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Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Mon Sep 19, 2005 at 08:39:24 PM EST
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The LA Times reports:

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) conceded that he could not overcome Democratic opposition to a joint investigation.

Markos at Daily Kos says credit where credit is due:

As of now, both Reid and Pelosi have refused to partake in investigations in their chambers, rightly arguing that the probe needs to be independent and armed with subpoena powers.

Why are Republicans so afraid of an independent commission? Their president is already screwed. It's not as if the commission would find anything to make things even worse for their failed president.

At this point, let's just find out what went wrong, free from political pressures, so we can make sure something like this never happens again.

Billmon has more.

< Lynndie England Heads for Trial in Abu Ghraib Case | Gonzales' Strange Priorities >

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    Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe | 20 comments (20 topical)
    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:04 PM EST
    Bush announced support for the faux bipartisan inquiry during his Katrina Cop Out speech last week. With that out the window, look for a 9/11-style flop-flop by Bush on an independent commission.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#2)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:05 PM EST
    Heres the TPM timeline for September 7.
    Senator Frist and Speaker Hastert announce their intention to conduct a bipartisan investigation at an event to which no Democrats were invited.
    The Republicans use an event to announce a "bipartisan" investgation but don't invite any Democrats. Sounds like business as usual.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:05 PM EST
    Oh, why not. After all, wouldn't you trust your child to decide what grades they should be given on their own report card?

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:06 PM EST
    et al.... Bush did not call for the new taxes to fund his Katrina recovery program. LOL..why is it the first thing the dems think of is raising taxes? Don't we all pay enough taxes? Perhaps most glaring in the Bush address, though, was the President’s refusal to take accountability for the calamitous response of his government to Katrina... Ha....Please read the memo below from a friend of mine -------------------------------- My son's father in law sent this and I thought maybe you might want to read it....... so here it is. The other side of the story of the disaster response for New Orleans... I have been able to confirm a lot of this as it was on the news here in Jackson - so I think that most if not all of it is true. For instance I heard before it all happened that Blanco had refused federal help because SHE WANTED TO BE IN CONTROL. And, yes, the President did declare BOTH MS AND LA disaster areas even before the storm hit - TWO DAYS BEFORE IT MADE LANDFALL. And now the liberal democrats are pointing fingers - hello Blanco and hello Nagin!!!!!!!! Subject: The battle over New Orleans On Friday night before the storm hit Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center took the unprecedented action of calling Nagin and Blanco personally to plead with them to begin MANDATORY evacuation of NO and they said they'd take it under consideration. This was after the NOAA buoy 240 miles south had recorded 68' waves before it was destroyed. President Bush spent Friday afternoon and evening in meetings with his advisors and administrators drafting all of the paperwork required for a state to request federal assistance (and not be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act or having to enact the Insurgency Act). Just before midnight Friday evening the President called Governor Blanco and pleaded with her to sign the request papers so the federal government and the military could legally begin mobilization and call up. He was told that they didn't think it necessary for the federal government to be involved yet. After the President's final call to the governor she held meetings with her staff to discuss the political ramifications of bringing federal forces. It was decided that if they allowed federal assistance it would make it look as if they had failed so it was agreed upon that the feds would not be invited in. Saturday before the storm hit the President again called Blanco and Nagin requesting they please sign the papers requesting federal assistance, that they declare the state an emergency area, and begin mandatory evacuation. After a personal plea from the President Nagin agreed to order an evacuation, but it would not be a full mandatory evacuation, and the governor still refused to sign the papers requesting and authorizing federal action. In frustration the President declared the area a national disaster area before the state of Louisiana did so he could legally begin some advanced preparations. Throw in that over half the federal aid of the past decade to NO for levee construction, maintenance, and repair was diverted to fund a marina and support the gambling ships. Toss in the investigation that will look into why the emergency preparedness plan submitted to the federal government for funding and published on the city's website was never implemented and in fact may have been bogus for the purpose of gaining additional federal funding as we now learn that the organizations identified in the plan were never contacted or coordinating into any planning - though the document implies that they were. The suffering people of NO need to be asking some hard questions as do we all, but they better start with why Blanco refused to even sign the multi-state mutual aid pack activation documents until Wednesday which further delayed the legal deployment of National Guard from adjoining states. Or maybe ask why Nagin keeps harping that the President should have commandeered 500 Greyhound busses to help him when according to his own emergency plan and documents he claimed to have over 500 busses at his disposal to use between the local school busses and the city transportation busses - but he never raised a finger to prepare them or activate them. This is a sad time for all of us to see that a major city has all but been destroyed and thousands of people have died with hundreds of thousands more suffering, but it's certainly not a time for people to be pointing fingers and trying to find a bigger dog to blame for local corruption and incompetence. Pray to God for the survivors that they can start their lives anew as fast as possible and we learn from all the mistakes to avoid them in the future. Rick L. Ericksen, RPG, CPG Executive Director Mississippi State Board of Registered Professional Geologists Voice: XXXXXXXX Fax: XXXXXXXXXX P. O. Box 22742 Jackson, MS 39225-2742 Certified Petroleum Geologist No. 2364 Mississippi Registered Professional Geologist No. 0001 Texas Professional Geologist No. 24>

