Open season on Bush's administration

[Phlegm]

From Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - Democrats, divided over President Bush’s handling of Iraq, are coming down hard on his administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

Some of the harshest words are coming from 2008 presidential hopefuls. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York ridiculed relief coordinator Michael Brown’s suggestions. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said the hurricane’s aftermath underscores the “two Americas” theme of his presidential campaign last year.

“It’s piling-on time,” said Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker.

Democrats, ready with talking points and working closely, went into full battle mode Wednesday.

Clinton sought an independent commission to study the response and made the rounds of four network morning television shows, taking on Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“I would never have appointed such a person. I would imagine, I don’t think that anybody would. You would appoint somebody who has experience,” Clinton told CBS.

Pelosi: Not one, but two disasters

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada pressed for a broad investigation that would explore questions such as “How much time did the president spend dealing with this emerging crisis while he was on vacation?”

His House counterpart, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., renewed her call for Brown’s dismissal. “There were two disasters last week: first, the natural disaster, and second, the man-made disaster, the disaster made by mistakes made by FEMA,” she said.

She told reporters she had urged Bush in person at the White House on Tuesday to fire Brown.

“Why would I do that?” Pelosi quoted the president as saying.

As a party, Democrats had spoken with different voices on Iraq. Some Democrats — including Clinton, Edwards and 2004 presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts — had voted to support the Iraq war resolution in October 2002.

Many Democrats were careful in their criticism of Bush’s handling of Iraq so as not to appear to undermine U.S. troops or encourage the insurgency.

Democrats also were reluctant to criticize the president as the nation rallied behind him after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Caution to the wind

Such caution, however, is not a factor in the open season on Bush’s handling of the hurricane.

“It is different when you face a foreign enemy on the one hand versus a domestic failure on the other,” Democratic consultant Mark Mellman said.

“Democrats see a real problem with the way this administration has handled Katrina and see real needs that have to be addressed. Everybody is trying to do the best they can to help these victims,” Mellman said.

When it comes to Bush’s handling of the hurricane, the public largely is divided along political lines.

More than two-thirds of Republicans said Bush is doing a great or good job, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll out Wednesday. About two-thirds of Democrats say he is doing a bad or terrible job.

Republicans have accused Democrats of seeking political advantage in attacking the administration’s response.

‘Shameless’ finger-pointing

“While countless Americans are pulling together to lend a helping hand, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are pointing fingers in a shameless effort to tear us apart,” Republican party chief Ken Mehlman said Wednesday in a statement.

Bush’s spokesman, Scott McClellan, said the White House is “focused on bringing everybody together to help the people in the region. And the president continues to act to make sure that we’re addressing the ongoing problems,” he said.

McClellan took issue with what he called “personal attacks” by Democrats, particularly Reid’s implication that Bush’s Texas vacation may have hindered the federal response to Katrina.

Bush cut short his vacation by two days last week to return to Washington. He has presided over daily meetings, visited stricken Gulf Coast areas twice and was expected to return soon. He has sent Cabinet members to the region; Vice President Dick Cheney planned to be there on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the White House announced Bush is asking lawmakers to approve $51.8 billion more to cover the costs of federal recovery efforts. That is in addition to $10.5 billion already approved.

Poorly chosen words

Democrats suggest they have been given ammunition for their criticism by seemingly insensitive remarks of some Republicans.

These include House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., questioning whether rebuilding New Orleans was worth the cost; comments by Barbara Bush, the president’s mother, that “underprivileged” people would be better off in the Houston Astrodome; and a suggestion by Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., that people who do not heed future evacuation warnings may need to be penalized.

Santorum later said he would exempt people who lack cars or other resources.

[DangerPaul]

I hate Bush and his ways, however, politicians using the Hurricane as a way to badmouth him and make themselves look good is even lower than him.

[Captain Insano]

Oh wow looks the democrats using a catastrophe to fucking badmouth the republicans yet no solution to the problem at hand...

I hope all you liberals know that a great majority of people consider you guys just a bunch of whiners without any real direction or any sort of solutions to America's problems and therefore think you're all full of shiat.

[The Kizzy]

I hate Bush and his ways, however, politicians using the Hurricane as a way to badmouth him and make themselves look good is even lower than him.

amen

[Zanchief]

I hope all you liberals know that a great majority of people consider you guys just a bunch of whiners without any real direction or any sort of solutions to America's problems and therefore think you're all full of shiat.

A great majority of people are wrong.

[ClakarEQ]

It would be no different then a Dem in office. Reps would do the EXACT same thing. This is food for the political fodder. Mud slinging is the nature of the game.

I don't even know why folks would be supprised by any of this.

The couple things that frustrate me though are the issues that got tabled because of the hurricane.

Supreme court noms
Real estate Tax exemption (BTW this effects the richest of the rich and increases our deficet by huge amounts) I forget the formal name :\ so can't do proper research to prove how money hungry we are and how we'll shit on the poor so long as they only live here.

