trust the local government. They had no reason to.

One fact that is hardly mentioned here is the efforts of everyone who was NOT associated with the government. People throughtout the south have been doing everything they can to help the refugees. Americans have given more than $404 million to help Katrina's victims.

When it comes to preparation for a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, I think we need to trust and rely on ourselves. We need to learn, even if we have to teach ourselves, what to do in the worst case scenario. We need to supply ourselves with disaster kits, we need to keep ourselves informed. In an emergency, government (Democrats and Republicans) only helps those who help themselves.

Unless Rudy Giuliani happens to be around..

Posted by: mary at September 6, 2005 07:45 AM

One fact that is hardly mentioned here is the efforts of everyone who was NOT associated with the government.

Oops - I didn't mean just here, I meant anywhere. In fact, I should mention it on my blog. I think the $404 million figure is one of the highest ever..

Posted by: mary at September 6, 2005 07:50 AM

NAGIN: Whatever they had discussed. As far as what the — I was abdicating a clear chain of command, so that we could get resources flowing in the right places.
S. O’BRIEN: And the governor said no.
NAGIN: She said that she needed 24 hours to make a decision. It would have been great if we could of left Air Force One, walked outside, and told the world that we had this all worked out. It didn’t happen, and more people died.
=============================================

First, it will have exposed the utter and total incompetence and failure of the Bush administration.
Second, it will have exposed the utter and total moral failure of anyone who is falling over themselves to blame anyone - the mayor, the governor, those damn people who just didn't walk out of the city when they were told to, whoever -anyone but the people who are, in fact, responsible.--Commenter

Uh Commenter,once again you are doomed to disappointment. Politically you are an ignoramous. You simply can't see 'reality' for all the BDS you suffer from. In your case it's terminal, I fear. Step back, get away from the 'on-your-knees' crap, put on your 'objective' hat and THINK.

Nagin will use Blanco as a punching bag as will Bush and she will go down in flames.She knows it which is why she has neither been seen nor heard.

As she should---- it was largely HER incompetence that made things ever so much worse.The buck will stop with her and perhaps Brown at FEMA because he should have done better when he saw that the situation was out of control.

Get used to it.

Posted by: dougf at September 6, 2005 07:56 AM

Even cronies and amateurs can do a credible job when the pressure is on from the highest levels and the incentives are clear ... the summer and fall before an election in a crucial swing state where the Crony-in-chief's brother is governor. Plenty of pre-positioning, readiness, coordination, and no limits on supply then. No blaming of victims.

Nell L.

Posted by: NeoDude at September 6, 2005 08:11 AM

There is a difference between striking the "twin towers" and destroying a whole city.

Posted by: NeoDude at September 6, 2005 08:14 AM

The Right-Wing Cult of the [wealthy] Individual in action!

-----------------------------------

"In the chaos that was Causeway Boulevard, this group of refugees stood out: a 6-year-old boy walking down the road, holding a 5-month-old, surrounded by five toddlers who followed him around as if he were their leader":

They were holding hands. Three of the children were about 2 years old, and one was wearing only diapers. A 3-year-old girl, who wore colorful barrettes on the ends of her braids, had her 14-month-old brother in tow. The 6-year-old spoke for all of them, and he told rescuers his name was Deamonte Love.

Thousands of human stories have flown past relief workers in the last week, but few have touched them as much as the seven children who were found wandering together Thursday at an evacuation point in downtown New Orleans. In the Baton Rouge headquarters of the rescue operation, paramedics tried to coax their names out of them; nurses who examined them stayed up that night, brooding.

Transporting the children alone was "the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, knowing that their parents are either dead" or that they had been abandoned, said Pat Coveney, a Houston emergency medical technician who put them into the back of his ambulance and drove them out of New Orleans.

"It goes back to the same thing," he said. "How did a 6-year-old end up being in charge of six babies?"

From:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-children5sep05,0,113027.story?page=1&coll=la-home-headlines

Posted by: NeoDude at September 6, 2005 08:25 AM

Ah, yes, BDS, or "Bush Derangement Syndrome". Truly one of the most asinine things you people have managed to come up with, which says a lot. The implication is, of course, that Liberals hate Bush pathalogically, and so are unable to legitimately criticize him. No, the only people capable of critizing him are conservatives - who will never criticize him.

Believe whatever you want, Doug - believe that I dislike him because I think he makes lots of decisions that hurt people, or believe that I dislike him because you think I'm a raving, frothing hater (cough cough projection cough cough). I don't really care. I think it's particularly rich to hear the President say "don't politicize this" when he's already got a team working on how to deflect political criticism, and when he represents the party that politicized a blow job.

But then, I already know where you stand - you're trying to argue that we couldn't drop food and water to starving Americans because of conditions that were even worse in Afghanistan - yet we were able to do it there. I mean, do you people really understand what happened? That Americans died of dehydration, or drowned, when they could have been saved? Do you really get the magnitude of this?

Probably not, because you seem to have what I like to call my theory of "BFS", or "Bush-Fellating Syndrome". A counterpart to BDS, the core of the theory is this: conservatives never notice the mistakes made by Bush because their too busy cupping the balls.

Posted by: The Commenter at September 6, 2005 08:27 AM

The Commenter said: "Second, it will have exposed the utter and total moral failure of anyone who is falling over themselves to blame anyone - the mayor, the governor, those damn people who just didn't walk out of the city when they were told to, whoever - anyone but the people who are, in fact, responsible."

Sorry guys, but local preparedness and response is everything. If you -- and I mean you, not some other people in some other state -- are caught up in a physical disaster, you do not want to wait for a coordinated relief effort staged at the national level. Rather, you would want the local authorities to know where you are, what you're dealing with, and what you need right now, before, during, and after the event.

What do we elect mayors and governors for, if not to address the specific issues and needs of local and regional areas?

In those critical hours and days after a disaster, local and state leadership is everything. Ask New Yorkers (Giuliani) and Floridians (Jeb Bush). Governor Barbour of Mississippi, along with others we haven't heard of yet, may well join this distinguished group.

Maybe the Feds were slow at first, but I doubt there is any precedent for the total disfunction of local authorities in the face of a forewarned disaster.

