Yep ... and throw in our great leader!!
Last week the Associated Press uncovered a series of videos shot on August 28th, 2005 - one day before Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast - in which Our Great Leader is caught on camera receiving dire warnings about the coming catastrophe from none other than Mike "Heckuvajob" Brown. According to the Associated Press:
That was August 28. And then this happened (cue Benny Hill theme tune):
Finally, on September 1, Bush announced that, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
Now, a lot of people have jumped on the president for saying that, but let's be fair here. None of his advisors actually said "breached" (at least, not more than once). Instead they used the word "overtopped," which makes all the difference in the world.
See, if Bush had been told that the levees might breach, he would have done everything in his power to make sure that New Orleans got all the help it needed. But when he didn't hear the all-important word "breached," he decided to go to John McCain's birthday party instead.
It's like September 11th - remember when Bush sat there in that classroom for seven minutes acting like nothing had happened? That's because Andrew Card told him that "America is under attack." If Card had said, "America is under attack, you might want to get up and do something," I bet Bush would have gotten up immediately.
It's just a matter of choosing the right words with this president.
Last week the Associated Press uncovered a series of videos shot on August 28th, 2005 - one day before Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast - in which Our Great Leader is caught on camera receiving dire warnings about the coming catastrophe from none other than Mike "Heckuvajob" Brown. According to the Associated Press:
A top hurricane expert voiced "grave concerns" about the levees and then-Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown told the president and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff that he feared there weren't enough disaster teams to help evacuees at the Superdome.
"I'm concerned about ... their ability to respond to a catastrophe within a catastrophe," Brown told his bosses the afternoon before Katrina made landfall.
Some of the footage and transcripts from briefings Aug. 25-31 conflicts with the defenses that federal, state and local officials have made in trying to deflect blame and minimize the political fallout from the failed Katrina response.
Homeland Security officials have said the "fog of war" blinded them early on to the magnitude of the disaster. But the video and transcripts show federal and local officials discussed threats clearly, reviewed long-made plans and understood Katrina would wreak devastation of historic proportions. "I'm sure it will be the top 10 or 15 when all is said and done."
During the videotaped briefing, George W. Bush asked no questions, and made one short statement of support: "I want to assure the folks at the state level that we are fully prepared to not only help you during the storm, but we will move in whatever resources and assets we have at our disposal after the storm.""I'm concerned about ... their ability to respond to a catastrophe within a catastrophe," Brown told his bosses the afternoon before Katrina made landfall.
Some of the footage and transcripts from briefings Aug. 25-31 conflicts with the defenses that federal, state and local officials have made in trying to deflect blame and minimize the political fallout from the failed Katrina response.
Homeland Security officials have said the "fog of war" blinded them early on to the magnitude of the disaster. But the video and transcripts show federal and local officials discussed threats clearly, reviewed long-made plans and understood Katrina would wreak devastation of historic proportions. "I'm sure it will be the top 10 or 15 when all is said and done."
That was August 28. And then this happened (cue Benny Hill theme tune):
Now, a lot of people have jumped on the president for saying that, but let's be fair here. None of his advisors actually said "breached" (at least, not more than once). Instead they used the word "overtopped," which makes all the difference in the world.
See, if Bush had been told that the levees might breach, he would have done everything in his power to make sure that New Orleans got all the help it needed. But when he didn't hear the all-important word "breached," he decided to go to John McCain's birthday party instead.
It's like September 11th - remember when Bush sat there in that classroom for seven minutes acting like nothing had happened? That's because Andrew Card told him that "America is under attack." If Card had said, "America is under attack, you might want to get up and do something," I bet Bush would have gotten up immediately.
It's just a matter of choosing the right words with this president.
