Transcript of Howard Dean's Hannity & Colmes Interview, 9/13/05

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

EXCERPT here, full transcript at this URL:



http://shadowbfa.blogspot.com/2005/09/howard-dean-on-hannity-and-colmes.html

Howard: Here's how it works. I had seven or nine of these--I can't remember--when I was governor. Of course nothing to this extent. The way it works is the governor takes over the National Guard responsibilities first and then asks for help from FEMA--especially when it's something of this sort. There was a big squabble over who was going to have control. The thing that's so disturbing is that the Congressional Research Service, which is totally nonpartisan, came out today and said that Governor Blanco did everything she could. Which means, obviously, that they thought the real screw-ups were at the federal level. And they were. I mean, FEMA used to be incompetent when George Bush's father was in there. Clinton really cleaned them up and put James Lee Witt in charge--who was by far the best FEMA director of any administration and now the president's messed it up again. It's unfair to American citizens, because people need their help when they need their help.

---SNIP---

Howard: Well, there are three things you can do. You can run the biggest deficits in the history of the country which we're doing right now, you can rebuild New Orleans, you can get rid of the estate tax. Now, the Republicans, including Senator Frist, chose to get rid of the estate tax, and evidently they say they're going to rebuild New Orleans. Which means we're going to have twice as high a deficit. When is this going to stop? These people are completely irreponsible financially. We need to balance the budget *some day* in this country. And to spend 750 billion dollars giving a tax break to 20,000 American families, as opposed to the rest of the 280 million of them, I think is morally *wrong*. We *did* have moral choices to make--we've made the wrong choices again and again and again, and we're paying for this very dearly. Moral choices *not* just in terms of favoring getting rid of the estate tax over dealing with the deficit, but moral choices in terms of downgrading FEMA, not putting the money into levee reconstruction--this is the wrong moral choice.

[blm]

1. Did Bush's FEMA change procedure manuals from James Lee Witt's manual?

Cuz this FEMA sure bears NO RESEMBLANCE to the FEMA run by Witt.

[Ninga]

2. Yawzer!!!! Could we PLEASE transplant his testicles to other Democrats!!

[napi21]

3. Thanks for the post! I NEVER listen to Hannity! It's always good

to hear Dean's comments.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. Hannity wasn't in the interview studio

It was a taped interview by Colmes set as equal time for all the White House exclusives done by Hannity.

In fact Hannity had his own propaganda segment with Dan Bartlett on the same show last night.

They sat and blamed the Mayor and Governor for parked school buses and slow response time, then said people shouldn't play the "blame game".

[Why Syzygy]

4. Great

He just keeps on ticking :thumbsup:

[WI_DEM]

6. "FEMA was incompetent when Bush's father was there...now it is again"

like father like son. Except the son is more ruthless he has been able to steal two elections.

[JNelson6563]

7. Howard Dean speaks for me

again. :toast:

Julie

[calimary]

8. "The wrong MORAL choice." EXCELLENT buzz phrase.

EXCELLENT talking point.

Let's take back the MORALS thing, shall we?

The "family values" thing?

The high moral ground is OURS.

[MODemocrat]

9. You go Howard, you make me really proud

Speaking the truth with force, as you do, is so refreshing.
:yourock: :patriot:

[Mad_Dem_X]

10. Damn it - I love this man!!!!

If only all the Dems were like him!