Let's get the timeline and issues of concern straight here...
1) "FEMA and Homeland Security forsaw that the Levees could break a
full 48 hours before Katrina struck according to two reports."
http://www.wnymedia.net/index.php?op...1013&Itemid=43
2) "WASHINGTON (AP) - In dramatic and sometimes agonizing terms, federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief
before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees, put lives at risk in New Orleans' Superdome and overwhelm rescuers, according to confidential video footage."
http://apnews.myway.com//article/200...D8G36U0O1.html
3) "White House deputy chief of staff Joe Hagin, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Brown discussed fears of a levee breach
the day the storm hit."
http://www.click2houston.com/news/7588472/detail.html
4) George Bush,
September 1, 2005. (After all the above)
"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...090100915.html
Based one #1, #2, and #3, it seems obvious that #4 shows an example of either Bush lying, or being just plain clueless/incompetent.
(Perhaps Bush should have abbreviated his statement to: "I don't think."
)
This has nothing to do with "hating" Bush. It's just a logical conclusion based on the facts on hand...
People KNEW that the levees could break as a result of this storm. Bush WAS BRIEFED that the levees could break as a result of this storm.
And then Bush
later turned around and claimed that nobody anticipated the levees breaking.
The issue isn't blaming Bush for the REASON the levees broke. The issue isn't blaming Bush BECAUSE the levees broke. I don't see anybody blaming Bush for the levees breaking.
The issue
IS Bush being briefed and given some information that he later claimed nobody had. A sign of either a lie, or just incompetence. (If anybody has another interpretation of this, please feel free to add it to the list...)
If somebody wants to actually dispute these
facts and this
logical conclusion, feel free to respond...
If it's going to center around rants on "Bush haters", don't even bother...
And in my opinion, Bush's real culpability lies on his "cronyism" technique which put a man COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT AND INCAPABLE of doing the job in charge of FEMA.
Failures occurred at virtually ALL levels of disaster response. From Mayor Nagin on upwards to Mike Brown. ALL levels demonstrated incompetence.
Pointing to Mayor Nagin's culpability, while it is glaring and DOES exist, does not excuse the fact that Bush put a man into the position of heading FEMA who HAD NO BUSINESS being in that position.
Again, this has nothing to do with "hating" Bush. These issues have been raised by democrats and republicans alike.
Trying to respond to these charges by blindly frothing at the mouth with rants about "Bush Haters" does not address these failures...
It only indulges them...