Tag: Impeachment

Powell ‘Devastated’ By False Report He Gave U.N.

Jon Ponder

Admits guilt: Thousands of people have died as a result of President Bush’s war of whim in Iraq. Now former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who leant his credibility to the campaign to convince the American public that Iraq was a threat that required neutralization, has admitted that the facts he presented to the United Nations were false.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday his prewar speech to the United Nations accusing Iraq of harboring weapons of mass destruction was a “blot” on his record.

“I’m the one who presented it to the world, and (it) will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It is painful now,” Powell said in an interview with Barbara Walters on ABC News.

The presentation by the soldier-diplomat to the world body in February 2003 lent considerable credibility to President Bush’s case against Iraq and for going to war to remove President Saddam Hussein.

In the speech, Powell said he had relied on information he received at Central Intelligence Agency briefings. He said Thursday that then-director George Tenet “believed what he was giving to me was accurate.”

But, Powell said, “the intelligence system did not work well.”

“There were some people in the intelligence community who knew at the time that some of those sources were not good, and shouldn’t be relied upon, and they didn’t speak up,” Powell said.

“That devastated me,” he said.

Bush Record Shows It Really Is About Race

Trish

Some people disagree with Colin Powell that the failure of the federal emergency response in New Orleans “wasn’t a racial thing.” If it were really about poverty, as Bush defenders claim, then his administration wouldn’t spend so much time cleaning up his record on blacks, says the Palm Beach Post.

Poverty doesn’t polarize in the same vocal, fearful manner that race does…

If you were offended by Kanye West’s comments, you should be more offended by President Bush’s record.

The unending cluelessness in this administration is getting old.

President Bush so wanted minority voters to believe that his administration “is working very well for them” that a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was changed last year to downplay that ethnic and racial “disparities are pervasive in our health-care system.”

Because a racial profiling report by the Justice Department demonstrated that, in traffic stops, things too often are not “working very well for them,” the report was ordered to be whitewashed. A supervisor who objected recently was fired.

President Bush’s meddling with the Head Start preschool program threatens to leave thousands of poor, black children struggling to catch up. No Child Left Behind, his underfinanced genius of a PR scheme, annually leaves thousands of black children behind academically.

He so values the equity the Voting Rights Act of 1965 offered African-Americans and others that he’s made no commitment to extend and strengthen the provisions that expire in 2007. Even though unemployment rates for African-Americans are consistently almost double the rates for white Americans, and black households had the lowest median income in 2004 ($30,134) among all race groups, and 72 percent of white Americans own homes vs. only 48 percent of African-Americans, President Bush believes that the work force and the educational system are working so well that they don’t need affirmative action.

Bush is not only predisposed to racism but his policies reflect the qualities we have seen over and over this summer, from the famous, “I have to get on with my life” line regarding Cindy Sheehan to the classic, “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job” in New Orleans.

This guy doesn’t get it. He doesn’t get anything outside of his privileged circumstances and narrow life perspective (uncluttered as it is with insights from newspapers or books). He chooses faith over facts, unshakably certain that his view is the only view. Who knew levees could break? Who knew wetlands matter? Who thought terrorists could fly planes as weapons? Who thought anyone would object to leaving thousands of poor blacks treading water with nothing for three or four days? The unending cluelessness in this administration is getting old.

Mississippi Governor Blameless…and Republican

Trish

I would have missed this great editorial in the Palm Beach Post today, were it not for Florida Politics.

President Bush, who didn’t respond soon enough after Hurricane Katrina, wants to investigate why President Bush didn’t respond soon enough after Hurricane Katrina…

The president says he doesn’t want to point fingers. That’s because so many fingers are pointing at him. Those who work for the president who says it isn’t the time to play politics are playing politics by blaming the conveniently Democratic governor of Louisiana and mayor of New Orleans, while not blaming the inconveniently Republican governor of Mississippi for failing to evacuate all coastal residents of his state.

Doctors should not practice on themselves, lawyers should not represent themselves and, as history shows, presidents should not investigate themselves…

The White House fought creation of the 9/11 commission and offered only grudging cooperation. Then it blocked out portions of the congressional 9/11 report. The Bush administration is quick to place blame. As usual, it’s now moving quickly to escape it.

Poll: Zogby Says Katrina Response Is Hurting Bush

Jon Ponder

Worst president ever: The government’s response to Katrina gets a mere 17 percent approval in the Zogby poll:

President Bush’s job approval rating took a hit in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, dropping to a historic low of 41 percent, a new Zogby America poll reveals. The same survey found the nation’s forty-third president would lose election contests against all of his predecessors since Jimmy Carter…

The public rates the performance of all levels of government in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina negatively, with 36 percent giving the President passing marks on his handling of the crisis—slightly higher than the 32 percent who give government in general good marks for its handling of the storm that devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf coast.

