The Apocalypse
Oh wait, nevermind. It's just President Bush admitting he was wrong and taking responsibility for a complete collapse of federal government respond.
I never thought that I would type those very words...
From Washington Post:
What saddens me the most is that President Bush's assumption of responsibilities was front-page news. A true leader should have the courage and the conviction to take responsibility and stop passing the buck. It shouldn't have taken him more than two weeks to finally take charge of the situation and tell his people that he was wrong, but by acknowledging his own mistake, he can lead this country in rebuilding the storm-ravaged areas.
I originally thought that quote ("I take responsibility") was either fabricated or misreported. I'll take what I can get and accept his contrition. But for those whose homes have been destroyed or have lost family and friends, it's far too late. From a comprehensive timeline at Think Progress:
August 26, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco declared a state of emergency in her state.
August 28, Katrina was a Category 4 hurricane. Lousiana National Guard received only 100 out of 700 requested buses from FEMA to evacuate people.
August 29, Bush was celebrating Sen. John McCain's birthday and toured Arizona to talk about Medicare. Later that day, Gov. Blanco asked President Bush for help: "
August 30, reports of looting. The President stopped by a naval base in Coronado, had a photo-op playing guitar with a country singer, and spent the final night of his vacation in Crawford.
August 31, public health emergency was declared for the gulf coast region. Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff: “We are extremely pleased with the response that every element of the federal government, all of our federal partners, have made to this terrible tragedy.”
September 2, six days after Gov Blanco declared a state of emergency and actively sought federal support, the Bush administration begins blasting local and state officials for failed response to the hurricane.
I'll give you due credit since I understand your admission of your administration's failure probably broke Karl's heart. But I'll make it clear- I'm not impressed. You did what you should have done at least a week ago. Keep working though, you owe this country at least that much of your "compassionate conservatism".
I never thought that I would type those very words...
From Washington Post:
President Bush said today he takes responsibility for any government failures in dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and said the disaster exposed "serious problems" in the country's ability to respond to calamities such as a terrorist attack.
"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at a joint White House news conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. "To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility."...... The president's acceptance of responsibility comes a day after he returned from his third trip to the Gulf Coast region devastated by the storm. As Bush toured portions of New Orleans yesterday, he sought to reassure the public that the government is responding to Hurricane Katrina with equity and dispatch, even as his standing hit record lows amid broad support for an independent investigation of the federal response to the storm.
What saddens me the most is that President Bush's assumption of responsibilities was front-page news. A true leader should have the courage and the conviction to take responsibility and stop passing the buck. It shouldn't have taken him more than two weeks to finally take charge of the situation and tell his people that he was wrong, but by acknowledging his own mistake, he can lead this country in rebuilding the storm-ravaged areas.
I originally thought that quote ("I take responsibility") was either fabricated or misreported. I'll take what I can get and accept his contrition. But for those whose homes have been destroyed or have lost family and friends, it's far too late. From a comprehensive timeline at Think Progress:
August 26, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco declared a state of emergency in her state.
August 28, Katrina was a Category 4 hurricane. Lousiana National Guard received only 100 out of 700 requested buses from FEMA to evacuate people.
August 29, Bush was celebrating Sen. John McCain's birthday and toured Arizona to talk about Medicare. Later that day, Gov. Blanco asked President Bush for help: "
August 30, reports of looting. The President stopped by a naval base in Coronado, had a photo-op playing guitar with a country singer, and spent the final night of his vacation in Crawford.
August 31, public health emergency was declared for the gulf coast region. Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff: “We are extremely pleased with the response that every element of the federal government, all of our federal partners, have made to this terrible tragedy.”
September 2, six days after Gov Blanco declared a state of emergency and actively sought federal support, the Bush administration begins blasting local and state officials for failed response to the hurricane.
I'll give you due credit since I understand your admission of your administration's failure probably broke Karl's heart. But I'll make it clear- I'm not impressed. You did what you should have done at least a week ago. Keep working though, you owe this country at least that much of your "compassionate conservatism".
posted by christie at 3:01 PM
1 comments
