Jamie_B Posted September 13, 2005 Report Share Posted September 13, 2005 [url="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9324891/"]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9324891/[/url] [quote]Bush takes blame for flaws in Katrina response Updated: 1:44 p.m. ET Sept. 13, 2005 WASHINGTON - President Bush said Tuesday that "I take responsibility" for failures in dealing with Hurricane Katrina and that the disaster raised broader questions about the government's ability to respond to natural disasters as well as terror attacks. "Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at joint White House news conference with the president of Iraq. "To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility," Bush said. The president was asked whether people should be worried about the government's ability to handle another terrorist attack given failures in responding to Katrina. "Are we capable of dealing with a severe attack? That's a very important question and it's in the national interest that we find out what went on so we can better respond," Bush replied. He said he wanted to know both what went wrong and what went right. Defending the heroes, not the process As for blunders in the federal response, "I'm not going to defend the process going in," Bush said. "I am going to defend the people saving lives." He praised relief workers at all levels. "I want people in America to understand how hard people worked to save lives down there," he said. Bush spoke after R. David Paulison, the new acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, pledged to intensify efforts to find more permanent housing for the tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors now in shelters. It was the closest Bush has come to publicly finding fault with any federal officials involved in the hurricane response, which has been widely criticized as disjointed and slow. Some federal officials have sought to fault state and local officials for being unprepared to cope with the disaster. Bush planned to address the nation Thursday evening from Louisiana, where he will be monitoring recovery efforts, the White House announced earlier Tuesday. Getting survivors the help they need Paulison, in his first public comments since taking the job on Monday, told reporters: "We're going to get those people out of the shelters, and we're going to move and get them the help they need." Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff introduced Paulison as the Bush administration tried to deflect criticism for the sluggish initial federal response to the hurricane and its disastrous aftermath. Chertoff said that while cleanup, relief and reconstruction from Katrina is now the government's top priority, the administration would not let down its guard on other potential dangers. "The world is not going to stop moving because we are very focused on Katrina," Chertoff said. Paulison, named to the post on Monday, said he was busy "getting brought up to speed." He replaced Michael Brown, who resigned on Monday, three days after being removed from being the top onsite federal official in charge of the government's response. Paulison said Bush called him Monday night and "thanked me for coming on board." Bush promised that he would have "the full support of the federal government," Paulison said. The next part of the operation Chertoff said the relief operation had entered a new phase. Initially, he said, the most important priority was evacuating people, getting them to safety, providing food, water and medical care. "And then ultimately at the end of the day, we have to reconstitute the communities that have been devastated," Chertoff added. He said the federal government would look increasingly to state and local officials for guidance on rebuilding the devastated communities along the Gulf Coast. "The federal government can't drive permanent solutions down the throats of state and local officials," Chertoff said. "I don't think anyone should envision a situation in which they're going to take a back seat. They're going to take a front seat," he said. Properly divvying up public money Chertoff said that teams of federal auditors were being dispatched to the stricken areas to make sure that billions of dollars worth of government contracts were being properly spent. "We want to get aid to people who need it quickly, but we also don't want to lose sight of the importance of preserving the integrity of the process and our responsibility as stewards of the public money," Chertoff said. "We're going to cut through red tape," he said, "but we're not going to cut through laws and rules that govern ethics." Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said that some military aircraft and other equipment may be able to move out of the Gulf Coast soon. "We've got to the point where most if not all of the search and rescue is completed," said Rumsfeld, who is attending a NATO meeting in Berlin. "Some helicopters can undoubtedly be moved out over the period ahead." He also said there is a very large surplus of hospital beds in the region, so those could also be decreased. The USS Comfort hospital ship arrived near the Mississippi coast late last week. Rumsfeld added that nothing will be moved out of the area without the authorization of the two states' governors, the military leaders there and the president. 148 injuries in the last two days Elsewhere, workers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aren't finding many sick people, even though the specter of diseases has alarmed relief and rescue figures. Instead, between 40 and 50 percent of patients seeking emergency care have injuries. The CDC has counted 148 injuries in just the last two days, Carol Rubin, an agency hurricane relief specialist, said by telephone from the government's new public health headquarters in New Orleans' Kindred Hospital. While she couldn't provide a breakdown, Rubin said they saw injuries and carbon monoxide exposure from generators are among them. Those are particularly worrisome because they're likely to become more common as additional hurricane survivors re-enter the city in coming days, she said. The message: Those injuries are preventable, if people take proper precautions, Rubin stressed.