Words Fail Me...

by DemFromCT

...but I ain't surprised.

White House Knew of Levee's Failure on Night of Storm

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bush administration officials said they had been caught by surprise when they were told on Tuesday, Aug. 30, that a levee had broken, allowing floodwaters to engulf New Orleans.

But Congressional investigators have now learned that an eyewitness account of the flooding from a federal emergency official reached the Homeland Security Department's headquarters starting at 9:27 p.m. the day before, and the White House itself at midnight.

Heckuva job, Brownie. What else have you got in your pocket?

Former Federal Emergency Management Agency head Michael D. Brown, rebuffed in his request for a claim of executive privilege, is expected to testify to a Senate panel today about his calls and e-mails to President Bush and top White House aides during the Hurricane Katrina crisis, Brown's lawyer said Thursday.

White House Counsel Harriet Miers declined to offer Brown a legal defense for declining to testify or respond to a Feb. 6 letter advising that without such protection Brown "intends to answer all questions fully, completely and accurately," said Brown's lawyer, Andrew Lester.

These people are more incompetent than even we imagined. Getting elected is literally the only thing they know how to do.

Comments

[Kagro X]

Yeah, so? The president has inherent power to fuck up. So kiss my ass while I skate on this, bitches!

[emptywheel]

And the executive has double super secret power to screw up when it involves brown-skinned people.

Sadly, I think they decided not to give Brownie cover because they've gauged that they've gotten far enough away from the insta-shock on the teevee every day, and they believe folks will no longer care.

It'll be interesting to see how Anderson Cooper receives this news. Will his recent Katrina-related promotion be enough to keep him silent. Or will he summon up the real fury he felt last September?

[Shecky Blue]

"Getting elected is literally the only thing they know how to do."

Sadly, getting elected -- or more accurately, seizing power -- is the only thing that matters.

[DemFromCT]

more...

Bloomberg reports that Bush's nomination of 35-year-old White House aide Kevin Warsh to the Fed "has been greeted by criticism and bewilderment by some former Fed officials and economists. They point to his political connections and inexperience, and say the White House could have found a better-known, more qualified choice." Warsh is "a lawyer by training who would become one of only two members of the Fed's seven-member board of governors without a Ph.D. in economics."

[Mimikatz]

It looks to me like the person really being protected here is Michael Chertoff. Brown screwed up, to be sure, but Chertoff apparently did not know what his authority and responsibilities were in a disaster, and what the mechanics were of invoking such disaster response as the Feds had.

Chertoff had only been in the job since January, and in addition to not appreciating the significance of the levee break, apparently did not know how the disaster response system worked, according to this Knight-Ridder story that came out two weeks after the disaster.

"But Chertoff - not Brown - was in charge of managing the national response to a catastrophic disaster, according to the National Response Plan, the federal government's blueprint for how agencies will handle major natural disasters or terrorist incidents. An order issued by President Bush in 2003 also assigned that responsibility to the homeland security director.
"But according to a memo obtained by Knight Ridder, Chertoff didn't shift that power to Brown until late afternoon or evening on Aug. 30, about 36 hours after Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi. That same memo suggests that Chertoff may have been confused about his lead role in disaster response and that of his department."

There's a lot more in the article. Remember that Chertoff was the second choice, after the disasterous Bernard Kerik pick. Bush loved Chertoff's tough guy image and the fact that he exercises a lot. And the last thing they needed at that point was to have incompetence at the top of Homeland Security pointed out, when everyone had already tagged Brownie as the fall guy.

Brown's current response is understandable, given that he was made to bear the whole brunt of federal incompetence here.

[emptywheel]

Brownie was remarkable in testimony today, if only because it is so rare we see unadulterated truth. He took responsibility for a lot that went wrong. But he laid some things out very clearly: Chertoff was getting in his way, telling him he had to stay in Baton Rouge and do briefings rather than go to MS and NOLA to get things done. And he told BushCo the morning of August 29 this was going to be disasterous.

In an exchange I missed, he apparently shut Coleman down, after Coleman tried his own brand of character assassination. Brownie asked, "Would like to ask a specific question?" to which, COleman, scurrying away like the rat he is, said, "Gee, I'm out of time!" I assume that one will make it to Crooks and Liars, though.

And your Senator, DemFrom, was trying his best to insulate Bush himself from responsibility here. According to Joementum, it was a systematic failure, in spite of clear evidence Brownie gave that what worked in 2004 in FL (before the election) didn't work in 2005 when there was no election.