In another key finding, the Zogby America survey finds that 86 percent of likely voters assess the response of private charities favorably, and one charity, the American Red Cross, gets higher marks than the federal government, as well as state and local governments. In fact, four times as many respondents say the Red Cross did a better job than the federal government, with the charity being seen as more effective by 69 percent and the government’s response viewed more favorably by 17 percent. The Red Cross also gets better marks than Louisiana’s state and local governments, by a 72 percent to 10 percent margin.

Bush is head of the government – unfortunately. The person in charge of the government usually takes responsibility when things go badly, but the “leadership” of our government refuses to accept responsibility for its failings. Who will hold them accountable?

Somebody Play the Blame Game Quick

Trish

Here’s why the blame game needs to be played, and played quick: because there’s a tropical storm out there and it’s headed for me. Maybe as a hurricane.

I want to know what went wrong on the Gulf Coast, and I want to know now. FEMA is going to be needed this weekend, right here where I live.

Whether Ophelia is headed for me or not, the fact is we need to know what mistakes were made and we need to know who made them. We don’t have the luxury of convening inquiries in a few weeks or months, we need to have this information right now.

Already officials in my area are announcing where the evacuation shelters will be. I, like many others, am picturing the horror that occurred in shelters in New Orleans. The thought of evacuating fills me with dread. Even worse than riding out the storm for a day in a shelter is the idea that things wouldn’t start functioning again quickly, and that I would have to stay in a shelter for days or even weeks. I want FEMA working, and it’s not now.

The news here is full of stories like this. WJXT-4:

A medical mercy mission to a Mississippi city ravaged by hurricane Katrina almost didn’t happen.

Doctors and nurses with HealthSouth St. Augustine Surgery Center said Federal Emergency Management Agency officials refused to let their group carrying staff and a trailer of medical supplies into the restricted area.

“‘Go home, we don’t need you,'” Kathleen Floyan of HealthSouth said they were told. “If it wasn’t for our state of Florida Highway Patrolmen … (who) told us. ‘Follow us, we’ll put you in this location.’ They put us across from the Waveland, Miss., Police Department.”

The city, right on the water southwest of Biloxi, was almost leveled by Hurricane Katrina. Residents there said they felt forgotten, abandoned and neglected.

The story went on to describe how desperately people did need medical treatment. Some of the injured were brought to the emergency crew – the only medical personnel there since the storm – in shopping carts. Hopefully they weren’t arrested for looting them.

Wherever you live, if there was a tornado, raging forest fire, earthquake, or any other natural disaster, you’d want to know FEMA could handle it.

I want answers. I want to assign blame. As our president might put it: Blame game? Bring it on!

What Went Right: Absolutely Nothing. Next?

Trish

Let the spin begin! Bush claims there’s no hurry to investigate the Katrina disaster, but just in case, he’ll head the inquiry. Yeah, that’ll work.

Reuters:

“I think one of the things that people want us to do is to play a blame game,” Bush told reporters. “We’ve got to solve problems. We’re problem solvers. There will be ample time for people to figure out what went right, and what went wrong…”

“We’ve got to solve problems. We’re problem solvers.” – George W. Bush, shortly before his nose spontaneously grew six inches

“It’s very important for us to understand the relationship between the federal government, the state government and the local government when it comes to a major catastrophe,” Bush said.

“And the reason it’s important is, is that we still live in an unsettled world. We want to make sure that we can respond properly if there’s a WMD (weapons of mass destruction) attack or another major storm. And so I’m going to find out over time what went right and what went wrong,” he added.

O.K., let’s see if you were paying attention. What’s Bush going to figure out? What went right! And what is his administration? Problem solvers! And why is it important to understand the role of state and local governments too? So we can blame them!

And in case you weren’t properly scared, what could happen to us? A WMD attack! Wha?

Even Trent Lott, who lost his home in the storm, isn’t buying this load of crap. He’s also downright threatening to FEMA Director Mike Brown, Bush’s pick of the litter for problem solving.

“If he doesn’t solve a couple of problems that we’ve got right now he ain’t going to be able to hold the job, because what I’m going to do to him ain’t going to be pretty,” Lott said on CBS.

At least Bush hasn’t kissed Brown on the cheek, unlike poor Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco. You know it was all she could do not to ralph up her lunch on the spot. AP:

“I know I don’t need to make any other introduction other than ‘Mr. President,’ ” Blanco said tersely, turning the microphone over to Bush after praising emergency management officials during a stop with Bush at an emergency operations center…

The president, looking choked up as he finished his brief remarks, nodded at Blanco and kissed her on the cheek. She nodded back and both left the podium, headed for separate spots in the crowd.

Blanco has refused to sign over control of the National Guard to the federal government and has turned to a Clinton administration official, former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief James Lee Witt, to help run relief efforts.