[/quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bengalrick Posted September 13, 2005 Report Share Posted September 13, 2005 wierd how this works... democrats have cried that bush admit he was wrong to go to war in iraq... i disagree w/ them... he hasn't apologized... democrats have cried that bush should admit that he should take responsibility for he lackluster response to the hurricane... i agree w/ them... he apologized and took responsibility... good move on his part... though it will only help those like me that wanted him to take that responisiblility.. th rest just want impeachment, so they will just use this against him... oh well, good decision (as usual ) mr president Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawman Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 bengalrick, I agree that he should admit to the mistakes made at the federal level and to me the mistake in reference would be the hiring of Mike Brown to head FEMA. So my question, when is the scheduled press conference for the Governor of LA to admit her mistakes. Democratic Governor = Zero main-stream media pressure MSM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bengalrick Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [quote name='Lawman' date='Sep 14 2005, 07:16 AM']bengalrick, I agree that he should admit to the mistakes made at the federal level and to me the mistake in reference would be the hiring of Mike Brown to head FEMA. So my question, when is the scheduled press conference for the Governor of LA to admit her mistakes. Democratic Governor = Zero main-stream media pressure MSM [right][post="148635"][/post][/right][/quote] don't hold your breath she is too worried about passing out blame to other people... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [img]http://freeenergynews.com/Directory/images/hell_freeze.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlackJesus Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [i][b]Now that he is admitting he fucked up he shuld fall on his sword for being the worst President in World history [/b][/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bengalrick Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 people said the same about ronald reagan during his days... boy were they wrong, as you are now bj, imo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer_Rice Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 "I can't wait to join you in the joy of welcoming neighbors back into neighborhoods, and small businesses up and running, and cutting those ribbons that somebody is creating new jobs."â€â€Poplarville, Miss., Sept. 5, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [quote name='bengalrick' date='Sep 14 2005, 01:04 PM']people said the same about ronald reagan during his days... boy were they wrong, as you are now bj, imo... [right][post="148793"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote] He was'nt the worse. But he was no where near the God people make him out to be today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bengalrick Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [quote name='Ben' date='Sep 14 2005, 03:53 PM']He was'nt the worse. But he was no where near the God people make him out to be today. [right][post="148908"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote] i agree... but he was FAR from the worst... nor is bush as bad as some make him, and as good as others make him... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer_Rice Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [quote name='bengalrick' date='Sep 14 2005, 03:56 PM']i agree... but he was FAR from the worst... nor is bush as bad as some make him, and as good as others make him... [right][post="148912"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote] He's a functional idiot and [url="http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2005/09/11/911_anniv/"]his posse is unfit to govern.[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bengalrick Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [quote name='Homer_Rice' date='Sep 14 2005, 05:00 PM']He's a functional idiot and [url="http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2005/09/11/911_anniv/"]his posse is unfit to govern.[/url] [right][post="148967"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote] [url="http://www.answers.com/topic/hatred"]definition of hatred[/url] [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/3.gif[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer_Rice Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [quote name='bengalrick' date='Sep 14 2005, 05:06 PM'][url="http://www.answers.com/topic/hatred"]definition of hatred[/url] [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons//3.gif[/img] [right][post="148970"][/post][/right][/quote] [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons//24.gif[/img] Keep ignoring the evidence and blame emotions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bengalrick Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [quote name='Homer_Rice' date='Sep 14 2005, 05:17 PM'] [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons//24.gif[/img] Keep ignoring the evidence and blame emotions. [right][post="148980"][/post][/right][/quote] [url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/12/AR2005091201461.html"]washpost.com[/url] [i][b]Why Iraq's Sunnis Won't Deal[/b] By Gary Schmitt Tuesday, September 13, 2005; Page A27 Despite efforts by Shiites, Kurds and U.S. officials to find a way for Iraq's Sunni Muslims to support the draft constitution, it seems less and less likely that a deal will be struck, which raises the question: Is there any road forward that leads to a stable, democratic Iraq? The answer is yes. But it's not an easy path. Nor is it one that most commentators and diplomats seem to understand, let alone advocate. The reality is that a stable, democratic Iraq, with large-scale Sunni participation, is unlikely until the insurgency in Iraq is widely seen by the Sunnis themselves as not succeeding. Of course, the Sunni Arabs of Iraq are not a monolith. Many of them want a new political order for their country, and many undoubtedly will participate in the coming referendum to vote the proposed constitution up or down. Indeed, there are even reports out of western Iraq that Sunnis are now fighting Abu Musab Zarqawi's fighters. Nevertheless, to the mind of probably a majority of their leaders, the Sunnis face two fundamental choices, neither pleasant. They can accept the new constitution, in which, as a minority, they lose their long-held dominance over Iraq. Or they can continue to reject