Bush skips Texas to avoid hampering Rita response (update)

[truthpusher]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050924/pl_nm/rita_bush_dc_7

Bush skips Texas to avoid hampering Rita response
----------------------
By Adam Entous
8 minutes ago
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President George W. Bush, still smarting over criticism for his slow response to Katrina, flew to a Colorado military base on Friday to monitor Hurricane Rita after abruptly canceling a trip to Texas to avoid interfering with relief operations.

(snip)

En route to the U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base, in Colorado Springs, where he saw satellite images of the storm and flooding projections, Bush spoke to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Coast Guard Vice Adm Thad Allen about the New Orleans flooding, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

Bush had planned to visit San Antonio on Friday before flying on to Colorado. McClellan said the cancellation came after the Federal Emergency Management Agency decided to reposition search-and-rescue teams from San Antonio closer to the storm zone.

"We didn't want to slow up that decision in any way. The president made the decision to go straight to Colorado," McClellan said.

(snip)

"It's an important relationship, and I need to understand how it works better," said Bush, who last week proposed the federal government and U.S. military have broader responsibility to respond to domestic crises like hurricanes.

(snip)

On Saturday morning, Bush will receive another update on the storm and meet with troops.

(snip)

complete story: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050924/pl_nm/rita_bush_dc_7

[AspenRose]

1. It's like they say: If you're not part of the solution....

you're part of the PROBLEM

[riderinthestorm]

48. Whtie folks (Texas). Black folks (New Orleans)

It's as simple as that.

I honestly believe that. You can try to re-shape it as you will but this response was all about race.

[daninthemoon]

2. "understand how it works better" Gov then pres, and he still doesn't

have a clue "how it works"

[liveoaktx]

3. Video-here's REALLY why he didn't go

Score for David Gregory

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

13. Let's play "Talking Point Bingo"...

... in 2:00 minutes of that video, _bush said:

Interface/Relationship 7 times
State & Local 5 times
People 4 times
Folks 3 times
Prepare 3 times

DING! DING! DING! Give the man a Medal of Freedom.

/Some points subtracted for over-use of um, uh & heh, heh, heh.
//Number of blinks too many to tally.
///Offer void where prohibited.

[liveoaktx]

19. Then you'll like the edits I did on his speech from the day before

I was curious to see how many times he fear-mongered

Terror Terror

[DisgustedTX]

20. Nice edits. Disturbing how he SMILES while discussing DEATH

DEATH DEATH DEATH KILL KILL KILL KILL.

True sociopath.

[goclark]

21. Oh my God -- he is Bewitched! He can not stop the

twitching!
He is as drunk as a skunk and they all know it.
How can you not know it?

Love the video. I have been seraching for it and it is FAR WORSE than I could have imagined.

They need to get him to Ranch Rehab asap.

[SillyGoose]

42. Did you notice Rummy checking out Condi's Ferragamos at the

beginning?? Priceless!

:rofl:

[Jamastiene]

30. LOL.You.Are.Good.

:thumbsup:

[fudge stripe cookays]

38. .

Thanks for my first morning belly laugh of the day!

FSC

[howmad1]

44. Look carefully at Chertoff's face in the backround.

I can imagine what he's thinking.

:cry:

[July]

45. I think he's using that as an excuse.

You can read BushEatsBeef's entry in GD-Politics with a link to RawStory, and the NYTimes also has an article -- both saying that it was TOO SUNNY for the photo op in San Antonio.

[cloudythescribbler]

4. shouldn't "to avoid interfering" be in quotes?

It merits at least that skepticism LOL

[Fovea]

5. And he is missing that sweet

Galveston biking on the beach photo op, too.
Pity.

[jobycom]

6. Wait-- About FEMA

"McClellan said the cancellation came after the Federal Emergency Management Agency decided to reposition search-and-rescue teams from San Antonio closer to the storm zone."

So after weeks of hearing that FEMA wasn't a first responder and that they didn't do search and rescue, now I'm hearing that they do?

[gordianot]

7. Where's KKKarl?

I thought KKKarl was in charge of disaster relief?

[Robertwf]

11. No, in his new role he is the disaster.

[ShockediSay]

15. No, he is putting the final touches on some Colorado fund raisers.

Local floods can really put a 'damper' on fund raiser bribes.

And Colorado Springs is way above sea level, I'll bet.

[abbeyco]

22. Playing marbles with his kidney stone n/t

[MadisonProgressive]

8. David Gregory is a fucking SAINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Im with Rosey]

9. ABSOLUTELY!

Send an email to NBC. The more they receive, the more spine they will develop.