Posted by: at September 6, 2005 08:30 AM

The Commenter said: "Second, it will have exposed the utter and total moral failure of anyone who is falling over themselves to blame anyone - the mayor, the governor, those damn people who just didn't walk out of the city when they were told to, whoever - anyone but the people who are, in fact, responsible."

Sorry guys, but local preparedness and response is everything. If you -- and I mean you, not some other people in some other state -- are caught up in a physical disaster, you do not want to wait for a coordinated relief effort staged at the national level. Rather, you would want the local authorities to know where you are, what you're dealing with, and what you need right now, before, during, and after the event.

What do we elect mayors and governors for, if not to address the specific issues and needs of local and regional areas?

In those critical hours and days after a disaster, local and state leadership is everything. Ask New Yorkers (Giuliani) and Floridians (Jeb Bush). Governor Barbour of Mississippi, along with others we haven't heard of yet, may well join this distinguished group.

Maybe the Feds were slow at first, but I doubt there is any precedent for the total disfunction of local authorities in the face of a forewarned disaster.

Posted by: E Rey at September 6, 2005 08:35 AM

E Ray,

There is a difference between striking the "twin towers" and destroying a whole city.

&

Even cronies and amateurs can do a credible job when the pressure is on from the highest levels and the incentives are clear ... the summer and fall before an election in a crucial swing state where the Crony-in-chief's brother is governor. Plenty of pre-positioning, readiness, coordination, and no limits on supply then. No blaming of victims.

Nell L.

-----------------------------

But really, what are the Americans expecting from the same man who would lie us into a war....then botch that war up.

Posted by: NeoDude at September 6, 2005 08:42 AM

The Right-Wing Cult of Wealthy Individuals (aka the Republican Party) has told Al-Queda that the United States is not prepared to protect MOST Americans, if attacked.

Posted by: NeoDude at September 6, 2005 08:46 AM

NeoDude, don't be too hard on him. He's suffering from a serious psychological condition - Bush-Fellating Syndrome. While this might seem like a patronizing, pretentious way of dimissing anything serious he might have to say, I assure you, it's not. It's a problem that has swept up millions of conservatives, preventing them from seeing the big picture - they're just too caught up in their lust for fellatio. They're practically frothing at the mouth.

Posted by: The Commenter at September 6, 2005 08:51 AM

Commenter,

Like a jailhouse whore defending his vicious rapist from other inmates "because they from tha otha side!"

Posted by: NeoDude at September 6, 2005 08:55 AM

The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson:

...a few days in and around this ground zero have convinced me that there are two things the federal government failed to do, and that for these failures there's ultimately no one to blame but the president.

First, an administration that since Sept. 11, 2001, has told us a major terrorist strike is inevitable should have had in place a well-elaborated plan for evacuating a major American city. Even if there wasn't a specific plan for New Orleans -- although it was clear that a breach of the city's levees was one of the likeliest natural catastrophes -- there should have been a generic plan. George W. Bush told us time and again that our cities were threatened. Shouldn't he have ordered up a plan to get people out?

Second, someone should have thought about what to do with hundreds of thousands of evacuees, both in the days after a disaster and in the long term. As people flooded out of New Orleans, it was officials at the state and local level who rose to the challenge, making it up as they went along. Bring a bunch of people to the Astrodome. We have a vacant hotel that we can use. Send a hundred or so down to our church and we'll do the best we can.

Tent cities aren't a happy option, but neither is haphazard improvisation. Is the problem the Bush administration's ideological fervor for small government? Does the White House really believe that primary responsibility should fall on volunteers, church groups and individuals? Or is it just stunning incompetence and lack of foresight?

Posted by: NeoDude at September 6, 2005 08:56 AM

Neodude:

Here's what I take from this brutal wake-up call: There may well be no defense for individuals or communities who give no cognizance to such things as defense or preparedness. Above all else, your life is your own. Take care of it, and cooperate with those around you -- when things turn ugly, they are all you've got.

Posted by: E Rey at September 6, 2005 09:03 AM

Anyone rememer the blizard of '78? Not on the same scale of devastation surely as Katrina, but a disaster that affected the entire northeast region of the country to be sure. Well I certainly do remember it, and one the biggest memories I have of this disaster is of our then governor, Michael Dukakis, almost continually on TV giving updates on real-time practical everyday information that everyone depended on. I remember him specifically, looking more and more haggard as that week wore on in his frumpy cardigan sweaters, at times unshaven. But he was there nonetheless, calmly and authoritatively informing us of NG movement, highway closings and openings, how to get medical care, etc.

Say what you will about Dukakis, a democrat by the way, but I remember him really takig charge coming through during that crisis. And you know what, we should not have expected any less because that was his job! That is what he was elected for. You know, to govern, to lead.

During the worst of the NO hurricane crisis, where was Blanco? What real world, practical information did she provide?

Posted by: Cara Remal at September 6, 2005 09:09 AM

As usual, your instinctive read on this thing is just about right, Michael.

Posted by: kreiz at September 6, 2005 09:09 AM

It's a problem that has swept up millions of conservatives, preventing them from seeing the big picture - they're just too caught up in their lust for fellatio. They're practically frothing at the mouth.---Commenter

Frankly considering the quality of your latest posts, and your tendentious thinking at the best of times, I wouldn't say anything at all about 'frothing at the mouth' were I you.

And on the main point of my earlier post, you are STILL a political ignoramous. Things will shake out pretty much as I predicated and you will be standing there wondering why. AGAIN.

You just don't get it. You believe that hysterical rage is always a substitute for logical analysis, and can't see why your success percentage is so low. Rage may be useful at some times,but sometimes it just makes one deranged and unreliable.

You can't fix a problem without knowing what the problem is and frankly you don't. Nor do you really care to find out. It's just more satisfying to BLAME BUSH. As for your unseemly allegation that I defend Bush to the point of committing dubious acts of fawning appreciation, perhaps you might do better to read my earlier comments on why I reply at all to you 'sufferers'. It has precious little to do with GWB, and just about everything to do with YOU.

If Bush screwed up then he must take the hit.

