Clinton & Kyl Call For Investigation

[Dr. Shane]

Need fed probe into crisis

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With many blaming the growing scope of Katrina's devastation on the Bush administration, Sen. Hillary Clinton called yesterday for a 9/11-style probe into how the federal government responded to the crisis.

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I agree that we need a Congressional investigation but let's not just limit it to how the federal government responded. Let's look at how the state and city responded and prepared.

Isn't it interesting that Hiliary Clinton (D-NY) only wants to look at where Republicans went wrong and doesn't want to look at where the Democrats went wrong? Hmmmmmmm, I smell a 2008 presidential campaign.

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Clinton has decided at least one thing without waiting for any commission reports. She said she plans to introduce legislation to split the Federal Emergency Management Agency out of the Department of Homeland Security and give it back a cabinet-level director like it had in her husband's administration.

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I have a better idea. Let's get rid of FEMA and contract out their job to the private sector. Maybe Wal-Mart would be interested.

[Neil D]

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Isn't it interesting that Hiliary Clinton (D-NY) only wants to look at where Republicans went wrong and doesn't want to look at where the Democrats went wrong? Hmmmmmmm, I smell a 2008 presidential campaign.

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Maybe because under her and her husband campaign, they did it right.

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I have a better idea. Let's get rid of FEMA and contract out their job to the private sector. Maybe Wal-Mart would be interested.

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What do you think we have now?????

It has only been when the National Guard, a goverment agency, came in that anything of substance has been done. They have the resources to make things happen. Fema can only request the Red Cross and the Salvation army VOLENTEERS come in...

Speaking of which...I remember Ed pointing out that it's the Govenor's fault for Red Cross and Salvation Army being turned back. Now it appears that the Red Cross origionally was turned back because of safety concerns, and now they are using language suggesting that they were 'turned back', when there were other factors in making that decisions.

Fox touts misleading Red Cross account

[Dr. Shane]

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Now it appears that the Red Cross origionally was turned back because of safety concerns

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This isn't true. The Red Cross was turned back after the hurricane and before the levees broke. There was not a safety concern until the levees broke. Red Cross officials, however, didn't want this story to get out as they have to work with government officials and do not want to cast any of them in a bad light. Of course now, that cat is out of the bag and they have to deal with it.

[Neil D]

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Last week, the Red Cross, which by law works under FEMA during national states of emergency, agreed that officials on the ground in New Orleans were taking the correct course of action in requesting or demanding that relief workers not enter the city before and after the storm. In a September 2 interview, Evans explained to CNN host Larry King that the Red Cross was not in New Orleans because "it was not safe to be in the city, and it's not been safe to go back into the city ... We were asked -- directed -- by the National Guard and the city and the state emergency management not to go into New Orleans because it was not safe."

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[:"blue"]

KING: We're back.

Joining us now in Washington is Marty Evans, the President and CEO of the American Red Cross. She traveled with the president today. The Red Cross is not in New Orleans, why?

[:"red"] MARTY EVANS, RED CROSS PRESIDENT AND CEO[/]: Well, Larry, when the storm came our goal was prior to landfall to support the evacuation. It was unsafe to be in the city. We were asked by the city not to be there and the Superdome was made a shelter of last resorts and, quite frankly in retrospect, it was a good idea because otherwise those people would have had no shelter at all.

We have our shelters north of the city. We're prepared as soon as they can be evacuated, we're prepared to receive them in Texas, in other states, but it was not safe to be in the city and it's not been safe to go back into the city. They were also concerned that if we located, relocated back into the city people wouldn't leave and they've got to leave.

KING: Marty, everyone looks at themselves when they're working in some kind of tragedy. Is the Red Cross examining itself saying could we have done more?

EVANS: Larry, we're always looking at that and, you know, in this particular case it's the largest disaster we have ever done in the history, 125 years of the Red Cross and we are determined to do more and more and, in fact, we are.

We're sheltering just under 100,000 people right now. We're gearing up to shelter even more people. We have people sheltered in nine different states, 275 locations, so we will continuously look at what we're doing, see if we can improve it.

And, the other thing I would say is that we're breaking new ground. We're setting up new systems and processes that get rid of the bureaucracy and make it easier for people.