Blanco was not told when Bush would visit the state, nor was she immediately invited to meet him or travel with him. Blanco’s office didn’t know Bush was coming until told by reporters. Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said the White House reached out to Blanco’s office on Sunday, but didn’t hear back.

If anyone has the video of that kiss, please send us the link.

Borowitz Tops Himself: Bush Worst Disaster

Trish

Today’s Borowitz Report is beyond great.

Four and a half years after he was first sworn in as president, experts in the field of disaster assessment today called the presidency of George W. Bush the worst disaster in the history of the United States of America…

Dr. Lorraine Cresser…said that the University of Minnesota experts decided to place the current administration at the top of the nation’s list of huge disasters after assessing the damage the White House has caused over the past four and a half years, both at home and abroad.

“After taking a good look at the wreckage the Bush presidency has created, we would estimate the cost of the damage at somewhere in the mid to high zillions,” Dr. Cresser said.

Hours after the University of Minnesota released its findings, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said that given the high price tag, rebuilding the Bush presidency “doesn’t make sense to me.”

…But hours later, the Speaker backtracked somewhat, telling reporters, “Like most Republicans in Congress, I have been drinking very heavily for the past several days.”

Elsewhere, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said today that his department would intensify the search for those missing since Hurricane Katrina hit, including Vice President Dick Cheney.

Ball Keeps Getting Dropped and New Orleans People Keep Suffering

Trish

Jacksonville, Florida was ready for New Orleans’ sick and injured but, once again, somebody up the food chain appears to have dropped the ball.

St. Augustine Record:

The ill and injured from New Orleans emerged from the back of a C-130 Sunday morning to a flight line packed with Jacksonville rescue vehicles. Patients on stretchers were rolled directly into idling ambulances, where doctors waited for them…

The cancellation of a second flight wasn’t publicized until about 2 p.m., leaving about 100 workers and volunteers with a day of uncertainty inside a hangar.

Scores of sailors, Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department workers, Red Cross volunteers and doctors contributed to a federal relief effort as the Air National Guard transported patients from New Orleans to Jacksonville in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

About 100 more patients were expected to arrive in the afternoon, but plans changed at the last minute. The cancellation of a second flight wasn’t publicized until about 2 p.m., leaving about 100 workers and volunteers with a day of uncertainty inside a hangar.

“We’ve been on stand-by for the last few days,” Commanding Officer Chip Dobson said.

Patients who arrived in the morning were taken to nine different hospitals in the Jacksonville area…

At Baptist Medical Center, the staff was ready for a crush that never came.

A nursing supervisor said she offered 47 beds for adults and 13 for children. As of Sunday morning, the hospital served three elderly patients from the New Orleans flight…

Preparations for the event began Tuesday, Dobson said. On that day, workers began setting up supplies in the hangar, he said. The plan followed by all the groups was created in case there was a need for cross-country transport of large numbers of people in need of hospitalization, he said.

“This was an existing plan that has never been activated before,” Dobson said.

It wasn’t immediately clear if more patients would arrive today or in the near future.

Jeez. At what point does the impeachment process begin?

Of Condi’s Shoes and Bush’s Numbers

Trish

The Condi Buying Shoes thing demonstrated something about this administration. The people in it aren’t the cream of the crop. These are folks who would not rise very far in life, were it not for their strange connections and the Bush family capacity to recycle people from previous circumstances. We already know about Dick Wyoming MIA Cheney’s past as an abject failure until he hooked up with the Bushes. And FEMA Director Mike Brown couldn’t even run a frickin’ horse association well enough to keep the job.

The nation becomes divided not simply along partisan grounds, but between those who want the occupant removed from office and those who are just disgusted.

But think about it: Condi is the perfect call center operator, the perfect fast food worker who really doesn’t give a shit and makes that plain. She’s going to provide exactly as much service as required, and that’s it, she’s outta here. See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya.

An editorial in the Gainesville Sun makes an additional point.

The president has never learned the importance of being a totally Public Man.

…Although the news from Iraq gets most of the blame, it is not the only cause of Bush’s falling numbers. Instead, Bush, like Bill Clinton before him, has allowed his sense of entitled privacy to overwhelm his awareness of public responsibility. Both failed to grasp that as presidents, they are first and foremost Public Men. By ignoring this vital role, they compromised their administrations and sowed the seeds for their fall. […]

Success! Arabian Horses Presumably Safe

Trish

If you don’t agree with Georgie that Brownie did a heckuva job in New Orleans, think again:

“He’s done a hell of a job, because I’m not aware of any Arabian horses being killed in this storm,” said Kate Hale, former Miami-Dade emergency management chief who oversaw emergency response during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

The Miami Herald published more on the amazingly inappropriate background of FEMA Director Mike Brown today.