L.A. Times: "Bush Tries for Damage Control at a Critical Point"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

September 3, 2005

Bush Tries for Damage Control at a Critical Point

By Doyle McManus, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-image3sep03,0,2734468.story?coll=la-home-nation

During four days of chaos in New Orleans, Bush and his aides had issued upbeat statements that help was on the way. But in the face of televised images of horrifying anarchy, some senior Republicans warned the White House that it needed to change its tone. Political analysts said it was too early to tell whether the issue could affect the next congressional election, at the midpoint of Bush's term in 2006. "It's too far out to extrapolate," said Charlie Cook, an independent political analyst. "But for now, House and Senate Republicans are pretty much joined at the hip with the president…. When he falls in the polls, it's not good for them."

On Friday morning, Bush acknowledged for the first time that all was not well. "The results are not acceptable," he told reporters as he left the White House for the Gulf Coast. "I want to assure the people of the affected areas and this country that we'll deploy the assets necessary to get the situation under control." Later, in Biloxi, Miss., Bush fine-tuned his message, saying the federal government — his administration — had done everything it could, only to be overwhelmed by nature. "I am satisfied with the federal response," Bush said. "I'm not satisfied with all the results…. I'm certainly not denigrating the efforts of anybody. But the results can be better in New Orleans, and I intend to work with the folks to make it better."

To underline the message, he made a point of praising the chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michael D. Brown, who coordinated federal efforts to prepare for the storm. Bush's statements appeared aimed at delivering a carefully targeted message: The "results" in New Orleans have not been good, but that doesn't mean anyone in the Bush administration failed to prepare adequately for the hurricane. "It's as if he's trying to have it both ways," Gergen said. And at the end of the day, standing on the tarmac at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, the president struck an upbeat note. He called for a national recovery effort and joked that its goal would be to rebuild a hard-partying city "where I used to come … to enjoy myself, occasionally too much."

"I think he still has time to recover politically, and I think it's likely he will," Gergen said. "He's good at this. You'll see a better Bush during the next few days, in charge and compassionate. But if he doesn't, there's going to be a serious political price to pay."

[Liberal Veteran]

1. There is something ironic about watching the White House try....

...to spin it's way out it's utter incompetant response to tropical cyclone.

[niceypoo]

4. Third world incompetence

is shown again and again by this whitehouse. From Iraq war "Planning" to schaivo debacle and now this. At least they are very consistent. What if New Orleans was white and republican? I bet Bush would have been on the scene on Monday or Tuesday and response would have been quick and massive.

[kenny blankenship]

2. "The buck stops miles below me" it's that what yr saying Mr Preznit?

I am satisfied with the federal response," Bush said. "I'm not satisfied with all the results….

[blondeatlast]

3. That's why we need a grassroots anti-GOP effort now.

The opposition can't do it--I'm a pragmatist at heart--without being accused of partisanship.

But we can do the stealth campaigning.

This is incompetence on a grand scale and those who put these bastards in power must pay with their careers.

[roguevalley]

5. Gergen is full of shit. He's going to be more compassionate in the

days ahead? He can still pull out of this, he's good at it? In what parallel dimension? I can't find ANYONE who isn't LIVID with this. Who is playing politics here?

[ochazuke]

6. What's the opposite of "glasnost"?

When news came out how bad the Chernobyl disaster was, it was a sign that the Soviet Union was opening up.

BushCo doesn't even live up to pre-Gorbachev standards of openness.

[rodeodance]

7. bush can recover--we need to admit this fact.

"I think he still has time to recover politically, and I think it's likely he will,"

[rodeodance]

8. we only have to look at the tube today-The calvery has arrived. WHO

do you think is getting credit for this.

as much as i do not like it--bushco IS getting credit

[kenny blankenship]

10. "Snotslag" we're soaking in it.

[robbedvoter]

9. LA Times 2001: "I was getting out of harm's way" - W post 911

By the following summer, the reporter who wrote this was elbowing the rest of the corpse trying to get his shred of fried chicken thrown at him in Crawford. These years the press was only closing in on the truth in the short periods between crisis and PR actions - up to a week usually.