...About damn time I'd say.
On a side-note, I correctly predicted on Friday that Bush would soon involve both his parents and his wife in the photo ops, and by Sunday we had images of all three touring the area (with people carefully pre-screened). You just know that Bush is getting beat on when he has to drag his family in front of him like a human-shield for the now emboldened press.
Also of note is the'blogoshpere' has seen a chain-mail type of reaction of posts encouraging Bush to fire Mike Brwon immediately for gross incompetence.
Last but not least, Bush, like OJ before him, wants to take on the task of finding the 'real killers' or in this case, the 'source of the bureaucratic breakdown' himself. Gee thats fresh. Thanks. I feel much better about it now.
Money Quote:
Q Were those bureaucratic impediments that have been corrected? Or was that a --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the bureaucratic impediments that the President is referring to is about getting assistance to the people who need it. Yes, there are a number of agencies that are acting, but they have issued waivers to rules and regulations. The President wants to cut through the red tape in the bureaucracy and make sure that the assistance is getting to the people. One thing that he talked about in the Cabinet meeting today at length was, look, we've got to make sure that there aren't rules in place that are preventing assistance from getting to those who have been displaced, or have been evacuated, who are no longer in a home of their own, they're in a shelter. And we've got to take that assistance to them.So, yes, that is part of -- all that is part of cutting through the bureaucracy and red tape.Go ahead.
Q Scott, there's words that James Lee Witt had said, that -- people who had been there within three hours after everything broke loose. Why was Mr. Brown not on the ground?
MR. McCLELLAN: He was, prior to the hurricane.
Q Well, why didn't he bring in the troops? Why didn't he deploy all the necessary assistance that was needed?
MR. McCLELLAN: There were -- disaster medical assistance teams were deployed. Search and rescue teams were deployed ahead of the hurricane.
Q But why didn't he -- but why weren't teams deployed to the Convention Center? Why weren't teams deployed to the Superdome? Why were people without water, without food? Why was there looting in New Orleans for survival? And you're talking about zero tolerance. Why did these things happen over a period of days, and you start seeing Mr. Brown on the air talking about he didn't know about the Convention Center and other things. Why?
MR. McCLELLAN: Look, you're getting into all the after-action analysis, and I can't tell you all the --Q And you're saying there is not a blame game, but you open the door to the response --
MR. McCLELLAN: I can't tell you that everything you said is factually correct, and they've got -- we've got to look at all the facts. We've got to determine what worked, what didn't work, and apply --
Q Well, what's not working? What's not working in your view right now?
MR. McCLELLAN: -- and apply lessons from that.
Q What do you see that's not working right now? What is not working? Because these people are dying from dysentery now --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, last week --
Q -- infection now; they're displaced, homes are gone. Does anyone in this administration know anyone that's down there --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you need to talk to people on the ground --
Q -- beyond Trent Lott?
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