[MadisonProgressive]

10. Do you have a link?

[Im with Rosey]

32. Sorry, Had to leave for a while

I can't find any email addie for DG, but if you go to NBC, you can send via NBC feedback. I thought it would maybe be better, maybe more people see the Kudos feedback for DG.

[TankLV]

12. He's trying to find out how to impose martial law & take political

advantage of the situation - he could care less about the hurricane(s).

Planning on more tax breaks for the rich.

More no-bid contracts for cheney.

More scattering of democratic voters all across the country & then prevent them from re-registering to vote in the 06 elections.

So much to do.

That's what I believe.

Prove me wrong.

[soothsayer]

14. "Get that a-hole out of here, he's hampering our efforts" LOL

what a leader!

[ShockediSay]

16. There he goes, flip-floppin' again n/t

[truthisfreedom]

17. bush never intended to go in the first place. it was all a ruse to improve

his numbers. think about it... rove realizes that bush is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't go to Texas. so rove sets up the "trip" on the calendar, but fully intends to have bush beg off at the last minute so as not to "interfere." in this way he can show that bush wants to be there, but doesn't want to get in the way... two things that have worked against him during Katrina.

[rodeodance]

25. maybe he suddenly realized what a waste of jet fuel it was? te he

just joking.

[cap]

18. if he went to TX, Bush would be stoned...

and not just by angry blacks. Everybody's mad now.

[rodeodance]

23. he is such a joke----and so many continue to prop him up!!

[JustSayNO 2 Sheeples]

24. Hell, he's staying out of DC

so he doesn't have to be quaking in his boots with Cindy there. That's our President, a chicken shit coward.

How conveeeeeenient.

[rodeodance]

26. so, is Laura in DC?--perhaps she can invite Cindy in for tea?

[JustSayNO 2 Sheeples]

27. That would be a nice, Texas gesture...

and she could tell Cindy how well things are going in Iraq, too.

[radfringe]

28. You got it

I wondered about why he would go to Colorado...

After blowing off Katrina by staying in crawford he would have to show some "concern" regarding Rita. The logical place would be to stay in DC. He could still get reports from weather/tracking etc.

But staying in DC means he's facing Cindy Sheehan and the rest of the demonstrators. Can't go to Crawford or Camp David because then it would look like he's blowing off Rita. So where to hide and still give the appearance of being "concerned"?

Colorado is safe enough - far enough away from Rita and Cindy and he can still appear to be in charge.

Crusader Bunnypants hides again!

[Jamastiene]

29. Good. Maybe he'll do less damage that way. The hurricane is enough. n/t

[Gnostic]

31. You mean he's not on permanent vacation in Crawford still?

Or is this yet another vacation in disguise?

[Sancho]

33. Basically, he's a chicken...

What a fake! He demands to be in the front of the bike rides, but runs for the hills at an emergency - looks like a deer caught in the headlights as they say in Texas.

[Maine-ah]

34. I actually think that him not going to Texas was a good idea.

We read stories about him in NOLA holding up relief efforts for many hours because of him being there.

[lynne]

36. Exactly right - Bush being there would only -

- delay city and state plans and take up precious resouces. He's right not to go into the thick of it.

People bitched when he went into NOLA and now they bitch because he didn't go into TX. Seems to me that some just want to bitch.

[tanyev]

35. Colorado Springs:

Future home of the capital of the new Republic of Gilead.

[against all enemies]

37. Good start, now he can skip the rest of his term to avoid hampering

the country.

[Gman]

39. There is DEFINITELY a RW agenda at work here

and it has to do with making it easier to deploy troops in the United States by declaring an "emergency" faux or otherwise. Red lights should be going off everywhere.

[progressivebydesign]

40. Don't we have one of those secret government things in Colorado?

For some reason I remember Colorado as a location Bush considered to hide in on 9/11.

[progressivebydesign]

41. Is Cheney having surgery in Colorado Monday?

I know that is where he went for exams recently What's up with Colorado for those two?

[TankLV]

43. He was TOLD not to come by the locals!

He was ridiculed about it by some talking heads, too.

Yeah - he just "decided" - all on his own - not to go.

Riiiiiiight!

[applegrove]

46. Let's get him to ship the rest of his Presidency. All he does is diminish

& hamper.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

47. Why not come home to Washington?

Afraid to face the masses?

[Gloria]

49. "Bush--a President in Search of a Disaster"--sort of sad....

eom