I don't fault Dubya for not "preventing" the flooding in NOLA. It was going to happen no matter what. That's the way this city was designed and built. It's odd that an "improved" levee collapsed, but I'm not sure what to make of this.

I don't know I'd say that. No, he didn't cause the storm. He did support the draining of the wetlands that might have brought Katrina down to managable levels. He did have a hand in diverting funds from the Corps of Engineers and levee repair projects. So, I don't think there's any "no matter what about it." On a broader scale, he does head an administration that not just pooh-poohs but actively suppresses science on environmental issue just like this. He has spent several years and many billion dollars on a Homeland Security strategy that apparently has increase "readiness" not one little bit. So, yeah, I think he should get a fair portion of the blame.

because I'm some God-freak who doesn't "fucking stupidity" should exclude the urban poor without transportation, the sick, the elderly, or tourists caught out.

This is why I'm not surprised about the looting and shooting. Even my neph got classcist and rascist while living in New Orleans. He worked as a bartender and thought it was perfectly right and proper to charge black customers more for drinks "because they are just going to damage the place or something."

I have a lot of affection for New Orleans also, which is part of the reason I think it can't really be rebuilt. I don't know...some of my friends seem to have lost everything; some are okay; I'm really sad that my husband and son won't ever get to visit the city I did. But there's a lesson here.

"This is not a time for politics," McClellan said.

OK. How about Tuesday at 11am? That will give you a few hours to get back in the office and back up to speed after the long holiday weekend. Say, your office? Thanks.

He did have a hand in diverting funds from the Corps of Engineers and levee repair projects.

I'm not sure of this, either. Sure, state officials responsible for requesting the money for the projects claim that it's "The War" that has prevented them from getting adequate funding, but that's not how budgeting works. Plus, we haven't actually seen evidence of belt-tightening coming out of the White House-- it seems odd to blame them for that policy now. IOW, bad planning for this by Congress and the President and LA's state and federal reps are all responsible for inadequate funding-- not any individual political bugbear.

bon, I am about sick and tired of your rational thinking and balanced reaction to everything.

bon, from Sen. Landrieu's Wash Post editorial

This administration has consistently played down the possibility of environmental disaster, in Louisiana and everywhere else. The president's most recent budgets have actually proposed reducing funding for flood prevention in the New Orleans area, and the administration has long ignored Louisiana politicians' requests for more help in protecting their fragile coast, the destruction of which meant there was little to slow down the hurricane before it hit the city. It is inappropriate to "blame" anyone for a natural disaster. But given how frequently the impact of this one was predicted, and given the scale of the economic and human catastrophe that has resulted, it is certainly fair to ask questions about disaster preparations. Congress, when it returns, should rise above the blame game and instead probe the state of the nation's preparation for handling major natural catastrophes, particularly those that threaten crucial regions of the country.

He did have a hand in diverting funds from the Corps of Engineers and levee repair projects.

IOW, bad planning for this by Congress and the President and LA's state and federal reps are all responsible for inadequate funding-- not any individual political bugbear.

Well, that's why I said "had a hand in" rather than "was solely responsible for." Certainly blame doesn't rest with one man or his administration alone. But the comment I was responding to, I felt, went too far the other direction.

ETA: Or, what Sen. Landrieu said.

Plus, we haven't actually seen evidence of belt-tightening coming out of the White House-

Yes we have. eg:

FEMA is not the only agency that found itself bled of required funding by White House decisions after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Shortly after the attacks, the Army Corps of Engineers found itself facing deep cuts in funding for the largest flood control and drainage program in the New Orleans area. In the first full budget year after the attacks, the Bush administration funded the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, or SELA, at only 20 percent of the Corps' request of $100 million. In fiscal year 2004, the White House funding came in at 17 percent of the request.

I actually don't blame Bush directly for the lack of funding for the levee repair projects. The reports are out there that Federal money for the levee projects was slashed and that FEMA identified New Orleans as one of the three greatest potential disasters, however I don't think that necessarily leads to Bush. It leads to a breakdown of communication where A didn't get tied to B.

bon, I am about sick and tired of your rational thinking and balanced reaction to everything.

Secretly, bon is hysterical, and bob bob is writing everything for her while she cooks, cleans, and works on her modeling portfolio.