Katrina: White House Declines to Provide Storm Papers

[Imagevision]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 - The Bush administration, citing the confidentiality of executive branch communications, said Tuesday that it did not plan to turn over certain documents about Hurricane Katrina or make senior White House officials available for sworn testimony before two Congressional committees investigating the storm response.

The White House's stance on storm-related documents, along with slow or incomplete responses by other agencies, threatens to undermine efforts to identify what went wrong, Democrats on the committees said Tuesday.

"There has been a near total lack of cooperation that has made it impossible, in my opinion, for us to do the thorough investigation that we have a responsibility to do," Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, said at Tuesday's hearing of the Senate committee investigating the response. His spokeswoman said he would ask for a subpoena for documents and testimony if the White House did not comply.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/politics/25katrina.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1138165200&en=e89a11af74ffd279&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[rodeodance]

1. was glad to see major media reporting on this issue today.

[FreedomAngel82]

2. Yes

I hope they can get these papers. What are they hiding?

[C_U_L8R]

3. Declines??? What's their excuse this time??

Don't give us that.. "the world is a different place since 9-11" bullshit.

Really though... what is their excuse???? There is NO excuse for this shit !!!
Congress needs to start doling out subpoenas to these pissy little fascists
(and tossing a few people away for obstruction) SERIOUSLY
I suggest starting at the top.

[Imagevision]

6. The excuse is, Bush doesn't want/need more negative info coming out

against his administration, end of story -- Abrahoff story has barely begun naming names and adding Katrina to the list of Bush's corrupt and or failed leadership problems must be avoided at all costs to him.

[Canuckistanian]

4. This is the way it's going to be from now on

Any and I mean ANY documents that could prove embarassing for the kleptocracy are going to be deemed "executive branch confidential".

It worked with Cheney and the Energy Commission and now it's the Swiss Army knife of justifications.

Filibuster Alito.

It's the only chance to make a tiny little crack in this huge monolith of power and silence.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. There was the disaster relief request PDF made in advance of

the storm... then there's this, I think it's too late to hide anything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_of_Hurricane_Katrina_on_New_Orleans
In anticipation of destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, Max Mayfield, the director of the National Hurricane Center, called New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on the night of August 27 to express his extreme concern over hurricane Katrina, and then had a video call with President Bush at his farm in Crawford Texas about the severity of the storm on the 28th. <10> Nagin first called for a voluntary evacuation of the city on August 27 at 5 PM and subsequently ordered a citywide mandatory evacuation on August 28 at 9:30 AM, the first such order in the city's history. Many neighboring areas and parishes also called for evacuations. "By mid-afternoon, officials in Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, Lafourche, Terrebonne and Jefferson parishes had called for voluntary or mandatory evacuations." <11> In a live news conference, Mayor Nagin predicted that "the storm surge most likely will topple our levee system," and warned that oil production in the Gulf of Mexico would be shut down. President George W. Bush made a televised appeal for residents to heed the evacuation orders, warning, "We cannot stress enough the danger this hurricane poses to Gulf Coast communities." <12>

www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/releases/katrinacrsreportpr91305.pdf

[Burried News]

7. 9/11 Commission - The administration drags their feet in appearing

Cheney's energy meeting - secret minutes issue all the way to SCOTUS
Second set of Abu Ghraib Photos - Still waiting
Libby cover up of Plame materials
Now the Katrina papers

ALL TO PROTECT US. ALL FOR OUR OWN GOOD.

[Maddy McCall]

8. Let me tell you why. Louisiana Repubs are trying to recall Blanco.

Don't believe me? Look here:

http://www.recallgovernorblanco.com/

Bush doesn't want to release the truth about HIS ADMINISTRATION's handling of the disaster, because he knows that it will clear Blanco.