George W Bush visits New Orleans disaster zone, 10 years after Katrina

"Bush avoided parts of New Orleans that have yet to recover from the devastating storm" - article

Hey, just like last time.

Mayor and Governor delay requesting federal assistance yet Bush gets the blame.

"Mayor and Governor delay requesting federal assistance" - comments

Yeah, Katrina was a clerical error.

The Bush administration offered aid in advance, asked governor Blanco to call out the Guard in advance and do the Stafford Act declarations. She refused. She didn't need his help. Neither Blanco nor then-Mayor (now convict) Ray Nagan executed their mandatory evacuation plans. And even had they done so, New Orleans residents were so used to false alarms that they would not have left. After the storm passed, headlines blared, "New Orleans Dodged A Bullet." Then the gate on the Industrial Canal was damaged by a break-away barge, and the Lower Ninth ward, which is 9 feet below sea level, flooded. The City had evacuated the pump operators in advance of the storm, so they couldn't get back to operate the pumps, which were then submerged and ruined. But of course, it's all George Bush's fault.

Mayor and Governor delay requesting federal assistance yet Bush gets the blame.

Come on, now you know Dems don't want to hear that! What's wrong with you, they just want to feel good and hear their own narrative and when you talk like that, it spoils their false vented anger that they so desperately need to justify that false anger and allows them to rant on with their empty diatribe.

"You're doing a great job, Brownie." My second favorite GWB quote.

Not only was Brownie doing a heck of a job, AWOL was doing a great job, and America was nation building. Oh, Laissez les bons temps rouler!

And now everyone wants to blame AWOL? How cruel.

Kc, I know it pains you so much. Fact of the matter is, as wrong as Bush was on Katrina and he admits it, unlike Obama who NEVER, EVER admits of EVER doing anything wrong. Federal assistance was denied at first, so how about putting some of that blame on the former governor and mayor. I wish you would show the same outrage with the VA scandal that happened two years ago, but Obama gets a pass, right? So, so typical.

The VA scandal? Oh yeah, that was unforgivable.

"The Washington Post reported Saturday that staffers responsible for managing outpatients at Walter Reed have had caseloads of more than 125 patients each. Recovering soldiers face bureaucratic delays, overworked case managers and appalling living conditions, including black mold, cheap mattresses and cockroaches."

By Dana Priest and Anne Hull, Washington Post Staff Writers, Sunday, February 18, 2007*

Isn't Obama absent in his own community in Chicago? Both physically and verbally! and that's his own backyard, literally!

Yet, let's blame Bush. Simple minds follow the leaders. In this case the irresponsible press. Greater minds seek their own path, find the truths.

Ten years too late.

"Bush avoided parts of New Orleans that have yet to recover from the devastating storm, such as the Lower 9th Ward, where President Barack Obama mingled with hundreds of residents the day before. Bush did not tour the federally managed levees whose failures flooded 80 percent of the city.

Instead, he visited a school rebuilt with support from former first lady Laura Bush’s foundation, then flew to Gulfport, Mississippi, honoring police and firefighters who saved lives after Katrina’s towering storm surge swamped the coast."

Bush Jr is a totally despicable human being. Let me guess, it must have been a black or white issue for good Ol'Lil'Bush.

Compare Katrina to Sandy, one failure and one success. Why, democrats were in control of FEMA and we had a President who cared about Americans who needed help. It just proves that republicans are simply unable to run government, mostly because they hate it and think it will fail. Which under them is does consistently. Congress now is historically the most ineffective it has every been, and it is completely run by the republicans.

Not surprised bush is hung in effigy in New Orleans. Katrina is just one of his crimes against humanity. Iraq of course is the worst. He should be in jail for his war crimes.