KING: Reverend Jesse Jackson last night was in New Orleans. Tonight he is in Baton Rouge. When you were critical last night, Jesse, some in the administration followed by saying this is not a time for criticism. That may be later but not now. How do you respond?

REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW-PUSH COALITION: Well, that's ridiculous. I mean the Red Cross' absence in New Orleans, the high point of the crisis is a disaster. It is a sin. We had no real plan for rescue and relief and relocation.

Last night we went into New Orleans to get -- with ten busses to take out 450 students from Xavier who had been on the bridge for three days and the painful part was we had to leave people who -- the human chain around the busses because they had been there four days and no plan to rescue them.

And then today we went back into New Orleans again on I-10 the causeway and there were like 6,000 people with seven busses. No bus had been there today and wonder why because across the street were 150 empty busses that had no place to take them, so no plan for rescue or for relocation. More people may die from lack of rescue and lack of food and water than from the flood itself. The people have not been very well served.

KING: Marty, how would you respond?

EVANS:[:"red"] Well, Larry, we were asked, directed by the National Guard and the city and the state emergency management not to go into New Orleans because it was not safe. [/] We are not a search and rescue organization. We provide shelter and basic support and so we were depending, we are depending on the state and the agencies to get people to our shelters in safe places. [/]

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[Dr. Shane]

A Red Cross conspiracy to make the Bush Administration look good? That seems a little far fetched. Since there are people out there that actually believe this stuff, I guess we really need that congressional investigation.

[Neil D]

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A Red Cross conspiracy to make the Bush Administration look good? That seems a little far fetched.

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Are you getting dizzy yet, Shane? If so, stop spinning!

Red Cross has to work with FEMA, which we all know is under the Bush administration's control. If Bush looks bad, then the Red Cross looks bad. But if the Bush administration has an excuse, so does the Red Cross. That is, if the Red Cross wants to continue to work under FEMA.

And since in an Emergency, FEMA takes charge of the disaster program, according to it's own rules, then the fiasco in NOLA is the Bush Administration's fault. And the buck has to stop somewhere.... So come on, Shane...Dont when it is in plain sight.

Ok, that last remark was a bit over the top...And for that, I appologize, but please at least meet me in saying that there were failures at all levels of goverment. Yeah, even that democratic mayor made a major boo-boo in not implimenting the towns disastor program.

[Dr. Shane]

Even President Bush says there were failures in the federal government. But a Red Cross/FEMA conspiracy... <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Hmmmmmmmmmmm

[Neil D]

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But a Red Cross/FEMA conspiracy... Hmmmmmmmmmmm

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Conspiracy? No....Arm twisting? Yes....Red Cross works with FEMA. If FEMA says to the RC that it plays second or 3rd string, what's RC gonna do??? So, yea, Red Cross is gonna go with however FEMA leads.

[Dr. Shane]

So if the Red Cross is in the business of making the US federal government look good, what went wrong in Iraq? Why has the Red Cross reported prisoner abuse? Don't they know the US could cut off their access to those prisoners?

[Neil D]

[:"blue"] You all know that Brown is a paid consultant in this investigation, dontcha? Talk about the fox guarding the hen house!.,, This is a travesty, and lacks honesty...It is a shame.... [/]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FEMA director Michael Brown aggressively defended his role in responding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday and put much of the blame for coordination failures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.

'I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it,' Brown told a congressional panel.

Win McNamee, Getty Images

"My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," Brown told a special congressional panel set up by House Republican leaders to investigate the catastrophe.

The storm slammed into the Gulf Coast on Monday, Aug. 29.

Brown's defense drew a scathing response from Rep. William Jefferson, D-La.

"I find it absolutely stunning that this hearing would start out with you, Mr. Brown, laying the blame for FEMA's failings at the feet of the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans."

Brown, who for many became a symbol of government failures in the natural disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, rejected accusations that he was too inexperienced for the job.

"I've overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it," Brown said.

Brown resigned as the head of FEMA earlier this month after being removed by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff from responsibility in the stricken areas.

Brown, who joined FEMA in 2001 and ran it for more than two years, was previously an attorney who held several local government and private posts, including leading the International Arabian Horse Association.

Brown in his opening statement said he had made several "specific mistakes" in dealing with the storm, and listed two.

One, he said, was not having more media briefings.

