Jack Cafferty Is Pissed
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Breaking News, Hurricane Katrina, Media, Smart Things Said By Smart PeopleHe’s an anchor on CNN, and he says that this relief effort is the most badly bungled job that he’s seen in his lifetime. As I read more and more and watch thousands stranded without food or water, I’m beginning to agree with him.
He also reads a recent editorial, on air, from the conservative Manchester Union Leader:
AS THE EXTENT of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation became clearer on Tuesday � millions without power, tens of thousands homeless, a death toll unknowable because rescue crews can’t reach some regions � President Bush carried on with his plans to speak in San Diego, as if nothing important had happened the day before.Katrina already is measured as one of the worst storms in American history. And yet, President Bush decided that his plans to commemorate the 60th anniversary of VJ Day with a speech were more pressing than responding to the carnage.
A better leader would have flown straight to the disaster zone and announced the immediate mobilization of every available resource to rescue the stranded, find and bury the dead, and keep the survivors fed, clothed, sheltered and free of disease.
The cool, confident, intuitive leadership Bush exhibited in his first term, particularly in the months immediately following Sept. 11, 2001, has vanished. In its place is a diffident detachment unsuitable for the leader of a nation facing war, natural disaster and economic uncertainty.
Wherever the old George W. Bush went, we sure wish we had him back.
Watch Jack Cafferty and tell me what you think.
This entry was posted on Friday, September 2nd, 2005 and is filed under Breaking News, Hurricane Katrina, Media, Smart Things Said By Smart People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 2nd, 2005 at 10:30 am
I’m not writing from a partisan perspective. But it looks as if President Bush got undue credit for 9/11 leadership. By the time he arrived in NYC, Mayor Giuliani and Gov. Pataki had already done the difficult work of establishing command & control centers. Giuliani didn’t have to wait for federal assistance- he already had an army of NYC police and fire authorities at his disposal. The President road on their coattails. His anemic response in NO evidences this. I wish I was wrong.
September 2nd, 2005 at 10:46 am
I think Bush is just plain bad in an emergency. He was AWOL for a day or two right after 9/11, decided it was better to read “My Pet Goat” for another 15 minutes after learning that people were dying in DC and NYC. That is strike one. Now the day after the worst hurricane disaster in memory, Bush decided it was better to give a speech in San Diego to commemorate a 60-year old war victory. What kind of leadership have we elected? Insensitive or just plain incompetent? I think Jack Cafferty and Seymour Hersh (who Justin lambasted recently for criticizing) have a damn good point. Where is Bush in all this? His leadership is seriously lacking. Also, the current director of FEMA is now blaming the people who would not, or could not evacuate for not heeding the warnings. Why didn’t FEMA anticipate that people too poor or old, feeble to leave would need assistance?
September 2nd, 2005 at 10:50 am
Correction, Justin lambasted Sydney Blumenthal for blaming Bush not Seymour Hersh. Probably more partisan than Hersh but still Sydney has a very good point…
September 2nd, 2005 at 11:02 am
I read your response to my comment in the Blumenthal post. Thanks. However, the real problem is that the same mistake has been repeated by someone (just the president of the United States) who should know better.
September 2nd, 2005 at 11:51 am
Jim Jones stop before you drink more of the Kool-aid. Where is the evacuation plan for your town? Who is responsible for it? That is the responsibility of the State and Local Government. What did you want the president to do? Send in the troops to forcibly evacuate every individual, you would scream “violation of civil liberties”. The governor of Louisiana said today that they had sent busses into the poor areas begging people to evacuate.
As for the “My Pet Goat” meme, I am not even going there with you.
September 2nd, 2005 at 12:18 pm
Rebecca,
Send in the troops to forcibly evacuate every individual, you would scream “violation of civil liberties�.
When will people stop putting words in other people’s mouths? I never said that, never would say that.
The problem is not really with the initial evacuations although there is a lot of blame there as well. The problem is with recovery afterward and a president who decided that it was more of a priority to give a speech in San Diego than turn up and be a leader. I realize that his presence would be more of an emotional lift than an actual one, but it would have helped.
As for the “My Pet Goat� meme, I am not even going there with you.
I can understand you not wanting to go there since that behavior was indefensible even though Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan tried, feebly to defend it. Discretion is the better part of valor I suppose.
September 2nd, 2005 at 2:55 pm
Jim,
Actually I believe Rebecca’s point in not going there with you is that you are locked into your ‘beliefs’ and nothing she says will matter to you – everything to do with BUSH is evil…
*sigh*
September 2nd, 2005 at 4:23 pm
Deb,
Oh I never said Bush is evil. (another example of putting words in people’s mouths)
For those who can’t read between the lines, I think Bush is an incompetent bungler in his policy decisions and his leadership style. I am not sure that is any better than evil though.
A case in point is the current lack of preparedness a full year after FEMA conducted the Hurricane Pam exercise. Why didn’t the Bush appointed Michael Brown act on some of the recommendations that were made after this exercise was concluded? What is the excuse? It’s not as if a hurricane hitting the Gulf states was an unheard of scenario. It was in fact, one of the top three most likely threats that FEMA considered possible.
September 3rd, 2005 at 1:54 am
The physical location of George Bush on the face of the earth is a somewhat less urgent matter than the fact that food convoys are crawling through a mangled and flooded road net, and rescuers are running a gauntlet of sniper fire.
October 30th, 2007 at 3:49 am
Weight Loss Guide…
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…