For those of you repubs who tried to divert blame

[Mister Bushice]

The GAO says it's bushs fault :)

Probe Faults Feds for Katrina Response

By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer 31 minutes ago

WASHINGTON -
Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff or another top official should have been a central focal point of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, congressional investigators asserted Wednesday, saying the lack of a clear chain of command hindered relief efforts.
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The
Government Accountability Office also found that the government still lacks sufficient plans and training programs to prepare for catastrophic disasters like the Aug. 29 storm that devastated much of the Gulf Coast area.

Responding, a Homeland Security Department spokesman attacked the GAO's preliminary findings as "premature and unprofessional."

The report, which marks the first congressional conclusions about the much-criticized federal response to Katrina, offered a harsh assessment of the government's preparations and reaction to catastrophic disasters. It also singled out Chertoff in several shortcomings.

Until now, Chertoff has largely escaped widespread criticism of the government's sluggish response to Katrina. By contrast, then-FEMA Director Michael Brown, the principal federal official at the disaster site, quit his job after becoming the public face of the failures.

The report said that neither Chertoff nor any of his deputies in the disaster area acted as
President Bush's overall storm coordinator, "which serves to underscore the immaturity of and weaknesses relating to the current national response framework."

Leadership "was unclear," the report found.

Because of the internal confusion, federal officials were indecisive and slow to realize Katrina was a catastrophic disaster, it said.

The report also noted that Chertoff declared Katrina an "incident of national significance" on Aug. 30, a full day after the storm hit. But Chertoff did not specifically classify the storm as a catastrophic disaster, which would have activated parts of the National Response Plan to trigger a faster response.

"As a result, the federal response generally was to wait for the affected states to request assistance," the report found.

Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said the GAO's findings were riddled with errors, particularly in its criticism about whether declaring Katrina a catastrophic disaster would have speeded up relief efforts.

He said federal officials and supplies were already in the Gulf Coast before Katrina hit, and that an index in the response plan that deals with catastrophes is only used for unexpected disasters.

The report, Knocke said in a statement, "is premature and unprofessional. Apart from its obvious errors, it displays a significant misunderstanding of core aspects of the Katrina response that could have easily been corrected in the most basic conversations with DHS leaders."

The report was a stinging slap to the Homeland Security Department, which oversees the
Federal Emergency Management Agency and issued the National Response Plan last year.

The report by GAO, Congress' investigative arm, was presented to a special House inquiry of the government's response to the storm. The committee, chaired by Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., is expected to release its own findings by Feb. 15. Additionally, a Senate panel will conclude a separate investigation by mid-March, and the White House is completing its own review, conducted by homeland security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend.

"I'm very hopeful that our final report will answer a lot of questions the American people have," Davis said after being presented with the GAO report. "The most obvious being: How could our government fail so badly?"

Asked by reporters whether Chertoff should have been the federal point person leading the response, GAO Comptroller General David M. Walker said: "That's up to the president of the United States."

"It could have been Secretary Chertoff, it could have been somebody on his staff," Walker said. "That's up to the president."

The report also found that other federal agencies had an "incomplete understanding of roles and responsibilities" under the National Response Plan — one area that could be solved with better training for disasters. However, it praised the Coast Guard, the
Pentagon, the U.S. Postal Service and the National Finance Center for taking a "lean forward" approach to preparing for and responding to Katrina.

Though Brown was named as the top federal officer in the Gulf Coast, his authority was unclear, the report found, leading to a "disjointed" response from all federal agencies.

"In the absence of timely and decisive action and clear leadership responsibility and accountability, there were multiple chains of command," the report found.

It also noted "a myriad of approaches and processes for requesting and providing assistance, and confusion about who should be advised of requests and what resources would be provided within specific time frames."

[Cuda]

I don't need to read all that to know you're a fucking idiot

[Felix]

Responding, a Homeland Security Department spokesman attacked the GAO's preliminary findings as "premature and unprofessional."

Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said the GAO's findings were riddled with errors, particularly in its criticism about whether declaring Katrina a catastrophic disaster would have speeded up relief efforts.