You however just BELIEVE as a matter of faith that he screwed up. No-one outside the institution is going to follow you down that road. Scream all you want. You aren't convincing anyone.

Get used to it.

Posted by: dougf at September 6, 2005 10:25 AM

The Politics of the Last Five Minutes (ie. Move along, nothing to see here)? The fact is, the state and local governments are not supposed to be the ones protecting us from terrorists or natural disasters. It's the federal government, DHS, FEMA, et al. that asserted that responsibility after 9/11.

When the head of FEMA has more expertise rating Arabian showhorses than in disaster management, when TV viewers know more about what was happening on the ground in New Orleans than the DHS director, and when the Administration is spending more time trying to shift the blame for this debacle to the Governor of Louisiana (!), it's clear these clowns aren't up to the task of dealing with terrorism.

Posted by: Steve Smith at September 6, 2005 10:26 AM

Plenty of blame to go around. At the same time, attempts by Dems or Repubs to prevent the other side from putting too much of it on the branch of government they wish to implicate is to be expected. What is beyond debate, and ought to be focused on, IMO, is the realization that the dysfunctional response to Katrina, at ANY level of government, is a NATIONAL SECURITY issue. We've just exposed the soft underbelly of our American cities and how easy it is to turn them into lawless hellholes and deathtraps.

After 9/11, there's no excuse for not recognizing this, which is why attempting to shift the MAJORITY of the blame to Nagin or Blanco just won't wash. Showing the world that the mighty USA can't get it shit together to deal with a natural disaster emboldens our enemies to plan attacks in hopes of similar or even worse outcomes. And don't doubt for a minute that they aren't taking notice.

Posted by: Markus at September 6, 2005 10:31 AM

Doug, didn't your mother ever teach you not to speak when your mouth is full?

Seriously, for just a moment: I consider this an experiment in acting like, well, like you, or any conservative who has ever seriously used the term "BDS".

Anyway, when you finish up, then we can talk about approval ratings and what not. Don't forget to wipe your chin!

Posted by: The Commenter at September 6, 2005 10:44 AM

"A category 5 direct hit would have lead me to lay less blame on the authorities. However this was not a direct hit. NO initially survived intact. Just the type of storm that decent flood barriers can protect."

Firstly, though the eye didn't pass over NO, the city was in the central hurricane-forced wind zone, the last obs from the airport that morning had hurricane forced gusts and that was before the storm peaked. In Hurricanes, handgrenade and horseshoe scoring is all that matters when it comes to damage. The eye is just for knowing where the radius of the disaster zone STARTS.

If NO didn't have a lake (pracitally a bay in hurricanes) to north the mississippi to the south and be mostly a flood bowl, the damage would have been less. For NO, Hurricane landfall just to the east would be as devastating to NO as one to the west (which is where otherwise the conventional wisdom is). In the former case, you have counter-clockwise prevailing winds sending sea water & runoff into Pontchartrain and then against levys and into lowlands that were not engineered to take this class of storm (few levys are). And from what I've worked with and seen as far as midwest & mid-mississippi flood control the type of catastrophic barriers needed for a Cat 3-5 surge from the Mississippi or Pontchartrain would not be 'acceptable' for NO's urban environment. Sorry to say it but IMO the city is engineered to fail and the problem may be intractable. The worse NO case of the mississippi changing course through town is still on the table and the chances of the city being hit by the same or higher class of storm in the next decade no matter who's president or governor hasn't changed from last month.

Posted by: Bill at September 6, 2005 11:00 AM

Looking for who to blame is a complete waste of time. I will say that there was a complete lack of leadership up and down from the local, city, state, and federal levels.

I'm spending my time trying to help the victims here in Houston (250,000 are now in Texas). Writing long comments about who is to blame does not help any of these people one iota.

Instead of sitting around bitching about the politics why don't you people pitch in and actually do somtething to help. Lazy bastards.

Posted by: markytom at September 6, 2005 11:02 AM

Anyway, when you finish up, then we can talk about approval ratings and what not. Don't forget to wipe your chin!--Commenter

My apologies if you are not a 'sufferer' but if you are as intellectually honest as you feign to be, you must admit there is a lot of lunacy running around. It is perfectly natural after many examples, to mistakenly include those who are not in fact tainted. Again if you are not a devotee of the loons,my apologies.

As to approval ratings---- Who Cares ? Ratings come and ratings go. Most people are politically clueless and the ratings largely reflect the fact that 'something' has caused them to notice the government. That is not usually a good thing for the in-power crowd,but it is transitory. We usually have trouble remembering what happened last month unless it personally affects us.

What matters is the 'structural situation' and that really is not favourable to an opposition that offers almost nothing. You can't beat something with nothing and the 'loyal' opposition has now been proving that since 2000(or perhaps a little earlier). They look set to go right on proving it as the future unfolds.

This too(whoever carries the cans for it) shall pass-- you will be amazed and disheartened when you see how fast that occurs. The problem for Blanco is that her constituents will be reminded of her folly every morning they get up for years.They will be looking at it. She won't survive.

I ghar-on teeee it.

Posted by: dougf at September 6, 2005 11:04 AM

Doug,

Doesn't it ever get tiring carrying Bush's water? Has he ever done anything right? Even one thing? And I'm not looking at this from a left-wing point of view. Judge Bush by his own stated goals. Is the US safer, more secure, more prosperous, more powerful than it was 5 years ago? No on all counts. Butch more or less botched Afghanistan by sending in insufficient resources - Bin Laden is still on the run, the Taliban continue to terrorize large segments of the population. He appears to be botching Iraq. 5 year after 9/11 terror networks still operate with impunity in Western Europe, Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East. Bush botched social security reform. And now the incompetent cronies he put in charge of FEMA and Homeland Security are making a bad situation much worse than it had to be. I realize you have a visceral response to leftists who froth at the mouth, and that's understandable for a while. But there comes a time when you should take a step back, really look at Bush's record and the kind of people who work for him, and realize that this man is loyal only to his friends, not big-C Conservatism. Bush's flaw seems to be a simple one I often run into in business - he likes yes-men and he never holds his buddies accountable. This is the common theme in every mis-step he has made. Once you accept that you'll be happier and able to move forward.

