These Nimrods should not be in charge of a poker game, much less the U.S. military

[Lobotomy Boy]

I think it might be time for Dick Cheney to shoot someone again, because there seems to be another flury of information that illustrates the utter ineptitude of this information.

First, there is the release of the Katrina briefing tape that shows Bush lied about no one expecting the levees not to hold in NO:

Thursday, March 2, 2006; Posted: 10:48 a.m. EST (15:48 GMT) WASHINGTON (CNN) --
Bush has been accused of showing poor leadership after the disaster, and for indicating, along with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, that no one could have anticipated that the flood protection system for New Orleans, Louisiana, would be breached.

However, transcripts from video conferences on August 28 and 29 show that National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield expressed concern that Katrina might push its storm surge over the city's levees and flood walls.

"I don't think anyone can tell you with confidence right now whether the levees will be topped or not, but that's obviously a very, very great concern," Mayfield says in one.

In a September 1 television interview, Bush said, "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees," a statement Chertoff agreed with three days later.

In an apparent effort to deflect criticism from the administration, Department of Homeland Security officials highlighted transcript parts that showed any weakness by local officials.

Then we have the damned fools approving the Dubai control of our ports without even investigating Al Quaeda ties:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A review of a United Arab Emirates-owned company's plan to take over a portion of operations at key U.S. ports never looked into whether the company had ties to al Qaeda or other terrorists, a key Republican lawmaker told CNN on Wednesday.

Rep. Peter King of New York, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said officials from the Homeland Security and Treasury departments told him weeks ago that their 30-day review of the deal did not look into the question of links between DP World and al Qaeda.

The degree of ineptitude of the administration is sublime. It is like we are being governed by a combination of the Trilateral Commission and the Keystone Cops, with more of the latter than the former in the mix. These people have no business managing a Jiffy Lube shop, much less our national security. I wouldn't hire them to cut my grass.

I used to think a nation got the government it deserved. Recently I was convinced that no one deserved this collection of incompetent boobs. Now I'm back to thinking we got what we deserved. We let these sleazeball snake-oil salesmen wrestle control of our government willingly.

But it's time to rectify that situation. It's time to fumigate these roaches and clean up Washington, "drain the swamp," as one High Road member put it. It doesn't matter how we vote--Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian--what matters is that we insist that the candidate we vote for live up to certain standards. The lesser of two evils has led us to this sorry state of affairs. It's up to us to fix the situation. The time for self-pity is over; this country needs strong citizens to flush the fecal matter clogging the intestines of our federal government, not passive victim bastards.

 

[Henry Bowman]

Before this thread is locked as an off topic vent...

"I don't think anyone can tell you with confidence right now whether the levees will be topped or not, but that's obviously a very, very great concern," Mayfield says in one.

In a September 1 television interview, Bush said, "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees," a statement Chertoff agreed with three days later.

...I would point out that "topped" is not the same as "breached." It probably doesn't matter to you, but there is a difference and words matter when you are accusing someone of lying or incompentency.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

I don't think the people drowning saw a heck of a lot of difference between the levees being "topped" or "breached."

Either way, that is pure BS on the administrations part, since anyone with a brain in his head knew that breaching was a possibility. "Frontline" ran an episode about a catagory 4 or 5 hurricane hitting NO well before Katrina, and the conclusion of the episode was that the levees would almost certainly be breached if the storm hit dead on. I knew this, and I've never been to NO. The president of the United States damn sure should have known this. If he knows less about such important issues than some doofus watching PBS in Minnesota, he is incompetent by any definition of the word.

I've had enough. Let's flush these wastes of skin now.

 

[Sindawe]

NOLA is small potatoes if this continues. How are we going to proctect the private property rights of millions of citizens if the U.S. comes to look like this? Levees?

 

[rmgill]

Lobotomy, which part of the hurricane approach did you miss where EVERYONE was expecting it to flood new orleans because it was expected to hit land as a Cat 5 hurricane? Where does the Federal government become the 1st and last line of defense in natural disasters for all of us?