the constitution and hope that a prolonged insurgency will somehow bring them back to power. With jihadists willing to kill themselves in terrorist attacks and a ready supply of young, unemployed Iraqis willing to bury explosives and launch rocket attacks for a few dinar, the average member of the Sunni elite, even if not an active participant in the insurgency, could well believe that the resulting chaos and even occasional death of a neighbor or a member of his extended family is a price worth paying for a return to Sunni ascendancy. In fact, too many Sunnis believe the insurgency and the threat of a prolonged insurgency are their hole cards to play. Irrespective of the fact that their demands cannot be met without losing, in turn, Iraq's critical majority -- the Shiites -- Sunni leaders still live in a world that is about past prominence and future expectations. And until a new reality is forced upon them, they are not likely to move from their current opposition to the constitution. The proposed constitution ought to be reasonably attractive in many respects. The Sunni Arabs are a decided minority in Iraq, certainly no more than a quarter of the population. And the federalist features of the draft document may well be a better guardian of their rights than a unitary state in which majority rule would probably leave them routinely short of the voting strength necessary to have an effective say in their own governance. In addition, the new constitution provides for a distribution of oil revenue along per capita lines, preventing either the Kurdish north or Shiite south from hoarding the country's wealth. By any realistic metric for the Muslim Middle East, the constitution put forward by Iraq's constitutional drafters is about as good as it gets, and far better for the country's minorities than the Sunnis should have expected, given the ruthlessness of their own rule over the past several decades. But whatever the constitution's merits, that is not how the majority of Sunni leaders sees things today. And only when they see that the insurgency stands no chance of succeeding and, equally important, they personally are not in danger of losing life and limb if they publicly support the new political order, will they come around to accepting a federal, democratic Iraq. Contrary to most commentary, then, the key to succeeding in Iraq is no longer putting in place a grand political bargain in which Iraqis of all sectarian stripes live happily ever after. In fact, by suggesting that this is the goal, we probably have fueled the Sunnis' own misperception of their future status in Iraq and hardened their own position. The goal, of course, is to create a political order by which Iraq is made relatively stable and the normal democratic politics of give-and-take are made possible. But that will be a decidedly uphill struggle until the prospect of a successful insurgency is taken off the table and the Sunni Arabs come to the understanding that the new constitution is, in practice, a pretty good deal after all. Politics cannot solve what ails Iraq now. It can help, and certainly the constitution is an important step in that direction. But at the end of the day, it's only when the so-called dead-enders are either dead or vanquished that one can count on the political process moving decisively forward as most Iraqis desire. The writer is executive director of the Project for the New American Century, a Washington-based think tank.[/i] _____________________________ we were told we would be smoked by the talbian like the russians were.. you guys were wrong we were told that civil war was immanent in iraq... so far, you guys were wrong we were told that nobody would vote and the elections would be a huge mess... wrong again we are being told that the sunnis will never be part of the voting process (the democracy)... its looking like you will be wrong again... what evidence?? the left wing, political hacks??? i tend to listen the soldiers before i listen to them or you... no offense, of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer_Rice Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 STFU, dumbass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 [url="http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3853259&nav=EyAzeYIW"]http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3853259&nav=EyAzeYIW[/url] Governor takes blame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bengalrick Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 [quote name='Ben' date='Sep 15 2005, 09:14 AM'][url="http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3853259&nav=EyAzeYIW"]http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3853259&nav=EyAzeYIW[/url] Governor takes blame. [right][post="149274"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote] she needed to, but i applaud her (like i do bush) for making he tough decision and biting the bullet... now we need to find out why the first responders sucked so bad, along w/ why the federal gov't didn't step in sooner... this was a good first step though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gonzoid Posted September 16, 2005 Report Share Posted September 16, 2005 [quote name='bengalrick' date='Sep 14 2005, 05:29 PM']we were told we would be smoked by the talbian like the russians were.. you guys were wrong we were told that civil war was immanent in iraq... so far, you guys were wrong we were told that nobody would vote and the elections would be a huge mess... wrong again we are being told that the sunnis will never be part of the voting process (the democracy)... its looking like you will be wrong again... [right][post="148986"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote] We were told we would be welcomed as liberators. We were told major combat operations were over. We were told there were WMD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bunghole| Posted September 16, 2005 Report Share Posted September 16, 2005 I was told there was no such thing as a free lunch.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlackJesus Posted September 16, 2005 Report Share Posted September 16, 2005 [i][b]I was told jesus was real bush was compassionate america was the land of the free racial discrimination was a thing of the past we didn't arm Osama lower taxes for billionaires helps poor people[/b][/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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