Posted by: vanya at September 6, 2005 11:04 AM

Doug,
Doesn't it ever get tiring carrying Bush's water?---Vanya

Ummm,--- NO.

Once I am purchased I stay purchased.

And it may surprise you to know that I am not a BIG-C Conservative. Not really. My politics are largely utiliatarian. Whatever looks as if it will most effectively get the job done, is what i tend to support.

I just despise lunatics, the stupidly partisan, and the intellectually dishonest. Regrettably , most of those creatures appear to be inhabiting the 'progressive' end of the spectrum recently. I am not so much pro-Bush as anti-them.

Can't Stand Them !!

Posted by: dougf at September 6, 2005 11:16 AM

As the above comments demonstrate, conservatives are pointing out the manifest failures of the local and state governments because those on the Left and the media have focused entirely on Bush and FEMA. I've been on record with a position similar to Mr. Totten's, but have tended to move toward that of Jeff Goldstein, which is that the media's failure to look at the state and local officials in addition to the feds should prompt others to try to present a more complete view of the situation.

The Commenter is operating from the premise that DHS is responsible for the entire operation, but his link to the National Response Plan is amusing, because even on its face, it discusses the feds coordinating with local and state officials, not preempting them.

An editorial in Saturday's Washington Post begins as follows: "The lack of National Guard troops because of the war in Iraq; the Bush administration's failure to protect coastal wetlands; the reorganization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: All have been blamed, somewhat arbitrarily, for the stunning scenes of chaos at the New Orleans Superdome and convention center, for the unprecedented floodwaters in the city, and for the huge numbers of people without food or water."

The key words in that sentence are "somewhat arbitraily." The tragedy that is still unfolding in New Orleans has two major causes. The first is the fact that the city's levees were not sufficient to withstand a hurricane of Katrina's magnitude. Many blame the Bush Administration for this, but others note that the Clinton Administration put no priority o­n funding flood control in New Orleans.

Since people at all levels of government understood that New Orleans did not have levees that would protect the city from a Category 4 or 5 hurricane, the second major cause of tragedy here is the failure to adequately evacuate the city. Determining the blame for this failure requires an understanding of which governments have which responsibilities in a disaster like this o­ne.

The WaPo, in a story largely devoted to detailing problems with FEMA, (some of which is probably o­n-target), notes:

"Other federal and state officials pointed to Louisiana's failure to measure up to national disaster response standards, noting that the federal plan advises state and local emergency managers not to expect federal aid for 72 to 96 hours, and base their own preparedness efforts o­n the need to be self-sufficient for at least that period."

Some may question the wisdom of such a plan, particularly in hindsight. If you question it, however, you should also ask yourself whether it is better to have local officials use local assets to evacuate a city before a flood, or to have the feds attempt to deliver aid to an area where bridges have been destroyed, roads have been flooded, etc.

Thus, the City of New Orleans had a hurricane preparedness plan. That plan states that "Authority to issue evacuations of elements of the population is vested in the Mayor." In this case, Mayor Nagin failed to do so until Sunday, August 28th -- and then o­nly after President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation. Indeed, National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield in Miami called Nagin at home Saturday night and begged him to issue the order.

The state plan provides that: "The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. However, school and municipal buses and, where available, specialized vehicles will be used to transport those hurricane evacuees who do not have transportation." The city plan also called for the Regional Transit Authority to supply transportation as needed, position supervisors and dispatch evacuation buses, with the Mayor retaining overall control of all evacuation procedures. The RTA emergency plan dedicates 64 buses and 10 lift vans to move people somewhere; whether that means out of town or to local shelters of last resort would depend o­n emergency planners' decision at that moment.

However, the WaPo editorial above states that "Because a rapid organization of so many buses would have been impractical, the city's emergency managers considered the use of trains and cruise ships." So city officials did not follow their own plan. Moreover, I think many people will conclude that the notion of rapidly summoning cruise ships to appear in the path of an o­ncoming hurricane was impractical. New Orleans had about 360 city buses at its disposal. At the link you can also see pictures of another 200-250 school buses that went unused. Gov. Blanco did not commandeer public school buses for transportation of Hurricane Katrina evacuees until September 1st. So when Gov. Blaco and Mayor Nagin complain that they needed 500 buses, some people are going to notice that they already had more than 500 buses at their disposal, but failed to use them. Granted, the city or state would need to have people available to drive those buses, but it still seems more logistically doable than a cruise ship -- which ultimately wasn't done, either.

As for the supposed difficulty in rapidly mobilizing the buses, a satellite photo shows that the city bus yard was 1.2 miles from the Superdome.

The plans did call for using the Superdome as a "shelter of last resort" for evacuees (one wonders where the first and second resorts went). However, as the WaPo reported:

"For years, said another senior FEMA official, he had sat at meetings where plans were discussed to send evacuees to the Superdome. "We used to stare at each other and say, 'This is the plan? Are you really using the Superdome?' People used to say, what if there is water around it? They didn't have an alternative," he recalled."

Not o­nly did local officials know the Superdome was inadequate, but they also made no preparations for the evacuees o­nce they arrived there. As the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported:

"By 3 p.m., more than 10,000 people were either outside the Dome in long, deep lines or had made their way inside. Those with medical illnesses or disabilities were funneled to o­ne side of the makeshift shelter, equipped with supplies and medical personnel. The other side was a place to ride out the storm.

"'The people arriving o­n this side of the building are expected to fend for themselves,' said Terry Ebbert, the city's homeland security director. 'We have some water.'"

That's some plan. The Office of Emergency Preparedness -- immediately below the Mayor in the city plan -- had no plan for sheltering the general public except for Red Cross shelters outside of the city, but there was no plan to help people get to those shelters. Indeed, contrary to what some o­n the Internet have been writing, it was and is the state Homeland Security Department requesting that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. That's a decision that may be defensible, but people attacking FEMA for keeping the Red Cross out of N.O. are simply mistaken.

As for the National Guard, it should be noted that:

"Typically, the authority to use the National Guard in a state role lies with the governor, who tells his or her adjutant general to order individual Guard units to begin duty. Turnaround time varies depending o­n the number of troops involved, their location and their assigned missions."

Gov. Blanco declared a state of emergency o­n Aug. 26th, but as the text of that declaration makes clear, she asked for money under the Satfford Act to support the state police in evacuations, but in no way ceded all control to the feds. The fact that Gov. Blanco was commandeering buses o­n Sept. 1st also shows this, as does an article in Sunday's WaPo:

"Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.

"The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. 'Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything o­n the locals,' said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly."

So the local officials were bent o­n retaining some control for fear of political embarassment. In fact, Blanco still has control over the National Guard. But even Mayor Nagin is blasting Gov. Blanco for dithering at this point. Moreover, buried in an article suggesting that the National Guard is overstretched due to Iraq, we see that Louisiana o­nly used up about half of their National Guard force available as of a couple of days ago.

None of which excuses the feds' share of failures. As I noted above, there certainly appear to be some (for example, the failure to fully consider the Category 4 scenario during their "wargaming"). Michael Brown seems to have been either out of touch with conditions o­n the ground or spinning the unspinnable. And if the feds could have brought in Gen. Honore and NORTHCOM more quickly, they clearly should have, as they seem to be able to get things done.

However, as Jason Von Steenwyk -- a National Guardsman with hands-on experience providing disaster relief -- notes, the logistics of disaster relief, including getting trucks into affected areas, and attempting evacuations by bus after the storm, even of pre-positioning troops, are very unforgiving. He also posts an e-mail from a blog commenter who lived through Hurricane Hugo saying that, " The response to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast is about average." It does appear that the federal response started improving o­n Friday -- roughly when it was supposed to under the existing plan. If it turns out that the FEMA response was about average, the locals are going to look even worse.

A final note: The Sunday WaPo story linked above suggests that the Bush Administration is trying to "shift" the blame to the state and local officials. That's probably true in part, but imho, it is extremely important to assess the proper blame to the proper levels of government, lest we repeat this tragedy for failure to properly diagnose the problems this time.

Posted by: Karl at September 6, 2005 11:18 AM

Regarind my comments earlier. The AMS now has a presntation that illustrates my point on the storm. It's based on Georges, Ivan and other storms that "missed" NO.

http://www.ametsoc.org/atmospolicy/documents/6-20-05NewOrleansandHurricanes-Dr.ShirleyLaska_000.pdf

It's big (i think too big - god didn't the presenter know how to compress a PDF?) and has lost of "human dimension" pictures but several slides are informative, especially slide "72" which shows why it can acutally be worse for a storm to hit NO just to the east of city center. Similar water pumping occured with Katrina.

Posted by: Bill at September 6, 2005 11:25 AM

From Rabbi Marc Gelman:

"It is not merely naive but profoundly foolish to have expected that 100,000 troops with water and food and patrol vehicles and helicopters and busses and trains and showers and shelters and electricity and bulldozers and levee-repair crews and mobile kitchens and tent cities and psychological services and identity checkers and employment services and construction crews and electrical linemen and mechanical and structural and civil engineers and architects and water-control experts and animal-removal experts could have all been set up somewhere out of the storm path but close enough to swoop in and pluck the soaking victims out of harm’s way despite the collapsed bridges and levees the minute the winds stopped blowing and minute the tide subsided without missing a heartbeat.

Where have we gleaned the arrogant belief that if we suffer from a natural disaster, it must always somebody’s fault? We must all face the grim but inescapable fact that there are some times and some places where the need you face is simply greater than the resources you have at that moment or even days after that moment or even weeks after that moment, and thus agonizing decisions must be made.

Triage is a way to make those decisions on the allocation of scarce lifesaving resources that does not stop the tears, but at least it stops the feeling that you did not just throw up your hands and give up."

via The Anchoress

Unlike the good Rabbi, I do hold culpable a few people/organizations for the aftermath.

Neither Gov Blanco nor Mayor Nagin took the hurricane warnings and subsequent evacuation orders seriously until it was too late. The governor was (and still is) worried about the political implications of letting the feds take over, and the mayor was worried about the liability from the restaurants and hotels for closing down the city.

There was a PLAN that they did not follow. There was TRANSPORTATION that they did not use. There was social order 2 DAYS BEFORE the hurricane during which the mandatory evacuation could have taken place.

The buses and, now, the DVD are damning...

FEMA did what it said it was going to do within the time frame it said it would do it. Despite the funding cuts over the years, they STILL managed to cut their response time in half compared to Andrew in Florida in 1992.

There were 2 events: the hurricane and the subsequent breach/breaking of the levee. NO "dodged the bullet" on the hurricane, which devastated the coasts of 2 other states.

If the LOCAL OFFICIALS had followed through with the plan--GET THE PEOPLE OUT--before the hurricane when they should have, then FEMA's relief and recovery mission would not have turned into a RESCUE and LAW & ORDER mission.

...and don't get me started on the NOPD and their subsequent "reward."

Posted by: cardeblu at September 6, 2005 11:39 AM

Cardie..

At least the DVDs were honest if those are the ones I think you are talking about. Right after any disaster, you are your own relief agency and rescuer.

Posted by: Bill at September 6, 2005 11:49 AM

Governnment is more concerned about process than it is about results. By March of 2006 congress will have held 400 Katrina hearings. On Nov. 26 2006, staffers for the committee chairs will release a 47,325 page Katrina Hurricane Report. And nothing will change.

Once you accept that Vanya you'll be happier and able to move forward.

Posted by: 13times at September 6, 2005 11:49 AM

Bill, I do agree about that. It is definitely up to the individual--always has been and always will be.

It makes me wonder, though, if the money used to produce that DVD and its subsequent distribution (which hadn't been done yet) to all of the poor and infirm who do not have DVD players might not have been better spent, and did all of the fed money they received go into the DVD?

It was a perfect storm for the perfect city.

Posted by: cardeblu at September 6, 2005 12:01 PM

Downside of Politics as Usual and Fascinating Role Blogos is Playing in Rescue Ops

For folks who haven't gone to Roger L. Simon's it's worth a visit for the intelligent discussion going on over there.

