Brownie: Party politics played role in Katrina response

[tetedur]

Blanco calls for federal Katrina probe

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-29/1169305758250600.xml&storylist=louisiana

Michael Brown said that because Blanco was a white, female Democratic governor the "certain people in the White House" were thinking they "had the chance to rub her nose in it(by federalizing disaster response efforts)....We can't do it to Haley (Barbour) because Haley's a white male Republican governor. And we can't do a thing to him. So we're just gonna federalize Louisiana."

Blanco reacted sharply to Brown's remarks.

"This is exactly what we were living but could not bring ourselves to believe. Karl Rove was playing politics while our people were dying," Blanco said through a spokeswoman, referring to Bush's top political strategist. "The federal effort was delayed, and now the public knows why. It's disgusting."

Eryn Witcher, a White House spokeswoman, denied Brown's claims.

http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-1/116953815315500.xml?NSDC&coll=1

Late Monday, the White House said the focus should be on rebuilding Louisiana, not revisiting failures in the initial hurricane response for which the president has taken responsibility. ...

In an interview Monday, Brown said the episode occurred aboard Air Force One while on the tarmac of New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport in the first days after the storm, most likely Sept. 3. (Shouldn't that be Friday Sept. 2, 2005?)

While Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin were meeting with Bush in a conference room, Brown said he and some administration officials he declined to name talked in an adjoining office. He said that White House political adviser Karl Rove was not part of the discussions.

"It became apparent during the conversations that there were political considerations. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out," Brown said. "For someone to come out and say these are false allegations, it ticks me off. I'm willing to stand up and tell the truth, why don't some others?"

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., supported Blanco's call for an independent commission....
As chairman of the Senate Homeland Security panel, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., has the authority to launch another Katrina probe. However, despite criticism last year of the White House's unwillingness to give the committee records it sought, a Lieberman spokeswoman said last week that the senator was unlikely to dig into the federal response to the storm.

Landrieu might. Her office wouldn't comment, but she is expected to be named this week to head up a new subcommittee to oversee disaster response. As chairwoman, she would likewise have the power to issue subpoenas for White House records.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/5301227.html

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., dismissed Brown’s comments over the weekend, calling him “an idiot and a failure.” (Funny, Bush said Brownie was doing a "heckofajob." Which is it Mr. Vitter, will you back up your leader who thought Brownie was most excellent or will you stick up for the people of your state and support hearings into this matter to get to the truth?)

Clearly Blanco couldn't kiss Bush's ass enough to get some help because she was a Democrat. Believe me, I thought she was really trying. The aftermath of Katrina was played for a psy-op and political precedent to one day declare martial law and destroy the Constitution.

If there are no hearings, I pity any "Blue state" region that gets hit by a disaster. Clearly if they get away with what they did to Louisiana they will do it again to any Americans they perceive as "not with them."

Just think about it.

[Greeby]

1. Like I've always thought

Shrub didn't leave all those black people to die because of the colour of their skin, but because of the colour of their vote

[emulatorloo]

2. kick and nominating n/t