EDIT left a line in by mistake

[ClakarEQ]

Actually, Capt'n Insano, since your talking about nearly half the nation, you must also know that liberals don't think to well of warmongering, money hungry, self service conservatives either.

[Vincenti]

I hate Bush and his ways, however, politicians using the Hurricane as a way to badmouth him and make themselves look good is even lower than him.

Hear Hear!

[numatu]

“I would never have appointed such a person. I would imagine, I don’t think that anybody would. You would appoint somebody who has experience,” Clinton told CBS.

You mean like appointing someone experienced to handle national health care? Or run for the Senate?

[Vincenti]

touchee'

[Tuggan]

Ya know, the same conservatives that bad mouthed the democrats for being pussies and never saying shit are the same ones bad mouthing the democrats for taking advantage of a clear fuckup. Im sick of hearing 'its not time to point the fingers', thats a buncha crap. If they dont take the chance, the disphit american public will forget about it 2 weeks from now.

I for one am glad to see this. Yeah yeah, its tragic whats going on in the gulf coast right now. Politics are still politics, and im sure you dumbfuckers will gobble up whatever shit the republicans sling right back without a thought.

[Captain Insano]

Bush is a moron I'll agree but I still think after all that has happened he is a better choice than Kerry.

The people that scare me the most are the dems in office... You want to talk about ultra rich self serving assholes Kerry and his brethren take the cake... They are just smart enough to throw the "people" (ie: herd) a few bones here and there to keep them happy.

[Langston]

It's this kind of crap that disgusts me about the American political system... and you liberals who are supportive of this type of behavior are just as much to blame for this type of behaviour's propigation as are the politicians themselves.

[KILL]

oh boo hoo. dumb ol' liberals picking on poor little georgie.

[Langston]

oh boo hoo. dumb ol' liberals picking on poor little georgie.

No dipshit. I don't even like George Bush.

It's funny how you liberals can't seem to find it possible to be objective about the state of things.

I'm disgusted with BOTH sides. This is just as bad as the posturing that took place over the Schiavo incident. I am now, as I was at that time as well, just absolutely ill with what we accept from our "politicians".

[KILL]

[Goose_Man]

I think Bush got with Halliburton and they dreamed up an evil plan to create a hurricane making machine.

They did a few test runs at Florida to make sure it worked then they put that fucker on high and threw it at New Orleans to smite poor black people because they had a racist agenda. That’s what I think.

Watch out an uber 1337 earthquake making machine is next in line and liberal California snobs are next on the hit list….

[Minrott]

Real estate tax exemption? I think you mean Estate tax. Fed's don't have anything to do with property tax.

[Captain Insano]

I think Bush got with Halliburton and they dreamed up an evil plan to create a hurricane making machine.

!


The "Nigger Snocone 5000" was a huge hit in Lousiana.




Excuse me while I go to hell now...

[ClakarEQ]

Minrott, you're right I just couldn't find the link on NPR's site that had a good insight to it, and I believe it was estate tax (not real estate). My point still remains on this though, Bush took it off the table because he knew he'd get bent over and raped if he hadn't.

I also agree that the mudslinging is wrong and all levels of the government screwed up big time. But as I said, it wouldn't make a difference if a Dem was at the helm right now, the Reps would do the EXACT same thing.

Just this morning NPR had an article about the worst possible disasters to hit the US, terrorists, hurricanes, and earthquakes were the top 3. They, the government, then took it to the next level, terrorist - anyplace, hurricane - Louisiana, earthquake - Cali. Not one of the items exposed in the mock-up scenarios re: hurricanes was applied. So yeah, I think the mayor, governor, FEMA and BUSH should all be shot, they all screwed up BIG TIME.

[Goose_Man]

I’m pretty sure that the hurricane evacuation and catastrophe plans fall on the shoulders of the local and state gov. Blaming Bush for clusterfuck that is New Orleans is asinine.

If you want to crucify someone go after the liberal government that is the state of Louisiana.

[Zanchief]

Don't blame Bush, he was on vacation the entire time.

[Myg0t]

Most decisions that needed to be made for what happened had to pass through congress, not Bush... right?

[Tossica]

I’m pretty sure that the hurricane evacuation and catastrophe plans fall on the shoulders of the local and state gov. Blaming Bush for clusterfuck that is New Orleans is asinine.

If you want to crucify someone go after the liberal government that is the state of Louisiana.

Catastrophes on this level fall outside the abilities of local or even state governments.

[Lyion]

Most decisions that needed to be made for what happened had to pass through congress, not Bush... right?

Neither.

States are autonomous.. Not that the liberals know or care. They just scream Bush bad over and over regardless of facts.

The only thing W could've done is declared Louisiana in a state of insurrection, which it clearly wasn't.

The people without a clue will continue to post laughable bullshit and those without a 5th grade understanding of basic civics will continue to have tunnel vision.