Here's an except of a comment I posted there:

I posted several comments re this topic in one of the your threads below that are worth mentioning again for those who don't come here daily.

The first was on what you already suspect. Much has to do with the culture of allowing/tolerating political corruption.

Lay the Blame where it Belongs

[...]

The second noteworthy item is how the Blogosphere became a vital link in this rescue effort never seen before. It's now coming to light that a number of "connected" folks saved themselves and many others by not following "official" directives on 9/11. It's a matter of how info/ communications/ ops are handled during the immediate crisis and coordinating available resources

BLOGOS BRINGS ORDER TO NOLA RESCUE OPS

[...]

Read More

RLS Link

Posted by: Ron Wright at September 6, 2005 01:33 PM

If the Feds are to blame, why is NO the only place that slipped into complete chaos? Local and State officials are not exempt from some responsibilty.

Posted by: DDD at September 6, 2005 02:08 PM

Theer's no way Bush could win. If he doesn't micromanage the Katrina situation beyond his authority, he gets blamed for the mistakes of those federal, state, and local entities who hold those delegated authorities. If he does, the BDS sufferers will say that he's doing it just because Louisiana has oil.

At the moment, the only blame that Bush seems to deserve is putting the wrong guy in charge of FEMA. Not exactly the first presidential appointment to come under fire from even conservatives (*coughMinetacough*).

Posted by: Alan K. Henderson at September 6, 2005 03:07 PM

Neodude -- THERE WAS A PLAN. Nagin signed off on it, and James Lee Witt (remember him) helped prepare the State's plan.

http://www.cityofno.com/SystemModules/PrintPage.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26

http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/plans/plansindex.htm

Nagin did not follow his own plan, which was inexcusable since in 2004 after Ivan he and Blanco publicly pledged in a press conference to develop and implement a plan to evacuate the poorest and disabled residents after they were left behind (fortunately Ivan veered off at the last minute). As his own plan notes, New Orleans is surrounded by water. Once I-10 and the Lake Ponchartrain Expressway was cut the only way into the city was by river or from the south which is a nightmare in and of itself (if you've ever been down Houma way you know what I mean). Once people were stuck there they were going to die, and Nagin knew it. He just gave up after issuing an evac order way too late; not even following his own plan.

Unless like Marcus you want Bush running every city in America, the evac plans HAVE to be up to the City Government. Even Antonio Villaraigosa, a hack if ever there was one, or Jimmy Hahn (same) would have evaced their city if a disaster like that was coming. Even Tent Cities are better than people drowning. This is unique to New Orleans and Louisiana. Aid could get to Mississippi and Florida, even during many hurricanes because leadership at the local level was not 100% incompetent, and there was redundant interstate highways where aid could flow.

Commenter and Neo IMHO you are making the mistake of blaming Bush for things he shouldn't be blamed for and absolving him of what he should be blamed for. Bush isn't going to run the relief efforts in detail, and the dropping or not of food and water supplies is not his job. What IS his job is political leadership and recognizing the obvious: that Blanco and Nagin and FEMA were paralyzed, particularly at this stage Blanco who controlled 7,000 National Guard troops, helicopters, etc. and could not decide on ANYTHING. So people died.

Bush deserves blame not for failing to direct buses to each housing project in New Orleans (which was Nagin's job) or directing food and water drops in that city (which was Blanco's job) but for not by Wed at the latest realizing the paralysis and taking charge personally despite no legal authority to do so. He needed to exert moral leadership and start making decisions to save lives when they could be saved. When Bush needed to be a leader he was his usual timid political self.

The lesson in all of this is simple: government structure MATTERS. FEMA could handle small hurricanes even clumped together ala last year, but a big disaster was simply beyond it's scope and folded into DHS it has been a disaster and unable to increase the pace of response. Bush lacked the political courage to push back on the 9/11 Commission (which recommended folding FEMA into DHS) as well as the rest of their frankly idiotic suggestions (amounting to more bureaucracy). Secondly leadership matters. If Nagin had exerted leadership almost all would have been evacuated and very few would have died. If Blanco had exerted leadership many could have been saved. If Bush had exerted leadership some could have been saved even by Wed.

Ultimately this is the voters in Louisiana's fault mostly. They have tolerated the lack of economic development (one commenter here was hostile to it) which kept New Orleans mostly poor (tourist jobs pay poorly). Poverty kills. Even if the evacuation order came so late if they all had cars they could have gotten out. [Note: the private auto saves lives in these cases]. They have tolerated as part of the culture too many corrupt and incompetent politicians. They have not addressed fundamental problems in the state (marshland loss; levee upkeep; poverty; violence; crime) and relied on handouts from the Feds instead of taking stock and moving reforms.

I hope the long-term effects are not five minute takes but real reforms to address the structural defects in government; the strategic failure to fund infrastructure (including economic development and public safety); and the manifest leadership failures at all levels.

Vanya -- your criticisms are valid but the opposition party has even less to offer. Bin Laden is in Pakistan and Biden basically admitted the Dems are unwilling to get him. Dems strategy is to make people love us. At a time when the Europeans are cracking down hard on the Muslim terror groups. About as responsive to the problem as Blanco breaking down and crying during a news conference.

Posted by: Jim Rockford at September 6, 2005 03:11 PM

I agree the opposition party has nothing much better to offer. God help us all if Mary Landrieu were ever elected President. She seems to be as vacuous as they come. In reality things were probably no better in the 1890s than they are now, but it really seems that the prevalence of media has created a new type of politician who is really good at one thing - getting elected, and has no real idea how to do anything else and no understanding how their decisions affect average Americans. To my mind the vast majority of Republicans and Democrats meet this description.

Posted by: vanya at September 6, 2005 03:43 PM

Where, exactly, does the buck stop with this administration? Nothing is ever their fault. It is as though the concept of accountability has been purged from the national discourse.

"The Politics of the Last Five Minutes?" This has been the politics of the last five years.

Posted by: Big Gay Al at September 6, 2005 04:05 PM

Cardeblu - thanks for that great link to Rabbi Gelman. I couldn't agree more with his perspective on this.