Right on cue, it's "attack the messenger".

So what do you suppose their reaction would have been had the GAO said Homeland's response was "hellva job".......

[Mister Bushice]

I'm guess that he'd be the one posting. :)

[Felix]

I'm guess that he'd be the one posting. :)

and claiming BODE.....

I suppose FEMA should be faulted for not assuming that Louisana's response would be completely, utterly and tragically incompentent at every level.

No, Bush should be faulted for his continuing cronyism as opposed to putting somebody in charge that actually knows what the fuck they're doing....

carry on shill.....

[BSmack]

Heckuva job, Blanco...

Where have I heard that one?

[Felix]

Go fuck yourself, ankle biting dipshit.

Well stick up your ass melty....

Yeah, the mayor and the governor fucked up.

Why does this fact exhonerate Bush from his duties to protect the citizens of this nation. Those duties include appointing people that know what the fuck they're doing, rather than paying back some political favor.

Brown doesn't have the credentials to be a dogcatcher.

[Felix]

How is he supposed to protect them from the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans?

you believe Brown adequately filled the postion to which he was appointed?

[Dinsdale]

Responding, a Homeland Security Department spokesman attacked the GAO's preliminary findings as "premature and unprofessional."

Can't. Stop. Laughing.

The Homeland Security Department calling ANYONE "unprofessional" would be like mvscal calling someone a "reactionary right wing apologist."

Jeebus.

John Q Poster: There's a rumor floating around that someone associated with the Bush adminstration spit on the sidewalk back in the 70's


mvscal: You're a liar, dumbshit. If some liberal wouldn't have built that sidewalk, this wouldn't be an issue.

Fucking christ dude, give it a rest.

[Dinsdale]

FEMA's response would have been more than adequate.

Uh dude -- FEMA's response was "I got it at Nordstrom."

[Terry in Crapchester]

Rack Dins. The voice of reason on most poli threads, including this one.

[Mister Bushice]

Lets see. Who should I believe, the GAO, or mvscal?

Choices choices.......

[Dinsdale]

Lets see. Who should I believe, the GAO, or mvscal?

Choices choices.......

Don't forget to put Congress on that list too...not that I advocate believing much of what those folks say.

[Derron]

Felix wrote:
Why does this fact exhonerate Bush from his duties to protect the citizens of this nation.


How is he supposed to protect them from the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans?

Then again, most people just don't give a fuck about that sewer. NO is just the corruputed areas of the Northeast in a warm climate. I never heard so many nah yak accents in my life . Fuckin crooks.

I love how you liberals love to post your o so carefully research topics and you fucking links. Anybody with a life is NOT going to take the time to read that swill. That explains why you spin meisters post all that crap.

Blame Bush, Blame Bush becasue the Govenor is a paid off crook and the mayor is a stupid corrupt n--ger.

Wait until the fucking Mexicans get done rebuilding that shit hole. They will make a killing rebuilding it, and since they will acutally work for a living, they will probably just take it over and runs the lazy, welfare sucking 'Chocolates" out of town.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

I love how you liberals love to post your o so carefully research topics and you fucking links.

Oh, the nerve.

[Mister Bushice]

I love how you liberals love to post your o so carefully research topics and you fucking links.

Oh you mean a report that was produced and published by the Government accounting office?
Yeah. The research on that nearly killed me. Twisting the facts to suit my argument took a long time too.

[RadioFan]

Oh you mean a report that was produced and published by the Government

I snickered.

Almost as much as I chuckled when Dins came in here and put a fucking blowtorch on the government, at mvscal's expense.

Oh wait, is a Republican in office? My bad. I thought it was a Democrat, listening to him last night. 'sup mvscal?

But carry on, by all means, Buchice.

[Diogenes]

Rack Dins. The voice of reason on most poli threads, including this one.

Who's the voice of reason in the public square, Howard Dean?