Sure, fine, FEMA screwed up. It's a Federal operation, we expect that, big, cumbersome, slow. The local and state government screwed up more. It was their ball, their court, their responsibility. PERIOD. The Feds show up and Bolster what the locals are doing, that's why we have Local Police, Local Government, Local emergency response. That's why the Levee Districts are MANAGED locally. Lets remember that ok? Then you've got the state level authorities that more or less sat on their hands.

I am sick of people expecting the FEDS to bail them out in a natural disaster. It's not their primary duty.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Sure, sure, everything is Bush's fault.

Just like all them school buses sitting in the yard. It was Bush that said, "dont use them to take out the poor". Anyone ever think that Nagan and that Gov of LA are just as well to blame as FEMA?

Also, just because an UAE company buys the ports does that mean that homeland security, port authority and the Coast Guard will get kicked out of the ports and not allowed to inspect or do their jobs there? I think not.

Same ole song and dance.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

The point is not that the federal government should have saved everyone's bacon. The point is that the SOB lied about not expecting the disaster that ocurred. You can try to distract us from that fact with your BS about who's to blame, but it will be just that: BS. There is enough blame for everyone involved to share an equal portion. That doesn't change the fact that our nitwit commander in chief lied to cover his inept behind.

 

[Brian Williams]

I seem to notice that no one on this board is addressed by the title "Mr President" It took something to get there....

As to Lies; If a Politician has their mouth open they are lying.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

I seem to notice that no one on this board is addressed by the title "Mr President" It took something to get there....

That "something" would seem to be the good luck to be born into the right family.

 

[Igloodude]

So, are we saying that Federal incompetence and/or lying to the public is okay because #1 they weren't supposed to be doing that job in the first place, or #2 the state and local leadership were screwed up too?

 

[Master Blaster]

HO HUM

This was the front page top story in the local paper.

Hate Bush Hate BushHate Bush Hate BushHate Bush Hate BushHate Bush Hate Bush

Anyone watching TV or listening to the Radio knew the Hurricane was coming.
Everyone in NO knew the city could flood, or even worse take a direct hit which would have made what actually happened look like a picnic. Think if the Hurricane had jogged 50 miles west, the Ocean storm surge which the levies do nothing to protect NO from, would have completelly destroyed everything and killed everyone, like in Waveland Miss. Yet Nagin and the governor sat on their thumbs and did nothing.

What is being done to prevent a repeat of this next August???????


I know Hate Bush that will solve the problem.

In Hindsight which is always 20-20 Bush should have declared martial law, on Friday when Max Mayfield issued his warning and sent in Federal troops to commandeer everything, and in 36 hours the feds would have been in control. Then the Democrats would have screamed bloody murder that states rights were being violated. Then when the Hurricane hit and people were stranded They could have

Blammed Bush for comming in like a damn cowboy and screwing up all of their detailed disaster plans, which we all know would have saved everyone of course. IF only Bush hadn't interferred.

 

[HankB]

What is being done to prevent a repeat of this next August???????

Didn't Mayor Ray Nagin make a point of the critical, vital importance of rebuilding New Orleans out of chocolate?

THAT's what's being done. (Along with postponing elections while making sure Mardi Gras happens on schedule.)

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

Didn't Mayor Ray Nagin make a point of the critical, vital importance of rebuilding New Orleans out of chocolate?

And this exonerates Bush how? That's how we ended up with this group of feminine hygiene applicators running our country--we allowed ourselves to be distracted by nonsense like Nagin's comments, like Homer Simpson drooling over a donut. Nagin's as big a feminine hygiene applicator as Bush, but Nagin is just the mayor of a city that has nothing to do with me. The feminine hygiene applicator in chief, however, has a lot to do with me. This is what should concern us. We should not let ourselves be distracted by the baubles thrown before us by the Bush apologists like Mardi Gras beads. Homer Simpson might be distracted by such sleazy tactics ("Oooh, shiny!") but hopefully we have not become a nation of Homer Simpsons.

