President Bush’s Remarks During Tour of New Orleans

Just a snippet – but I thought these remarks were worth it.

Reporter1: Mr. President, we, there is a belief here after two weeks on the ground that FEMA let the people here on the ground down and perhaps in turn people could get evidence of what it’s done to your popularity and perhaps FEMA. Do you think that your management style {couldn’t hear} in this particular scenario let you down…

President Bush: Look there’ll be plenty of time to play the blame game. That’s what you’re trying to do.

Reporter1: No, I’m trying to…

President Bush: You’re trying to say somebody’s at fault. Look. And I want to know. I want to know exactly what went on and how it went on. And we’ll continually assess inside my administration. I sent Mike Chertoff down here to make an assessment of how best to do the job. He made a decision. I accepted his decision. But we’re moving on. We’re going to solve these problems and there’ll be ample time for people to take a look back and see the facts. Now, as far as my own personal popularity goes, I don’t make decisions based upon polls. I hope the American people appreciate that. You can’t make difficult decisions if you have to take a poll. It’s been my style ever since I’ve been the President. And of course I rely upon good people. Course, you’ve got to as the President of the United States. You set the space, you set the strategy, you hold people to account. But, yeah, I’m relying upon good people. That’s why Admiral Allen is here. He’s a good man, he can do the job. That’s why General Honore is here. And so when I come into a briefing I don’t tell them what to do, they tell me the facts on the ground and my question to them is, ‘Do you have what you need?’

Reporter2: Did they misinform you when you said that no one anticipated the breach of the levies?

President Bush: No, what I was referring to was this: When that storm came by, a lot of people said we dodged a bullet. When that storm came through at first people said ‘Whew.’ There’s a sense of relaxation. That’s what I was referring to. I, myself, thought that we had dodged a bullet. You know why? Because I was listening to people, probably over the airwaves, that said the bullet has been dodged. That’s what I was referring to. Of course there were plans in case a levee had been breached. There was a sense of relaxation at a moment, a critical moment. Thank you for giving me a chance to clarify that.

The President was then asked about where he was when he learned of the breaches.

President Bush went to say that he had signed the emergency orders prior to the storm hitting.

7 meg file, broadband is best for viewing.

Music – Enya, Only Time

grab a box of kleenex – this is as powerful now as it was when it was made.

America Attacked

Per the AP, Mike Brown has been relieved of his Katrina Relief duties but is still the head of Fema.

According to Fox News, Vice Admiral Thad Allen of the US Coast Guard has been put in charge of Katrina Relief efforts.

Updated

When I first heard about the planned memorial for the heroes of Flight 93 it sounded wonderful, windchimes for each person killed in the terrorist hijacking of the plane.

But at the time, there wasn’t a picture of what it would like.

Now there is:

How could anyone choose this particular design? Don’t they realize what the crescent means as a religious symbol? Didn’t they think about what the terrorists were representing when they committed their heinious acts? Why does it look like they are honoring the terrorists?

Update: Make it a circle. A circle is all encompassing. A circle is never-ending. The symbology of a circle will better memorialize the Heroes of Flight 93.

For more see:
Michelle Malkin
Little Green Footballs
Captain’s Quarters
JunkYardBlog
Zombie Contact addresses here
The Waterglass
Save the GOP
Thinklings
Sensible Mom
Real Clear Politics picture with Islamic State flags for comparison

Mrs. 1999 has successfully delivered a beautiful baby girl! and a big one too, 8-1/2 pounds!

Mother and Child are doing very well. Jeff will have more to post later.

Congratulations on the latest addition to the 1999 family!

Via Blogs for Bush comes this link to Slugger O’Toole’s Ill wind may not blow to the Whitehousereprint of an Irish Times column by Newton Emerson.

It begins:

As the full horror of Hurricane Katrina sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if this is the end of George Bush’s presidency. The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that every copy of the US Constitution was destroyed in the storm. Otherwise President Bush will remain in office until noon on January 20th, 2009, as required by the 20th Amendment, after which he is barred from seeking a third term anyway under the 22nd Amendment.

Go read the rest.

An Ohio law requiring parental consent for abortions for girls under 18 years old, passed seven years ago, but held in limbo due to court challenges, has been affirmed as constitutional and enforceable by the US District Court in Cincinnati.

There is an exception, where a judge can give the consent in lieu of a parent.

The law also requires women to meet with a doctor 24 hours prior to an abortion so the doctor can tell the woman about the procedure, the risks and alternatives available.

The ACLU filed suit to stop the law one month before it was due to go into effect.

According to the AP:

“Plaintiffs’ evidence does not demonstrate that H.B. 421 imposes undue burdens on the abortion right even when viewed in a highly deferential manner,” said the opinion by Judge Sandra Beckwith, though she said the law might prevent some women or girls from getting abortions.

The ACLU has not yet decided if it will appeal, attorney Carrie Davis said.

Most states have laws requiring either parental consent or notice. In Ohio, minors had already been required by state law to notify their parents but they had not been required to obtain a parent’s consent.

The federal court ruling means the new law is now in effect unless a higher court orders it suspended during an appeal, said Kim Norris, spokeswoman for Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro.

As a parent, I have to give my consent for my daughter to be given an acetominophen tablet at school. I should certainly have to give my consent for a surgical procedure.

Sandy Berger was sentenced today to 100 hours community service and two years probation. He will also pay $6,905 to cover the administrative costs associated with his probation. (CNN)

In addition Sandy Berger must give up access to classified government materials for a three year period and pay a fine five times more than what prosecutors asked for.

Judge Deborah Robinson set the fine at $50,000 saying:

The court finds the fine is inadequate because it doesn’t reflect the seriousness of the offense.

(FOX News)

Please read both news stories. Note that CNN mentions nothing about the increase in the fine or why it was increased…

Welcome Blogs for Bush readers! Please look around…

I don’t have a transcript (anyone know where one might be?) but there were a couple questions yesterday from the press that seemed a little, well, off…

One reporter asked Mike Brown what he had to say about Nancy Pelosi’s call for his resignation and/or firing. He said that it was up to the President. A second reporter asked if he had submitted his resignation. He said that he serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States.

Then we get to what was really off:

A reporter asked him why Operation Blessing was on the FEMA list of approved charities on their website. Mr. Brown said that apparently, one of his staffers had checked it out and added it. The reporter then went on to say (paraphrase) : Operation Blessing is run by Pat Robertson, do you think it should be there?

It seems to me that the reporter was “suggesting” that because of Pat Robertson’s admittedly stupid remarks about Hugo Chavez, the charity, Operation Blessing, (on whose board Pat Robertson sits) should not be approved to assist in the relief effort.

In the words of General Honore, “That’s B.S.”

Pat Robertson is on the Board. That’s it. One member. That doesn’t disqualify the charity.

The About Us section (first graf):

Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation (OBI) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) humanitarian organization based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. Since 1978, Operation Blessing International has touched the lives of more than 179.7 million people in 96 countries and all 50 states, providing goods and services valued at more than $1.1 billion. Operation Blessing is governed by a national board of directors that includes founder M.G. “Pat” Robertson.