As to the other, he said: "I very strongly personally regret that I was unable to persuade Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin to sit down, get over their differences, and work together. I just couldn't pull that off."

Both Blanco and Nagin are Democrats.

"The people of FEMA are being tired of being beat up, and they don't deserve it," Brown said.

The hearing was largely boycotted by Democrats, who want an independent investigation conducted into government failures, not one run by congressional Republicans.

But Jefferson — who is not a committee member — accepted the panel's invitation to grill Brown.

Referring to Brown's description of his "mistakes," Jefferson said: "I think that's a very weak explanation of what happened, and very incomplete explanation of what happened. I don't think that's going to cut it, really."

Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., cautioned against too narrowly assigning blame.

"At the end of the day, I suspect that we'll find that government at all levels failed the people of Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and the Gulf Coast," said Davis.

Davis pushed Brown on what he and the agency he led should have done to evacuate New Orleans, restore order in the city and improve communication among law enforcement agencies.

In part of his testimony, Brown pumped his hand up and down for emphasis.

Brown said: "Those are not FEMA roles. FEMA doesn't evacuate communities. FEMA does not do law enforcement. FEMA does not do communications.

[Dr. Shane]

It is a conspiracy!!!

[Bravus]

No conspiracy required, just breath-taking arrogance on the part of the administration. They have literally hired Brown back, no doubt at a high salary, as a consultant who is part of the investigation of the FEMA handling of the disaster! That's just astonishing to me.

[Dr. Shane]

What astonishes me is the vast contrast between how Texas handled Rita and how Louisana handled Katrina.

[Bravus]

Well, yeah, and we always knew it would. It's a dramatically richer province due to its oil. It's like comparing the disaster response cabailities of Alberta and Nova Scotia.

But (a) one of the measures of the federal response is how it copes in non-ideal conditions, such as those in Louisiana and ( the federal as well as state and local leaders had all had a *massive* wake-up call about preparedness only 3 weeks earlier - what would have been astonishing is if they *weren't* well prepared.

[Neil D]

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Bravus said:

No conspiracy required, just breath-taking arrogance on the part of the administration. They have literally hired Brown back, no doubt at a high salary, as a consultant who is part of the investigation of the FEMA handling of the disaster! That's just astonishing to me.

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I have learned from last nights news that he is only going to be a "consultant" untill his contract runs out, which rumor says is only 2 weeks...

But last night, on OPB's nightly news cast, I saw where most of the Democrates boycotted the investigation over the Katrina Hurricane...I saw one of the republicans say they were glad that Brown had been relieved of his duties because of the "deer in the headlights" look that this republican saw. Sounds like a nice honest guy.

And the lone democrate from LA laid into Brown...Brown was given resonable time to respond, but his answers were very distorted from reality...It's a good thing that he was removed...If this is the type of person that Bush is hiring on to the US Administration, then it is no wonder that we are in the predictament we are in....Let's get some real experts in the appropriate departments and let's listen to what they have to say in order to truely run a good department. That's my opinion...

[Bravus]

Must be nice - you resign because you screwed up badly but get to work out your contract and get paid anyway...

[Neil D]

Oh, I am sure it is severance pay...

[Bravus]

I suspect that what happened was they cooked up this deal with him so that, given that he had to resign anyway, they'd pay him out if he'd take the heat himself and blame the LA and local governments. Notice that between 'Brownie' and the Republican inquiry there's been no mention going upstream from him...

[lazarus]

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Shane said:

What astonishes me is the vast contrast between how Texas handled Rita and how Louisana handled Katrina.

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I was waiting for that shane!

I must say you don't deviate from the party line. I admire your zeal.

[Neil D]

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I was waiting for that shane!

I must say you don't deviate from the party line. I admire your zeal.

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Oh, Shane is a true conservative republican, although he will tell you that he is a moderate and that he reflects moderate values. And those of us who opppose him are left wingers [!]...Oh, sorry to be speaking for you, Shane...Anything I said something that you did not say before????

One thing I have never truely understood, what his stance on what a sectarian 'right wing republican" is?

[Dr. Shane]

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Well, yeah, and we always knew it would. It's a dramatically richer province due to its oil.

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That has nothing to do with it. New Orleans is the port to all of mid-America. It is swimming in wealth but, unfortunately, also in corruption.