 

[shermacman]

The point is not that the federal government should have saved everyone's bacon. The point is that the SOB lied about not expecting the disaster that ocurred. You can try to distract us from that fact with your BS about who's to blame, but it will be just that: BS. There is enough blame for everyone involved to share an equal portion. That doesn't change the fact that our nitwit commander in chief lied to cover his inept behind.

Lobotomy, do you ever get tired of this? You bring nothing to the table except pathetic attempts to bypass the profanity filters. This has nothing to do with RKBA. You claim that there is enough blame to go around but you magically forget to talk about anyone other than our president, George W. Bush.

feminine hygiene applicators

What is the matter with you?

 

[DonP]

All GWB's fault, dammit!

If the President really cared about all the poor black people of New Orleans he would have personally driven all those unused buses to rescue everyone. Just like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson did, side by side with Mayor Nagin.

That storm came as a complete surprise to Nagin and the entire state government. Not one political official in the Democrat run state or that Democrat run city gets the weather channel. Duh!

All the Federal government did was call the governor and the mayor and tell them they were standing by to aid and support. Not nearly good enough by cracky.

Let me know when a major network news organization starts to do the backgrounding on how much of the millions in Fed Funds for the Levee projects over the years went into the pockets of Landrieu family related construction companies.

Louisiana and New Orleans are about the only places that give Illinois and Chicago a run for their money on federal convictions.

Sorry Bush haters, I know this kind of stuff gets you all excited, but this story is going to sink, just like the phony National Guard documents, The 9/11 conspiracies and the last 37 stories about how horrible and evil Bush is.

At some point I expect it to dawn on the Democrats that they are not running against Bush, ever again. Nah, they'll keep ranting and declare who ever the Republicans nominate to be nothing but an evil Bush clone.

For the record, yes there is a hell of a difference between a dam or levee being "topped", in essence some flooding, versus being "breached" with the potential for catastrophic flooding.

The only good news out of Louisiana and NO is that gun sales continue to skyrocket.

 

[bakert]

Sure FEMA was slow to react. Bush's fault?? What in the world was Ray Nagin and HERSELF the Governor doing all this time. I guess ol' GWB could have gone down there with Cheney to watch his back with his 28 guage and took charge but the responsibilty for your welfare in a disaster like this BEGINS with you, your city and your state.

 

[Kim]

I am sorry but childish rants do nothing to sway me. I live in the real world not one run by the good graces of any level of government. If I know a tornado is coming and I am in its path it is my responsiblity to get my ass out of the way. It is my responsibility to have appropriate insurance, money saved so I have something to live on till I can find another permanent place to live my live. I am responsible. I will not ever be so stupid to think FEMA will magically show up with food,clothing,trailor,car and money to spend on whatever I desire. Oh the poor have no choice. Oh yes they do. Just because they make bad decisions does not mean they have no choice. They first chose to be poor, live below sea level, depend on the government, not save any money, have no job, use drugs, not get a good education, not supply themselves with a car. But why should they it has been provided to them for generations in their family. If the government shows up that is nice but I would be prepared if they did not. Dependence is a killer in many ways and those who push dependence are guilty of a crime aganist humanity. I am waiting for Human Rights Watch to issue a press release that socialism KILLS. As for the old and sick--------where was their families. Oh I know they had no need to know how momma or grandpa was because families have changed don't you know. The elderly and ill are cared for by the government so I can move away and know the government is providing for my parents and my life goes on unhindered by family. Good mayor Nagin, Gov Blanco and the FEDS are responsible. Sure. Grow up.

 

[MechAg94]

+1 Kim.

If Hurricane Rita had hit Houston, people would be blaming Bush for not building 87 lane highways to carry every resident out of town in 20 minutes. What a pathetic thread.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

If the President really cared about all the poor black people of New Orleans he would have personally driven all those unused buses to rescue everyone. Just like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson did, side by side with Mayor Nagin.

That storm came as a complete surprise to Nagin and the entire state government. Not one political official in the Democrat run state or that Democrat run city gets the weather channel. Duh!