And Kurt - thanks for a very well thought out post. A+ for your essay :-)

(And as I pointed out in the previous thread, many of the hangers-on refusing to leave at this point are apparently pet-owners. Dog owners in particular. Obviously they take the little ones, as we've seen them going in the baskets. It's the bigger dogs that are a problem. Last night Fox showed a woman crying saying she wanted to leave but couldn't leave her dog and they wouldn't let her take the dog. I can understand why the human rescuers aren't equipped to take dogs, as they may not have the training to handle them. But maybe the animal rescuers can be pressed into service to take people (owners) with them. That's my hope anyway.)

Posted by: Caroline at September 6, 2005 04:14 PM

It is almost impossible to effectively plan for a disater of this scale that we have never experienced.

It is also very difficult to expect leaders to respond accuratly for similar reasons.

I personally think the response was awfully good for such a massive effort.

Note that the diasater spanned 90,000 square miles. That is a 300 mile square and is over twice the area of my state of MS.

My only strong remarks would be for the race baiters.

Posted by: at September 6, 2005 04:23 PM

But maybe the animal rescuers can be pressed into service to take people (owners) with them.--Caroline

Since this is a MAJOR issue, why can't the services be set up to include pet & owner support services? If the concern is people staying behind, surely this would cut down on the problem and not result is scenes such as the little boy reduced to vomiting when some senseless NO cop refused to allow his little dog to be taken out.

If we treat anamials as part of the family for the rest of the time, surely they are part of the family in an emrgency as well.

Posted by: dougf at September 6, 2005 04:41 PM

Dougf: "Since this is a MAJOR issue, why can't the services be set up to include pet & owner support services? If the concern is people staying behind, surely this would cut down on the problem..."

I totally agree! At this point the lack of a plan for dealing with joint people/animal rescue isn't just jeapordizing animal life - it's jeapordizing human life as well. And I don't blame the humans for refusing to abandon their "best friends" either.

If this is to be a learning experience about disaster preparation on a large scale - there's one lesson for sure. It seems to me that flat bottom boats would be well equipped to handle this sort of scenario. I hope to hear more about private groups organized to deal with this. I will definitely be sending money that way, especially since I full well realize that that could be me! Or YOU Dougf! :-)

Posted by: Caroline at September 6, 2005 05:11 PM

Where, exactly, does the buck stop with this administration? Nothing is ever their fault.

Do you pay attention to conservatives at all? Theer aren't a whole lot of conservatives who blindly support Dubya the way MoveOn.org unquestioningly worships Cindy Sheehan. Bush spends too much. He federalizes airport screeners. He signs McCain-Feingold. He ignores immigration problems, and would make them worse with his amnesty plan. (I, for one, wish he'd address the root problem - Mexico's lack of economic freedom.) Oh, and did I mention that some of his appointments suck?

Is the Left as critical of its own leadership as the Right is of Bush?

Posted by: Alan K. Henderson at September 6, 2005 09:13 PM

Last summer the locals, staties, and feds did a study and concluded that in the event of a Cat4 or Cat5 striking New Orleans, residents will be "on their own for several days". The City and State knew this, it was their conclusion.

What FEMA delivered was, ahem, delivering aid after "several days".

The ball was dropped when the Mayor and Governor didn't have the guts to go into the neighborhoods with 500 police and 2000 state police (Louisiana has 7500) with those 500 buses and get the people out, which is what their plan called for.

That is where the disaster took wing. "The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital." That's Joe Paterno.

Having said all that. I'll wait for the details to become clear (anyone who thinks today that they know what happened last week is delusional, IMO) before I lambast FEMA and the President but it sure does seem to me that he hasn't delivered what he said he would which is more nimble Federal emergency mitigation.

Posted by: Tim at September 7, 2005 11:37 AM

anal cycki @ anal cycuszki @ anal czarne @ anal czeszki @ anal darmo @ anal darmowe @ anal darmowe anonse @ anal dildo @ anal dom publiczny @ anal dominika @ anal dupcie @ anal dupczenie laseczek @ anal dupencje @ anal dupodajki @ anal dupodajki azjatki @ anal dupodajki dziewczyny @ anal dupodajki filmy @ anal dupodajki lolitki @ anal dupodajki nimfomanki @ anal dupodajki porno @ anal dupodajne kobiety @ anal dupy @ anal dupy erotyka @ anal dupy filmy @ anal duze @ anal duze piersi @ anal dziewczyny @ anal dziewczyny do towarzystwa @ anal dziewczyny dupodajki @ anal dziewczyny filmy @ anal dziewczyny fotki @ anal dziewczyny licealistki @ anal dziewczyny modelki @ anal dziewczyny nastolatki @ anal dziewczyny nimfomanki @ anal dziewczyny pierdolenie @ anal dziewczyny porno @ anal dziewice @ anal dziewice azjatki @ anal dziewice fotki @ anal dziewice modelki @ anal dziewice porno @ anal dziewictwo @ anal dziweczki @ anal dziwki @ anal elwira @ anal erika michelle barre @ anal erotic stories @ anal erotyczne @ anal erotyka cipy

