- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
New Orleans
- Thread starter Pearson
- Start date
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
This one broke my heart:
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
This is from the New York Times:
September 5, 2005
White House Enacts a Plan to Ease Political Damage
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and ANNE E. KORNBLUT
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 - Under the command of President Bush's two senior political advisers, the White House rolled out a plan this weekend to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina.
It orchestrated visits by cabinet members to the region, leading up to an extraordinary return visit by Mr. Bush planned for Monday, directed administration officials not to respond to attacks from Democrats on the relief efforts, and sought to move the blame for the slow response to Louisiana state officials, according to Republicans familiar with the White House plan.
The effort is being directed by Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, Karl Rove, and his communications director, Dan Bartlett. It began late last week after Congressional Republicans called White House officials to register alarm about what they saw as a feeble response by Mr. Bush to the hurricane, according to Republican Congressional aides.
As a result, Americans watching television coverage of the disaster this weekend began to see, amid the destruction and suffering, some of the most prominent members of the administration - Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Donald H. Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense; and Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state - touring storm-damaged communities.
Mr. Bush is to return to Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday; his first visit, on Friday, left some Republicans cringing, in part because the president had little contact with residents left homeless.
Republicans said the administration's effort to stanch the damage had been helped by the fact that convoys of troops and supplies had begun to arrive by the time the administration officials turned up. All of those developments were covered closely on television.
In many ways, the unfolding public relations campaign reflects the style Mr. Rove has brought to the political campaigns he has run for Mr. Bush. For example, administration officials who went on television on Sunday were instructed to avoid getting drawn into exchanges about the problems of the past week, and to turn the discussion to what the government is doing now.
"We will have time to go back and do an after-action report, but the time right now is to look at what the enormous tasks ahead are," Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Homeland Security, said on "Meet the Press" on NBC.
One Republican with knowledge of the effort said that Mr. Rove had told administration officials not to respond to Democratic attacks on Mr. Bush's handling of the hurricane in the belief that the president was in a weak moment and that the administration should not appear to be seen now as being blatantly political. As with others in the party, this Republican would discuss the deliberations only on condition of anonymity because of keen White House sensitivity about how the administration and its strategy would be perceived.
In a reflection of what has long been a hallmark of Mr. Rove's tough political style, the administration is also working to shift the blame away from the White House and toward officials of New Orleans and Louisiana who, as it happens, are Democrats.
"The way that emergency operations act under the law is the responsibility and the power, the authority, to order an evacuation rests with state and local officials," Mr. Chertoff said in his television interview. "The federal government comes in and supports those officials."
That line of argument was echoed throughout the day, in harsher language, by Republicans reflecting the White House line.
In interviews, these Republicans said that the normally nimble White House political operation had fallen short in part because the president and his aides were scattered outside Washington on vacation, leaving no one obviously in charge at a time of great disruption. Mr. Rove and Mr. Bush were in Texas, while Vice President Dick Cheney was at his Wyoming ranch.
Mr. Bush's communications director, Nicolle Devenish, was married this weekend in Greece, and a number of Mr. Bush's political advisers - including Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman - attended the wedding.
Ms. Rice did not return to Washington until Thursday, after she was spotted at a Broadway show and shopping for shoes, an image that Republicans said buttressed the notion of a White House unconcerned with tragedy.
These officials said that Mr. Bush and his political aides rapidly changed course in what they acknowledged was a belated realization of the situation's political ramifications. As is common when this White House confronts a serious problem, management was quickly taken over by Mr. Rove and a group of associates including Mr. Bartlett. Neither man responded to requests for comment.
White House advisers said that Mr. Bush expressed alarm after his return to Washington from the Gulf Coast.
One senior White House official said that Mr. Bush appeared at a senior staff meeting in the Situation Room on Friday and called the results on the ground "unacceptable." At the encouragement of Mr. Bartlett, officials said, he repeated the comment later in the Rose Garden, the start of this campaign.
Article Here
September 5, 2005
White House Enacts a Plan to Ease Political Damage
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and ANNE E. KORNBLUT
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 - Under the command of President Bush's two senior political advisers, the White House rolled out a plan this weekend to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina.
It orchestrated visits by cabinet members to the region, leading up to an extraordinary return visit by Mr. Bush planned for Monday, directed administration officials not to respond to attacks from Democrats on the relief efforts, and sought to move the blame for the slow response to Louisiana state officials, according to Republicans familiar with the White House plan.
The effort is being directed by Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, Karl Rove, and his communications director, Dan Bartlett. It began late last week after Congressional Republicans called White House officials to register alarm about what they saw as a feeble response by Mr. Bush to the hurricane, according to Republican Congressional aides.
As a result, Americans watching television coverage of the disaster this weekend began to see, amid the destruction and suffering, some of the most prominent members of the administration - Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Donald H. Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense; and Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state - touring storm-damaged communities.
Mr. Bush is to return to Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday; his first visit, on Friday, left some Republicans cringing, in part because the president had little contact with residents left homeless.
Republicans said the administration's effort to stanch the damage had been helped by the fact that convoys of troops and supplies had begun to arrive by the time the administration officials turned up. All of those developments were covered closely on television.
In many ways, the unfolding public relations campaign reflects the style Mr. Rove has brought to the political campaigns he has run for Mr. Bush. For example, administration officials who went on television on Sunday were instructed to avoid getting drawn into exchanges about the problems of the past week, and to turn the discussion to what the government is doing now.
"We will have time to go back and do an after-action report, but the time right now is to look at what the enormous tasks ahead are," Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Homeland Security, said on "Meet the Press" on NBC.
One Republican with knowledge of the effort said that Mr. Rove had told administration officials not to respond to Democratic attacks on Mr. Bush's handling of the hurricane in the belief that the president was in a weak moment and that the administration should not appear to be seen now as being blatantly political. As with others in the party, this Republican would discuss the deliberations only on condition of anonymity because of keen White House sensitivity about how the administration and its strategy would be perceived.
In a reflection of what has long been a hallmark of Mr. Rove's tough political style, the administration is also working to shift the blame away from the White House and toward officials of New Orleans and Louisiana who, as it happens, are Democrats.
"The way that emergency operations act under the law is the responsibility and the power, the authority, to order an evacuation rests with state and local officials," Mr. Chertoff said in his television interview. "The federal government comes in and supports those officials."
That line of argument was echoed throughout the day, in harsher language, by Republicans reflecting the White House line.
In interviews, these Republicans said that the normally nimble White House political operation had fallen short in part because the president and his aides were scattered outside Washington on vacation, leaving no one obviously in charge at a time of great disruption. Mr. Rove and Mr. Bush were in Texas, while Vice President Dick Cheney was at his Wyoming ranch.
Mr. Bush's communications director, Nicolle Devenish, was married this weekend in Greece, and a number of Mr. Bush's political advisers - including Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman - attended the wedding.
Ms. Rice did not return to Washington until Thursday, after she was spotted at a Broadway show and shopping for shoes, an image that Republicans said buttressed the notion of a White House unconcerned with tragedy.
These officials said that Mr. Bush and his political aides rapidly changed course in what they acknowledged was a belated realization of the situation's political ramifications. As is common when this White House confronts a serious problem, management was quickly taken over by Mr. Rove and a group of associates including Mr. Bartlett. Neither man responded to requests for comment.
White House advisers said that Mr. Bush expressed alarm after his return to Washington from the Gulf Coast.
One senior White House official said that Mr. Bush appeared at a senior staff meeting in the Situation Room on Friday and called the results on the ground "unacceptable." At the encouragement of Mr. Bartlett, officials said, he repeated the comment later in the Rose Garden, the start of this campaign.
Article Here
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
News Update!
FEMA Charters Three Luxury Cruise Ships To House Katrina Victims
By Staff
Sep 5, 2005, 11:51
Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) have announced that three of their luxury liners have been chartered by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to provide temporary housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
A short news release is posted on CCL's websites announcing that the three ships, Sensation, Ecstacy and Holiday have been chartered by FEMA and all bookings and sailings are cancelled until at least March 4, 2006.