[DemFromCT]

My Senator is an ass with a decent voting record on domestic policy, and a fool with a horrendous outlook on Iraq.

[DemFromCT]

btw, no bounce in the Gallup from SOTU. Bush dropped a point (i.e. no change) to 42%.

[DemFromCT]

Great column today by Froomkin, especially reader questions.

katrina stories are summarized and yes, Brown hits Chertoff and DHS.

[exintex]

let's not confuse incompetence with willful neglect. there's plenty of both to go around, but Katrina is more the latter, imo.

[jwp]

I think that the real story is being missed.

One of you wizards -- maybe a detail maven like EW -- should find the text of gwb speeches during Katrina hell week. I especially remember one from Friday morning, and have vague idea that there was a second speech I heard. Maybe Thursday.

Anyway, I remember at the time suddenly sitting bolt upright in horror at a certain point.

From the speech itself (nothing else), I got the impression that gwb PURPOSEFULLY withheld FEMA assistance to New Orleans.

I got the impression that gwb wanted to use Katrina as a laboratory to prove that the Red Cross and other private charities could do relief better.

I think gwb wanted to prove that the Federal govt should not be involved in disaster relief. At least, should not be the lead.

As I recall, gwb rants on and on about "we will do our part BUT LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR" -- or something like that.

I bet if someone finds those speeches, and then tracks down earlier speeches on disaster relief by gwb and various minions and/or think tanks, you can build a strong case that the neglect was on purpose.

Also, my bet is that Chertoff was party to the neglect to make an ideological point. There are damning email somewhere -- probably in the recycling bin.

Just when you think the horror cannot get worse, this crowd finds new lows.

[DemFromCT]

jwp, that's not a view I endorse. I have no ecidence and have seen no evidence of same. You are welcome to do some sleuthing. But never attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence.

[jwp]

Dem,

You misunderstand me. In my view, the point was not to create death and disease. I think there was a willingness to tolerate a little extra, but no conscious purpose to create as bad a situation as developed.

But ideology played a big role in the disaster.

First, from 2001, FEMA was systematically gutted. Gwb wants to get govt out of certain functions, and to replace with private charity. Not news. FEMA was one of the targets.

As the hurricaine approached, I think gwb wanted Red Cross to take the lead. If FEMA hung back a bit, all the better. Show govt as disfunctional; compared to brilliant performance of Red Cross.

Part of remaking the world the gwb way.

Why else still with the "private sector role" as a major talking point on Friday?

A certain disregard for public health (especially of black folks) at the margin was ok with gwb if it would help to push the Agenda.

Anyway, I suspect it. If you see some evidence some time, maybe it will stick in your mind a bit more because I mentioned the suspicion.

Or, I could be totally wrong.

I hate when that happens.

[Btower]

FROM NWS, Note the Time, from this it took 12 hours to hit the Whitehouse?

WTUS84 KLIX 291359
HLSLIX
LAZ038-040-050-056>070-MSZ080>082-291600-

HURRICANE KATRINA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
900 AM CDT MON AUG 29 2005

...HURRICANE KATRINA DIRECT HIT FOR NEW ORLEANS AND MISSISSIPPI COAST...

...LEVEES OVERTOPPED IN ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD PARISHES...

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE MOVING ACROSS NEW ORLEANS AND MISSISSIPPI COAST...

...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI FROM MORGAN CITY EAST TO THE ALABAMA FLORIDA BORDER....

...EXTENSIVE AND LIFE THREATENING STORM SURGE FLOODING OCCURRING ALONG THE LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI COAST AT THIS TIME.

(... snip ...)

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
KATRINA MAKING LANDFALL IN EASTERN NEW ORLEANS AND MISSISSIPPI COAST AREA THIS MORNING. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING HURRICANE...SIGNIFICANT AND LIFE THREATENING STORM SURGE 18 TO 22 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IS OCCURRING. LEVEES HAVE BEEN OVERTOPPED IN ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD PARISHES. IN ADDITION DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ARE OCCURRING ON TOP OF THE STORM SURGE NEAR THE COAST. SEVERE TIDAL FLOODING WILL CONTINUE IN THESE AREAS. IN ADDITION...SEVERE STORM SURGE FLOODING IS PROBABLY OCCURRING IN SOUTHEAST ST TAMMANY PARISH AND IN HANCOCK...HARRISON AND JACKSON COUNTIES IN COASTAL MISSISSIPPI.

There is no excuse.