Why didn't Bush return to DC on Aug 28th?

[DoYouEverWonder]

Sunday Aug 28th, the National Weather Service posted an advisory the likes of which I have never seen in my life and I've lived in FL for almost 30 years. It was the most horrifying picture of destruction that you would ever want to read. Katrina was coming and it was going to be bad, real bad.

Earlier in the day, Bush managed to add a few paragraphs at the front end of a speech praising the progress we've made in Iraq. It was surreal to listen to this man. He was so disconnected, so out of touch with reality.

Later that day Bush issued a State of Emergency. Since the SOE brought no danger to DC, the POTUS should have returned to the WH immediately or at the latest first thing the next morning. He did not.

Instead, Bush staged a photo-op of himself in the Situation Room at the Western White House. Again another surreal scene. Bush and one other person occupied the room. The only apparent technology is a fairly nice plasma TV running what looks like the Weather Channel and a few phones that don't appear to be plugged in. You would think a room that we had paid millions of dollars to build would have at least have wireless phones and maybe a laptop computer?

Aside from the bareness of the room was the fact that there wasn't much else going on. You would think that if this was Command and Control for the POTUS that people would be all over the place going nuts getting ready for the storm? After the storm we find out that just like on 9-11 the Top Command of our country were all missing in action and they remained missing in action for the next 5 days.

In the meantime, instead of returning to DC at the earliest possible time, Bush decided to continue with his vacation plans instead. He ate birthday cake with John McCain in AZ. He also had a Town Hall Meeting and didn't even mention the disaster as far as I know. The next day was onto more fun and sun in CA and he even posed with his new guitar, presidential seal and all.

This is not appropriate behavior for anyone in the Federal Government to exhibit during the middle a National Disaster, no less the POTUS. Throughout this event, Bush has done nothing except to make matters worse with his bullheaded lack of leadership. He continues to only care about his tarnished image and to ignore the catastrophe around him as much as possible. He seems so annoyed whenever he does have to bother his beautiful mind with such trivial things has black people dieing. This continued dereliction of duty can no longer be tolerated. It is time for them to go.

[livetohike]

1. Excellent post

If you haven't already e-mailed your Reps. with this, you should,imo.

I e-mailed mine, asking for impeachment earlier this week.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Please copy and mail

Unfortunately spewing this stuff here takes up most of my free time. I need all the help I can get. Thanks.

[moodforaday]

3. Let me rephrase the question

I've been posting on this topic like crazy so I'll jump in here as well. This is usually chalked up to Bush's incompetence, heartlessness, disconnection, etc. This is all true, I don't believe for a moment Bush cares about the people who perished in N.O. or anywhere else on the planet. But it doesn't explain one thing: as Bush was busy photo-opping with the country singer and having a cake with John McCain, as Rice was shopping for shoes and watching Spamalot, as Cheney was buying estate in Maryland... they were all taking a huge PR damage!

Why didn't any advisors tell them to get back to DC pronto and start feigning leadership ASAP? For three days the top people in the administration were doing the WRONG photo-ops. Bush didn't gain anything from his guitar-strumming. That picture has fueled a lot of the backlash we're now seeing. They have the best PR people, lethally effective - NOT incompetent, those folks. Axis of evil, check. Mission accomplished, check. "Blame game", "refugees" - it's Bush's PR team we have to thank for those ugly gems. So how do we explain this lapse of judgment - not on Bush's part, but on the patr of his advisors? They couldn't possibly have missed the damage this was going to cause, yet they let him strum the guitar. I can't figure it out.

[livetohike]

4. I agree with everything you said

I can't get all of that out of my mind. I have a Dem. club meeting tomorrow, so I will get to vent some more.

I have written my reps and the major networks. No one is replying and the media seem to have just brushed this aside (Bush on vacation, etc.).

[moodforaday]

5. I've one explanation

but it's so far-out crazy I don't actually believe it: PR sabotage. Intentionally letting Bush & co. believe this was going to be no big deal, after all, and that they could all safely proceed with their vacationing for another while. It fits the scenario, but I can't think of any other evidence that points this way.

[Minstrel Boy]

9. My explanation

is perhaps even crazier.

I think, on a deep level, they wanted to send a message of depraved disregard. It reinforces the impression that they're untouchable - that they can do anything, or nothing - and that even though Americans turn against them they cannot dislodge them.

They don't need to be popular. They never did. And maybe now they want people to know it.

[mikita]

11. I don't think it's crazy..

from Frank Zappa's...

"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtain, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way, and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theatre."

It's ceasing to be profitable...

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. That is exactly why they are all acting like they don't give a shit

because they think they can no longer be removed from power.

If you think the NOLA disaster was bad, just wait till they do another LIHOP or FLOP as I prefer to call them now. Just wait.

[smomfr]

6. It´s the karma, cosmic justice, answered prayers, whatever goes

around comes around ,whatever you want to call it, it finaly caught up with these pendejo assholes. I´ve seen a few examples (Nixon for one) of cosmic justice and one thing I¨ve learned you have to be patient if you want to see it take effect. On another subject does anybody know if sticking pins into a voodoo doll would be considered an assassination attemt?

[seemslikeadream]

10. During the guitar thing

Wheren't his top advisors in Greece at a wedding?

[blm]

7. Because it wasn't about a political issue to keep his base duped into

supporting his fascist regime. (New Orleans wasn't Terry Schiavo)

[shadowknows69]

8. mmmm cake

[highplainsdem]

13. Overconfidence. Even the smartest people -- which these Mayberry

Machiavellis definitely aren't -- can make huge mistakes as a result of overconfidence.

We've been hearing lots of warnings from RW sympathizers in recent days that the Democrats should be wary of "overplaying their hand." But that ignores what really happened here. The GOP overplayed their hand. They counted on the media to remain subservient and the people to remain largely unaware, with the attention of both easily deflected. This time the media and the country at large noticed all those Marie Antoinette moments that revealed how incompetent and uncaring the Bush family and administration really are.