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#5)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:06 PM EST
    Really, you should check the urban legends website before you reprint garbage like this. STATUS FALSE. HAHAHAHAHAHA

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:06 PM EST
    Have to read the whole thing to find out the truth: "Certified Petroleum Geologist No. 2364" The REAL scandal is not just the failed government response, • IT IS THE DEPLOYMENT OF MERCENARIES, with POLICE POWERS, in a US state, and • INVESTIGATION of the sound of explosions, probably linked to BLOWING UP LEVEES with underwater military explosives. As usual for the traitors, the evidence is being cleaned up, and that illegal task required preventing the press from investigating. It also required a MANDATORY EVACUATION, to keep people from protecting their neighborhoods and houses. More acts of treason, in plain view, but BB would rather you receive a notice from the OIL INDUSTRY about how it is all the fault of the Democrats.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#7)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:06 PM EST
    Paul in LA Don't waste your time on this one PIL. According to desertswine, this is one of those phony baloney urban legends that gets sent via email, popular especially with rightwingers who will believe anything that confirms their prejudices and that has the appearance of authority and who often don't bother to check out the facts for themselves. BB, If this story is not authentic, why don't you just admit it. We've all written things that we wish we hadn't. Whats worse than making an error is not admitting the error.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#8)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:06 PM EST
    If anyone is interested, here are the facts as revealed in a August 30 DHS memo recent uncovered by Knight Ridder. They obtained a memo written by DHS Chief Chertoff which shows the White House did not follow its own emergency-response plan; that DHS Chertoff waited until 36 hours after Katrina hit to declare Katrina an "Incident of National Significance"; and that the "response to Katrina wasn't left to disaster professionals, but was run out of the White House". Finally, lets put the smear campaign against Governor Blanco to rest. According to the White House National Response Plan implemented in January, "Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance may be expedited or, under extreme circumstances, suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of catastrophic magnitude...Notification and full coordination with the States will occur, but the coordination process must not delay or impede the rapid deployment and use of critical resources."

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#9)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:06 PM EST
    One clarification. The quote about "the disaster response wasn't left to professionals..." didn't come from the memo but was the reaction of George Haddow, former Clinton deputy chief of staff at FEMA. According to the former director of FEMA under Reagan, General Julius Becton, the memo demonstrates that Chertoff "does not have a full appreciation for what the country is faced with - nor does anyone who waits that long...Anytime you have a delay in taking action, there's a potential for losing lives. I have no idea how many lives we're talking about. ... I don't understand why, except that they were inefficient."

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#10)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:07 PM EST
    Looks like BB has crawled back under his rock for a while. Or maybe he's just busy sending money to someone in Nigeria that he got an email from.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:07 PM EST
    Investigation would probably show the use of underwater MILITARY explosives. The Seals who planted the charges needed the intimidation cover provided by the mercenaries, or the mercs themselves have demolition experts, as is probable given the suspicious bombings in Iraq. Otherwise, it is hard to imagine why mercenaries would be needed -- and we KNOW they were there, since they were caught on camera. It won't be the first time that levees protecting black communities were blown up to take water pressure off the white neighborhoods. Btw, don't miss this (I rearranged it a bit, without changing any text):
    The official said two unknown gunmen in full Arabic dress began firing on civilians in central Basra, wounding several, including a traffic police officer. There were no fatalities, the official said. The two gunmen fled the scene but were captured and taken in for questioning, admitting they were British marines carrying out a "special security task," the official said. BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A British armored vehicle escorted by a tank crashed into a detention center Monday in Basra and rescued two undercover troops held by police, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official told CNN.


    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#12)
    by Aaron on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:07 PM EST
    Does any intelligent non-co-opted human being doubt that the Republicans in the Senate and the House will do everything in their power to obfuscate the facts and the truth?

