This is why it's Bush's fault

[Ravenseye]

The spin machine can bray at the local officials all they want. It's what they need to do to keep the focus off themselves and the ineptness of the local governments in this case provides them with perfect cover. Yet focusing on their failures misses the entire point of our outrage, which is why it's called spin.

The failure isn't that the Bush couldn't prevent the hurricane, or that local governments couldn't evacuate everyone, or that they weren't prepared with on the spot supplies for tens of thousands of starving dehydrated and stranded people.

The failure that scares us is the federal, read Bush's, response.

What if this had been a terrorist attack? What if 10 terrorists had driven into New Orleans with trucks filled with high explosives, and then detonated the levees in 10 places, flooding the city with no warning?

What if 5 days after this hypothetical terrorist attack there were still Americans, stranded, hungry, and dying, while the Federal government essentially did nothing?

Would we blame the Mayor or the President of Such and Such Parish for not preventing the terrorist attack? Would we blame the police for not keeping order amid the chaos?

Or would we blame FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and President Bush, if while, days after the attack people were still dying and trapped and he was at a press conference talking about rebuilding a republican senators vacation home with a smirk and a laugh.

That's why it's Bush's fault. It doesn't matter how the disaster happened. That's somethign we'll need to analyze to prevent in the future. No. It's his fault because he promised to protect us, and it was all just a big fat lie.

[bullimiami]

1. its bushs and only bushs fault because they completely reorganized

this HS and FEMA in their own way. They appropriated many many billions of dollars just for this purpose, but where has it gone?

[babylonsister]

2. Iraq. nt

[papau]

3. Bush "FEMA home page" says "it is Bush's fault" but media ignores

Just go to homeland security's main page to see that their mission is 'primary jurisdiction' in the event of a terrorist attack or 'natural disaster.' http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp

Federal supremacy clause means federal law trumps inconsistent state law. Federal emergency declared by bush prior to the storm making landfall, August 26 and 27 to be precise.

case closed as to federal role being predominant, even as they cooperate (coordinate) state and local efforts.


Friday, August 26
∙ GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA:

∙ GULF COAST STATES REQUEST TROOP ASSISTANCE FROM PENTAGON: At a 9/1 press conference, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, commander, Joint Task Force Katrina, said that the Gulf States began the process of requesting additional forces on Friday, 8/26.

Saturday, August 27
∙ 5AM — KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE
∙ GOV. BLANCO ASKS BUSH TO DECLARE FEDERAL STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA:
∙ FEDERAL EMERGENCY DECLARED, DHS AND FEMA GIVEN FULL AUTHORITY TO RESPOND TO KATRINA:]

[rocktivity]

4. NO levees destroyed by terrorists? Not a chance.

If they're smart enough to figure out how to do it, then they must be smart enough to realize that it would kill so many black people that Bush wouldn't care.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Village Idiot]

5. dupe - someone beat me to it again...

[Blue_Roses]

6. well said!

:thumbsup: