President Bush has shown that he can be empathetic, sensitive and decisive. But those qualities eluded him for days after Hurricane Katrina . . . He didn't cancel his vacation until two days after Katrina struck and didn't visit the region until four days after the storm. -- "A compassionate Bush was absent right after Katrina", USA Today, 9-9-05
USA Today's broadside is typical of the MSM criticism leveled at Pres. Bush for his failure to visit New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. So, now that President Bush has announced that he will be visiting California on Thursday while the wildfire flames are still burning, naturally the MSM and Dems will put politics aside and laud his decision, right?
I did say "the MSM and Dems."
View video here.
In one of the more ungracious interviews by an elected official I have ever witnessed, John Garamendi, the Dem Lt. Gov. of California, with some "helpful" prodding from Chris Matthews, could not have spoken more sourly about the president's impending visit. Garamendi was a guest on this afternoon's "Hardball."
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Is the federal government doing what it has to do here?
JOHN GARAMENDI: Well, they're doing a lot and we appreciate what they have done thus far. Resources are coming in. The U.S. Forest Service, 70 units from Arizona and Nevada and all that's good. I got some doubt about the value of President Bush coming out here . . .
MATTHEWS: Do you think it's public relations rather than action?
GARAMENDI: Of course it's public relations. The action's taking place by the hard-working firefighters, the men and women and the police that are out there on the line and the community that's pulling together to support each other, that's where the action is taking place. I know -- okay, President Bush comes out, we'll be polite. But frankly, that's not the solution. How about sending our National Guard back from Iraq? So that we have those people available here to help us?
Bonus points to Garamendi for working Iraq in there!
And a bit later, the ungrateful pièce de résistance.
MATTHEWS: Do you think the president's arrival will distract from the efforts to fight the fire?GARAMENDI: Absolutely. No doubt about it. The president goes some place, you've got a huge entourage, you've got Secret Service all over the place. And all the chaos that comes with whatever the president arrives -- wherever the president happens to arrive. But, listen, what we really need are those firefighters, we need the equipment. We need frankly -- we need our troops back from Iraq. We'll get on here, whether he comes or not that's not really the issue. I just hope that if he does come, he brings more than he brought to New Orleans.
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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Matthews
October 23, 2007 - 19:06 ET by allanfDoes NBC still classify Mathews as a "reporter" or do they admit he is a "commentator"?
The Democrats have a strong team in Mathews, Tim Russert, Keith Olbermann.
allanf, Mathews is a D
October 23, 2007 - 20:01 ET by AntiMediaallanf,
Mathews is a D list reporter or commentator at best.
So Help Me Here
October 23, 2007 - 19:08 ET by BourbeauWhich one of those 'problems' with the Presidents visit didn't exist with Katrina? As much as I hate to admit it, Matthew's prodding aside, Garamendi is absolutely correct. No one should expect a President to be "on site" while the locale is in the midst of dealing with the crisis. The sad point during Katrina was that the White House was the principal enabler by not being front and center (figuratively speaking) while the catastrophe developed, though being hundreds of miles away. The President's visit on Thursday is the resulting over reaction to the criticism he took for Katrina.
Maybe they shouldn't expect
October 23, 2007 - 19:39 ET by zfMaybe they shouldn't expect it, but the leader of the country wants to come to the area to provide support and inspiration, no-one should be complaining about it, especially this vehomently.
And I'm not sure how the White House could be front and center in the middle of a hurricane, which are not as slow as fires, and what good that would have done to have been so during the actual storm.
The biggest enablers were the state and citys inept leaders and their action before, during and after the crisis, not the lack of a pointless Presidental address in the middle of destructive winds.
Garamendi is wrong and ungracious.
Bourbeau, just how was W
October 23, 2007 - 19:59 ET by MikeBBourbeau, just how was W and the Whitehouse supposed to be front and center? By having the National Guard ready to go immediately after the hurricane passed? Nope. That's the governor's job, and Blanco failed to do her duty. By having the Army standing by to go in immediately after the hurricane passed to prevent looting and so forth? Nope. Look up the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. The President is not legally able to send in the Army. Posse Comitatus is also the reason Bush couldn't send the Army or Marines in to evacuate all the people. I think he could do that at the invitation of the governor, but Blanco would rather sit on her a** and then blame Bush for not bailing her out. Why couldn't Mayor Chocolate City provide the school buses to evacuate his citizens? They were there to be used, but instead he left them in the bus center to be flooded and rendered useless. Blanco and Nagin should have been the local radio and tv stations well ahead of time urging citizens to evacuate and providing the means to evacuate those without transport. It isn't and wasn't the Feds' responsibility.
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan
But, listen, what we
October 23, 2007 - 19:12 ET by MidAmericaBut, listen, what we really need are those firefighters, we need the equipment. We need frankly -- we need our troops back from Iraq.
What they really need is to stop listening to all their crackpot 'environmentalists' who block efforts at brush and dead tree removal. These fires are the result of Californians refusing to face reality.
huh?
October 23, 2007 - 19:47 ET by lbcdawnAhhhnold & Chertoff
October 23, 2007 - 20:00 ET by botgwere here earlier today. I guess though that if W doesn't show up for this he is heartless if he does he's a distraction. The current total for San Diego is 340,000 homes were under mandatory evacuation (3/4 of a million people) Good news the wind is down and the humidity is up
"The more I study science, the more I believe in God." Einstein
Garamendi's an idiot
October 23, 2007 - 20:02 ET by geminicontenderHow can one not think that. Southern California is a desert for the most part. New Orleans is below sea level. Eco freaks won't let you cut anything down....have to preserve everything. Yea, everything but humanity.
Garamendi
October 23, 2007 - 20:07 ET by Jerry MackGaramendi and Senator Boxer said the same thing. To them politics is life! They have no shame! It is sickening to turn a disaster into a political moment in an attempt to score political points. Neither does Chris M. That is why Garamendi chose his program.
I live in California and all the local tv stations are continuosly covering it. It is a disaster. What the hell are Garamendi and Boxer doing to help?