Landrieu slams FEMA

[RedEarth]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., Saturday accused the
Federal Emergency Management Agency of failing to accept offers that
would have eased post-hurricane problems in New Orleans -- including a plan for the Forest Service to douse fires in the city with aircraft used to fight fire.

On Friday, Landrieu asked President Bush to appoint a cabinet-level official to oversee Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts. She reiterated that request on Saturday.

"Yesterday, I was hoping President Bush would come away from his tour
of the regional devastation triggered by Hurricane Katrina with a new
understanding for the magnitude of the suffering and for the abject
failures of the current Federal Emergency Management Agency,"
Landrieu said. "Twenty-four hours later, the President has yet to answer my call for a cabinet-level official to lead our efforts. Meanwhile, FEMA, now a shell of what it once was, continues to be overwhelmed by the task at
hand.

,,,,,,,

Landrieu said that her "greatest disappointment" is the lack of progress fixing the breached 17th Street levee. "Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast - black and white, rich and poor, young and old - deserve far better from their national government," Landrieu said.


http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_09.html#076637

[brooklynite]

1. Pay attention to the REAL story here...

Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a presidential photo opportunity

[girl gone mad]

4. This needs to be e-mailed to ABC.

If they allow Bush to get away with this staged photo-op, they will prove for once and for all that they are nothing more than propagandists.

[RedEarth]

10. Apparently the entire trip was one more photo op...check this article

Dutch viewer Frank Tiggelaar writes:

There was a striking dicrepancy between the CNN International report on the Bush visit to the New Orleans disaster zone, yesterday, and reports of the same event by German TV.

ZDF News reported that the president's visit was a completely staged event. Their crew witnessed how the open air food distribution point Bush visited in front of the cameras was torn down immediately after the president and the herd of 'news people' had left and that others which were allegedly being set up were abandoned at the same time.

The people in the area were once again left to fend for themselves, said ZDF.

http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/002485.html

[Lefty48197]

5. Did you see the video of Bush hugging those 2 young African-American women

at one point, he noticed a camera, and turned slightly so that he and the ladies would be in full view of the camera. It was absolutely disgusting.

[NRaleighLiberal]

8. I saw that - how sad is it that it did not surprise me.....

our naked emperor is an inhuman waste product. should be flushed away.

[PurityOfEssence]

19. One of Junior's old nicknames here was "The Potemkin Village Idiot"

For those of who don't get that reference, it comes from Catherine the Great's political right-hand man. When she wanted to tour her country--which was destitute--Potemkin had people build fake village fronts that looked happy and tidy, populated by quaint citizens dressed in nice clothes. The people waved and she drove on, but the true squalor was carefully concealed.

This is one of the best metaphors for hiding the plight of the downtrodden, but it's sadly fading from the public consciousness.

[DODI]

2. From the bottom of her press release:

http://landrieu.senate.gov/~landrieu/releases/05/2005903E12.html

. . .Today's aerial tour of the 17th Street levee will be featured tomorrow on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Later, Sen. Landrieu will also appear on CBS's 60 Minutes. . . .

[aquart]

3. And she was so often a sure vote for Georgie.

George, you shouldn't have made Mary cry.

[hlthe2b]

6. Sounds like Anderson Cooper shamed her back to reality...

I know she cares, but that fear of criticizing Bush* and the horrendous others implicated in this clusterfuck was just insane. Welcome back to the fight, Mary. Forget playing ball with a narcissistic, lying SOB.

[eyeontheprize]

7. She will have to try very hard for me to forgive her.

But it could happen.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

9. Oh Miss Mary, over the years we have come to not expect much of you,

Not because you were unfeeling, but mostly because you were naive.
But we know that you are now personally hurting.
And maybe the veil has lifted.
Better late than never.

[wakeme2008]

11. NOM...:) nt

[gizmo1979]

12. Isn't she the one kissing

fema ass on anderson cooper the other night?Listening to her she is politician to the core,the only thing she cares about is her political survival she will flow which ever way the popular wind is blowing.

[Kelvin Mace]

14. No, she was kissing Bush's.

When Cooper told her he saw rats eating a dead woman, she gushed her thanks to Bush. And no, she wasn't being sarcastic, unfortunately.

[Kelvin Mace]

13. Make up your mind

Senator, you cannot kiss Bush's ass one day, then pretend to kick it the next. It is very irritating watching you try to decide which way the wind is blowing. Please leave the party and join your soulmates on the Right.

[jus_the_facts]

15. Aww now she tries to be contrary....oh Mary....here's your constituency...

..being herded like cattle with M16's...now you're concerned all of a sudden...I guess it's time to ask your oil industry buddies for those tax incentive funds back to build refineries down here instead of a new French Quarter to get these people some jobs again...yeah that's the ticket...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3954289

[TahitiNut]

16. "a hastily prepared stage set for a presidential photo opportunity"

If anything portrays the complete and utter depravity of these abominable political necrophiles, this has got to be the most obvious even to the most brain-damaged.

[thecrow]

17. "....answer my call for a cabinet-level official to lead ...."

Oh my... I wonder if that's why Rumsfield is visiting tomorrow?
Isn't he a cabinet level official?

Are they turning it over to the DOD???

[CityDem]

18. Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then

Mary has been such a disappointment over the years -- it will take more than this to get my support.