I repeat:

And this exonerates Bush how? That's how we ended up with this group of feminine hygiene applicators running our country--we allowed ourselves to be distracted by nonsense like Nagin's comments, like Homer Simpson drooling over a donut. Nagin's as big a feminine hygiene applicator as Bush, but Nagin is just the mayor of a city that has nothing to do with me. The feminine hygiene applicator in chief, however, has a lot to do with me. This is what should concern us. We should not let ourselves be distracted by the baubles thrown before us by the Bush apologists like Mardi Gras beads. Homer Simpson might be distracted by such sleazy tactics ("Oooh, shiny!") but hopefully we have not become a nation of Homer Simpsons.

As an example of how low the Bush apologists have to sink to defend their indefensible leader, I offer the following ad hominum attack:

Lobotomy, do you ever get tired of this? You bring nothing to the table except pathetic attempts to bypass the profanity filters. This has nothing to do with RKBA. You claim that there is enough blame to go around but you magically forget to talk about anyone other than our president, George W. Bush.

When Bush apologists have to resort to this level of non-argument, they have nothing to offer.

Sure FEMA was slow to react. Bush's fault?? What in the world was Ray Nagin and HERSELF the Governor doing all this time. I guess ol' GWB could have gone down there with Cheney to watch his back with his 28 guage and took charge but the responsibilty for your welfare in a disaster like this BEGINS with you, your city and your state.

And yet again, what does this have to do with the fact that Bush has been caught, on tape, in a bald-faced lie? Again, another example of Bush apologists trying to distract attention from yet another of their fearless leader's moral failures. Yak all you want about Nagin and company, but it won't change the fact that Bush lied. Hopefully people are fed up with this BS to the point where they won't be distracted by such cheap ploys.

 

[Titus]

I shall crown you the King of Irony! It's no surprise you're constantly mad about how the world works.

 

[JohnBT]

""I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees," "

During the storm, maybe. But it didn't happen, did it?

After the storm, which is when it happened, probably not.

Like the man said, anybody watching CNN or TWC knew there was a storm coming - including the people in New Orleans and LA.

"When Bush apologists..."

Now stop right there. Some of us aren't apologizing for anybody, much less the President. We simply don't believe the answer to every question is, or should be, the federal government.

Now go on with your whining and crying if you must, but don't expect a lot of sympathy.

John

 

[silliman89]

Who exactly is lying here?

Lobotomy Boy -- #1
First, there is the release of the Katrina briefing tape that shows Bush lied about no one expecting the levees not to hold in NO:

If you lead off with a statement like this, it is incumbent upon you to show first that Bush said "no one expected the levees not to hold", and then that people did "expect the levees not to hold." Instead you follow up with this:

Lobotomy Boy -- #1
Bush has been accused of showing poor leadership after the disaster, and for indicating, along with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, that no one could have anticipated that the flood protection system for New Orleans, Louisiana, would be breached.

which isn't even a direct quote of Bush. You followed it up with this:

Lobotomy Boy -- #1
"I don't think anyone can tell you with confidence right now whether the levees will be topped or not, but that's obviously a very, very great concern," Mayfield says

As others have pointed out, there is a difference between breaching and overtopping. You don't seem to grasp it, so I'll spell it out more. If a levee is overtopped, an undeterminable amount of water may flow over the top depending upon the degree to which it was overtopped and the length of time involved. If a levee is breached, the water level will become the same on both sides of the levee.

That is a huge difference. Overtopping means there is the potential for disaster if the situation is sustained. Breaching means the disaster has already occurred. Everyone was talking about the potential of a level 5 hurricane to overtop the levees when Katrina was bearing down on N.O. If you claim that anyone was talking about breaching, I am still awaiting your link.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

As others have pointed out, there is a difference between breaching and overtopping.

This is as ludicrous as arguing over what the definition of "is" is. Except that in this case hundreds of people died. In Clinton's case the only casualty was a blue dress.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Closed pending review by L&P mods for over-the-top hyperbole and general childish behavior.