Posted by: ruben at September 8, 2005 04:11 AM

geiles sex video toilet voyeur voyeur fotos hardcore toons scharfe pornovideo muschi feucht circus penis teen kelly boy for boy geile tussi ficken cum cheeks gay hitchhiker nackt big black big screen tv pornoseiten erotick aktbilder sexfilme teen fuck nacktbilder sex kontakte filthy letters bimbo wives voyeur pics fucking toons fresh teens beach teens foot erotica blonde pubes facial masters bondage sex anal sweeties puff ficken wichsen sexy teen gallery nude oral club tranny muschi lecken club heshe boobie club big beautiful woman hardcoreporno farm sexy pornographische fist bangfoot club titties webcam cigarette sluts voyeur pictures her 1st anal cravings erotk fresh auditions anal poppen gay super cocks hot nude granny nude anal gratis sexpics voyeur pics free bushless asian tease girl for girl giant gay cock big cock pornografische india uncovered grande girls schlampen sexteen interracial sex fest big ass celeb hotel girl ranch brown hair girls anal ficken sexmovies free voyeur sex rastplatz sexygirls dildo dippers nackte muschies lesben sex my big nipples farm secrets pornografie ebony cheeks creamy facials ficken disco dirty xxx sex anal pals digital chicks average ho sperma alle loecher live sex videos teen group erwachsenen sex amateur voyeur big dildo hot sex video black sweeties tgp free hardcore gangbangs amazing anal softporno anal porn video sexy woman teenpics sexfilme tittenbilder sexy teen pornomovies big black boobs pornofilm topsex sex the city sextape voyeur movie dicke eier ficken nacktfotos hairy woman pic geschichten vom frauenarz big boobs sexsy porno video free nude voyeur sex dvd teen muschi sexcomics lesbian sex toys big dick voyeur russian sexgirls big penis sexbilder best erotik geile schlampe sperma auge enge fotze sexshop sie mastrubierte sexseiten bizarre sex pornos schauen pornofilme big beautiful women big girls big tit freesexfilm sexmagazine teen cumshot pornovideos nckte ficken sexpicture phone sex teensex sexgeschichten sexclips bumsen disco true voyeur bildergalerien privatsex woman seeking man porn teen enge fotze lecken erotikstars japanischer sex mature big tit voyeur dorm muschibilder big black cock geiles porn video extreme sex muschis versaute sperma mund gesicht spritz schluck fick pornopics voyeur spycamscom spycams big breast pornoland lesbian sex movie faltrate sex videosex sexy fotos voyeur geile fisting sex teenporno sex comic gratis sexbilder fotzen free teen sex ebony sex erotik sex voyeur movies muschi sexgalerie big nipples sucking sexfilm sexmovie indischer sex teens sex kontaktsex teen tits pornoclips erotig porno video oma ficken sex anal video sexseite arsch poppen sonnenschutzfaktor sex telefonsex pornofilms voyeur pic sexmpg party gang bang sexpic pornostars nackt ficken bus sex extrem sex video sperma arsch fotze mund big tall big cocks pornobilder sex pics sex personals teen petite sexy video dating woman sex toys big titted moms pornofotos nutten black sex big nipples big pack big naturals big tits private voyeur voyeur cam women sex toys sex voyeur sex movies nude teen mature woman parkplatzsex big natural tits sex dating fotze poppen blassen sex kornfeld big titts sex place voyeur action www voyeur com geile teens fiken free project voyeur voyeur 23 sperma gesicht spritzen chinesen sex voyeur peeping votze video sexy russian woman big dicks bunsen fat woman trouble teen neger sex sexbilder adult sex live sex young russian woman erotikr mmh sperma big beautiful woman muschi video britney nckt amateur big tits latina teen megagiga big hot teen project voyeur voyeur bilder privat voyeur sperma party reingespritzt butts voyeur versteckte kamera barby voyeur sperma gesicht teen lesbians young sex lesben sexspielzeug extreme voyeur sex treffen teen lesbian teen porn teen hardcore sexy teen picture gangbang sex free sex movie teen nudis voyeur privat live sex cam schwulen sexspielzeug asiaten sex

Posted by: sexy frau at September 9, 2005 02:31 PM

Hi I have been given the task of getting links for our websites thathave good page rank on the links directories.In addition we have many categories so your site will be place on an appropriate page. If you would like to trade links please send me your website details.Best Regards,seopro@walla.com
http://www2w.bravehost.com vs the best casino http://casino.vmedical.us new online casino
casinos
casino
online poker
online gambling
online casinos
online casinos
online casinos
online poker
online casinos
online casino
casino
poker
casino
casino
casinos
online casino
online gambling
casino
poker
neteller casinos
online casino
online poker
online casino
internet poker
free online poker
texas holdem poker
poker
online slots
online roulette
online blackjack
poker
online casinos
online casino
online casino
online roulette
online poker
internet casinos
online slots
online blackjack

Posted by: online casinos at October 9, 2005 10:49 AM

online poker
online casino
online viagra sale
try viagra online
order viagra online
buy viagra online
order cialis online
free levitra online
cheap meridia online
buy xenical online
order propecia
order viagra online
online casino
online slots
phentermine
phentermine
levitra
tami flu
online poker
poker
poker
online poker
online poker
poker
poker

Posted by: online casino at October 23, 2005 09:58 AM

super promocje odzież dziecięca , niezłe atrakcje u-booty, dvd odtwarzacze dvd, roboty kuchenne sa fajne Roboty kuchene , filmy dvd sklep super nowsci dvd, prawo lex Radca prawny , sklep internetowy ekspresy do kawy , golarki i inne depilujące urządzenia Golarki , odkurzacze do odkurzania odkurzacze, żelazka do prasowania i wygładzania materiałów ubraniowch :) żelazka, telewizory lcd okno na świat Telewizory lcd, a tu telewizory plazmowe o jeszcze coś fajnego Telewizory plazmowe , kamery cyfrowe kamery cyfrowe super promo najlepszych firm firmowanych w firmie firmowo firmowej :))).

Posted by: Kamery cyfrowe at November 28, 2005 02:50 AM

Kamery cyfrowe bleble takie sobie me Wózki dziecięce Kancelaria prawna to i owo Telewizory lcd ale w kolo jhest wesolo notebooki mamy takie o to teges sony a nie tegos samsung

Posted by: Odzież dziecięca at January 7, 2006 07:32 AM

puz, sl, zdrowa żywność, mieszkania Warszawa, ogłoszenia nieruchomości, projektowanie stron, tworzenie stron, agencja reklamowa, reklama w internecie, psycholog, nauka angielskiego, soczewki kontaktowe, psyche sf, jk, nls, projektowanie wnętrz, hydraulik Warszawa, opcataloz, domy opieki, freetimes, jidds, fabrykapoe, sfworks, polskepoeje, pb, pp, jk, wypadki, opony, agroturystyka, klimatyzacja, apteka, dentysta, f, kray, ewes, angs, git, akupunktura, sc

Posted by: at at January 31, 2006 02:57 AM

Nowadays, shopping for adult products has never been easier