Maybe Bush should have deposed Nagin and Blanco and declared martial law (any other way to get around those two twits?) buit then the same hypocritical hacks would be calling for his impeachment for that.

[Felix]

Blame Bush, Blame Bush becasue the Govenor is a paid off crook and the mayor is a stupid corrupt n--ger.

There ya go...

instead of trying to discuss things on an intelligent level and present a cognitive argument supporting why you feel Brown was best for the position.....you revert to what is the Republican mantra......blame somebody else....

the fact you worked in a racial slur into your melt counts double bonus points.....you rawk

[Terry in Crapchester]

Rack Dins. The voice of reason on most poli threads, including this one.

Who's the voice of reason in the public square, Howard Dean?

If you've been paying attention, you'd know that I'm not much of a Howard Dean fan, at least not as a Presidential candidate.

Maybe Bush should have deposed Nagin and Blanco and declared martial law (any other way to get around those two twits?) buit then the same hypocritical hacks would be calling for his impeachment for that.

Maybe accepting Blanco's telephone calls would have been a nice start. He was constantly on the phone with Barbour during Katrina, but Blanco couldn't get through to the White House.

Then again, Blanco was, to the "uniter, not a divider," a member of the wrong party.

[Felix]

Did New Orleans conduct a mandatory evacuation of city?

Yes or no?

No....

Why did Bush appoint a political hack to a position he clearly was not qualified to hold......

[Mikey]

Did New Orleans conduct a mandatory evacuation of city?

Yes or no?

No....

Why did Bush appoint a political hack to a position he clearly was not qualified to hold......

Why do you hate America you lying putrid pondscum sack of shit?

[Mister Bushice]

Lets see. Who should I believe, .

How about your own two eyes.

Did New Orleans conduct a mandatory evacuation of city?

Yes or no?

You're diverting. This is about what the present administration did not do, not about what Louisiana did not do.

[Felix]

He managed over 65 disasters and 7 emergencies in 46 states before Katrina. He was as well qualified to handle the situation as anybody.

Well, that's what his "resume" said, but the jury is still out on that....

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

Republican Sen. Trent Lott, whose Pascagoula, Miss., home was destroyed in the storm, said after the announcement that he had concluded that FEMA “was overwhelmed, undermanned and not capable of doing its job” under Brown’s leadership.

“Michael Brown has been acting like a private, instead of a general,” Lott said.

Another ringing endorsement of Brown's "qualifications"

[Mister Bushice]

You're diverting. This is about what the present administration did not do, not about what Louisiana did not do.

Wrong again, asshole. If Louisiana had gotten the people out like they were supposed to do, then there is no disaster. There's just a lot of property damage.

until the next one:

Because of the internal confusion, federal officials were indecisive and slow to realize Katrina was a catastrophic disaster, it said.

[Mister Bushice]

Evidently not quick enough since one of his government agencies hoisted blame on the Bush Administration itself.

[WhatsMyName]

Everyone knows it's the Fed's responsibility to take care of state problems, right Libs?

[Mister Bushice]

I don't give a fuck who hoisted blame on.

The bottom line fact is that the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana failed to even try to execute their primary responsibilities in disaster management.

The disaster here was that people were trapped in New Orleans. That falls on the state and the local governments. The Feds don't have shit to do with that.

But we're talking about the fact that the federal Govenrment has been found severly lacking in its emergency response procedures, not about state response time. Stop diverting.

Hell. At least we have the cold comfort of knowing that we have built ahmed in baghdad a new school for his friends to blow up.

[Derron]

Everyone knows it's the Fed's responsibility to take care of state problems, right Libs?

Only when a Republican is in office and can be blamed.

If the state and mayor had asked for help it would have insinuated they were incapable of handling their own shit pile disaster. When the lib's and locals fuck up like they do, blame Bush to divert attention away from there own incompetence.

[Terry in Crapchester]

Everyone knows it's the Fed's responsibility to take care of state problems, right Libs?

Uhhh, the reason FEMA was created was to respond to disasters that are so large-scale that the states can't respond by themselves. Katrina fell into that category.