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:09 PM EST
    John Horse.. Finally, lets put the smear campaign against Governor Blanco to rest. LMAO...this was a good one. Smear Campaign? You mean like the left has been waging against the prez for 5 years? Like it or not...The Gov of loosyanna is very much responsible for what went on (or should I say didn't go on) there! Anytime you have a delay in taking action, there's a potential for losing lives. Yes...and that finger should point at the Mayor & the Gov long before it gets to the Prez! Ernesto.. Looks like BB has crawled back under his rock for a while. No... BB has a life and can't spend all his time trying to talk sense into hopeless causes like you PAul in LA LA.. It won't be the first time that levees protecting black communities were blown up to take water pressure off the white neighborhoods... LMAO..it is this type of twisted thinking that will keep the Dems from ever getting elected anywhere. Yeah Paulie..it's all a huge conspiracy...all of us on the right hate blacks. In fact, maybe we should let all the terrorists in and they could probably help us out be offing several thousand at a whack. LMAO..LMAO You really do need help dude.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#14)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:09 PM EST
    bb-Smear is making sh*t up. With Bush the facts are bad enough, no one has to smear. BTW Rove is the proaganda minister and King of smear. Your guys have taken smear to a new level.
    No... BB has a life and can't spend all his time trying to talk sense into hopeless causes like you
    Good!! we will be delighted for you to get on to more important things. Hope you are a man of your word...my compliments on the swan song. Toodles.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#15)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:09 PM EST
    As I've stated before my bet is that bush will end up having to appoint an 'independent' commission and then stonewall it. For a guy who supposedly doesn't read polls he sure flip flops a lot when the polls go against him. (can you say 9/11 commission?) Right now GT 80% of american want an independent investigation.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:09 PM EST
    Squeaky... bb-Smear is making sh*t up. Yes... and of course nobody on the left has ever made anything up about Bush? Right? LMAO All of us (right leaners) on here have said time & again that Bush has done enough on his own to blame him for... but the left continues to "make sh*t up" as well as blame him for stuff he had nothing to do with.... Two examples of made up sh*t that come to mind are.... #1 - he had the levees blown up cause he hates black people. #2 - he purposely lied about WMD's (even tho every major intelligence agency and most of the Democratic party agreed) so he could start a war. I could go on & on but I'm sure you'll get the point. As far as the 'blame game' goes... He is responsible for our bad Middle East policies (even tho they have been in place for decades before he arrived) ...or he is the cause of all the immigration problems (even tho they've been slipping under the fence for decades).. etc..etc. Again .. I could go on & on.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#17)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:09 PM EST
    BB,
    Like it or not...The Gov of loosyanna is very much responsible for what went on (or should I say didn't go on) there!
    Lets check this out. I provided a link so that you could check the source of my information and quoted directly from the White House National Response Plan to contradict what you said about Governor Blanco. You, on the other hand, based your opinion on a document that turned out to be an email hoax. Now in the reality-based world that I live in, it helps to have evidence to back up your assertions. It also doesn't help your credibility when you make an error that everyone can see (the email hoax) but refuse to acknowledge that an error was made. I mean who do you think you are, George Bush?

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:10 PM EST
    BB: "LMAO..it is this type of twisted thinking that will keep the Dems from ever getting elected anywhere.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:10 PM EST
    BB: "LMAO..it is this type of twisted thinking that will keep the Dems from ever getting elected anywhere." That's an absurd contention, BB, since I'm not running for office, and the comments on a blog are not communicated to the mass of Americans. So are you stupid, or what? The Feds and state of LA dynamited levees in black neighborhoods when the Mississippi flooded in 1927. This hurricane response shows strong similarities to that event. INCLUDING the worry about black voting rights which the rightwing has been busy about since Katrina. That's associated with what Barbara Bush's expressed in her barbaric comments about her "fears" that black people were moving in. The racists are having a fit -- and we're watching you have it. Otherwise WHY were MERCENARIES deployed, and WERE they deputized, as reported? You don't supply an answer to that, BB, because you are a FAKE.

    Re: Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:11 PM EST
    John Horse,... You, on the other hand, based your opinion on a document that turned out to be an email hoax. I... base my opinion on facts I saw! Hundreds of busses that could have been used that are now under water..The National guard that was not called out until AFTER the fact..etc...etc. All these are the Gov's fault... not the Feds. It's very simple isn't it. As far as that e-mail goes...it was sent to me & I passed it along. Simple as that.

    Republicans Kill Plan for Joint Katrina Probe | 20 comments (20 topical)