Two ships, the Sensation and Ecstasy will be docked in Galveston Texas while the third ship, the Holiday will be based in Mobile, Alabama. The three ships combined will offer capacity for 5,556 people.
CCL stated that those who had bookings with the cruise line would be given the option of either a full refund or a booking on another ship.
edited to add a LINK
FEMA Charters Three Luxury Cruise Ships To House Katrina Victims
By Staff
Sep 5, 2005, 11:51
Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) have announced that three of their luxury liners have been chartered by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to provide temporary housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
A short news release is posted on CCL's websites announcing that the three ships, Sensation, Ecstacy and Holiday have been chartered by FEMA and all bookings and sailings are cancelled until at least March 4, 2006.
Two ships, the Sensation and Ecstasy will be docked in Galveston Texas while the third ship, the Holiday will be based in Mobile, Alabama. The three ships combined will offer capacity for 5,556 people.
CCL stated that those who had bookings with the cruise line would be given the option of either a full refund or a booking on another ship.
edited to add a LINK
I Love this Guy ;D
I love it that the Gen walks out of the PC, and the two civies take off in mid sentence.
Lt Gen Honore "Thats B.S."
I love it that the Gen walks out of the PC, and the two civies take off in mid sentence.
Lt Gen Honore "Thats B.S."
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
Canadian Businessman Stronach To Build Mobile Home Village For Katrina Survivors
By Staff
Sep 10, 2005, 16:34
Canadian businessman and multi-millionaire Frank Stronach has pledged to build a new housing development comprised initially of mobile homes in Louisiana for hundreds of newly homeless victims of Hurricane Katrina.
As the flood waters rose in parts of New Orleans following several levee breeches, Stronach managed to rescue at least 260 evacuees and fly them to his horse-training centre in West Boynton, Florida where they will be housed until permanent arrangements are made.
The evacuees were pleasantly surprised to find fresh linens on their beds, hot showers, air conditioning, TVs and hot buffet-style meals. Each evacuee was supplied with a room key and phone cards along with personal necessities. They were then sent shopping for free at a lounge turned into a thrift shop on the equestrian campus.
Stronach who is the chairman of Magna Entertainment and owns the race horse training facility, arranged for scores of volunteers along with the United Way and Red Cross officials to convert over 200 dormitory rooms into temporary housing for the evacuees. All was ready within 48 hours and at a cost of $4 million paid for by Stronach. Stronach hopes to have the mobile home park ready for his guests within two months.
The generous Canadian flew to Louisiana on Friday to finalize the acquisition of 1,000 acres of land in that State for the park. Stronach plans to eventually replace the mobile homes with permanent housing, a school and a city hall.
Stronach said in an interview, "The most important thing is to give these people hope, because without hope you can't exist."
By Staff
Sep 10, 2005, 16:34
Canadian businessman and multi-millionaire Frank Stronach has pledged to build a new housing development comprised initially of mobile homes in Louisiana for hundreds of newly homeless victims of Hurricane Katrina.
As the flood waters rose in parts of New Orleans following several levee breeches, Stronach managed to rescue at least 260 evacuees and fly them to his horse-training centre in West Boynton, Florida where they will be housed until permanent arrangements are made.
The evacuees were pleasantly surprised to find fresh linens on their beds, hot showers, air conditioning, TVs and hot buffet-style meals. Each evacuee was supplied with a room key and phone cards along with personal necessities. They were then sent shopping for free at a lounge turned into a thrift shop on the equestrian campus.
Stronach who is the chairman of Magna Entertainment and owns the race horse training facility, arranged for scores of volunteers along with the United Way and Red Cross officials to convert over 200 dormitory rooms into temporary housing for the evacuees. All was ready within 48 hours and at a cost of $4 million paid for by Stronach. Stronach hopes to have the mobile home park ready for his guests within two months.
The generous Canadian flew to Louisiana on Friday to finalize the acquisition of 1,000 acres of land in that State for the park. Stronach plans to eventually replace the mobile homes with permanent housing, a school and a city hall.
Stronach said in an interview, "The most important thing is to give these people hope, because without hope you can't exist."