@kcJapan

Barack Obama ran in 2007-8 on failures at the VA, promising more resources and better management. In comparison to that final Bush budget — don’t forget that Obama signed the FY2009 budget in March 2009 with the omnibus spending bill after a Democrat-controlled Congress refused to deal with Bush — VA spending has risen dramatically as well. The annual budget rose 78% in six budget cycles, with double-digit increases in four of the six years — while Defense spending was flat. No other Cabinet agency had a larger budget increase by percentage during Obama’s tenure. The closest was Agriculture (64%), followed by State (59%, which tends to discredit the canard about the Benghazi failure being caused by a lack of resources). Only HHS had a larger annual budget increase in terms of dollars spent, but it amounts to a 37% increase in spending from the FY2008 baseline. The amount of increase in the VA’s budget in the Obama era, $65.9 billion, exceeds the entire VA budget in the FY2004 budget.

Eric Shinseki had more than five years and plenty of additional resources to solve this problem, or even to “investigate” it. Yet the White House claimed this week that it was so shocked by the scandal that it hadn’t heard anything about wait-list fraud until news media began reporting on dying veterans languishing on faked appointment schedules. In any other organization, that kind of executive incompetence would get a subordinate fired. In the Obama administration, it gets the subordinate a televised statement of confidence and control over the investigation into his own lack of action.

Obama refuses to make his subordinates accountable for their own failures. A lot of incompetent bureaucrats will sleep easier tonight with this object lesson on accountability and leadership in the federal government from President Obama. Too bad our veterans won’t be able to join them.

Please, don't go there, Kc.

"Bush avoided parts of New Orleans that have yet to recover from the devastating storm, such as the Lower 9th Ward, where President Barack Obama mingled with hundreds of residents the day before.

Yes, but Obama wasn't the President at the time. But at the same time whenever there was a tragedy where a White person was murdered, he was nowhere to be found. Basically, what I am getting at is, Bush made a mistake, no doubt about it, but don't make it seem as if Obama is such a caring heartfelt president surrounded by warmth and kindness. He's more of an opportunist taking advantage of anything that will give him or his party a huge political and tactical uptick. Not blaming him, that's just politics.

Bush did not tour the federally managed levees whose failures flooded 80 percent of the city. Instead, he visited a school rebuilt with support from former first lady Laura Bush’s foundation, then flew to Gulfport, Mississippi, honoring police and firefighters who saved lives after Katrina’s towering storm surge swamped the coast."

All true, can't deny the facts.

Bush Jr is a totally despicable human being. Let me guess, it must have been a black or white issue for good. Ol'Lil'Bush.

Well, I have a list that reads 10 times worst of what Obama is and I don't have enough adjectives to list them all with the litany of things this guy has done. But when that thread comes, I'll be sure to jot them all down.

"W" will always apologize for his appointees' mistakes and his wars without taking responsibility. He just doesn't understand the terrible pain he caused by his poor decisions and by his appointees. Many people voted the second time for Mr. Obama because he said no more soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They did not care about the other issues. Forget about the other issues, nothing can replace a human life and all the family suffering after the death or caring for the "wounded warriors."

Bush's "crimes" seem pretty minor on this one. Correct me if I am wrong but I think the single worst thing he did was appoint Brown as head of FEMA despite Brown not having any qualifications whatsoever for the post. But even if Brown had those qualifications, he could not have over-ruled the governor of Louisiana or the mayor of New Orleans who both refused help.

I despise Bush. There is no need to embellish this story because there is a whole arsenal of other stories which condemn him as incompetent and evil.

I cannot even blame him for avoiding certain parts of New Orleans as that city has the nations highest homicide rate, so high, its on par with Honduras and that is really saying something! And you know most of those murders are done with guns. Bush going anywhere near New Orleans is really just evidence of his foolishness if you ask me.

Compare Katrina to Sandy, one failure and one success. Why, democrats were in control of FEMA and we had a President who cared about Americans who needed help.

Ok, one point.

It just proves that republicans are simply unable to run government, mostly because they hate it and think it will fail.

So why are City and States like California, NYC, PA, Washington D.C., Chicago, all Liberal-Democratically controlled have the highest crime rates, completely run down cities, mass amounts of illegals, but I guess you think they are running so, so well, right?

Which under them is does consistently. Congress now is historically the most ineffective it has every been, and it is completely run by the republicans.

Don't worry, the same goes for the president. We have a congress that is ineffective and a president even more that is incompetent as well as ineffective. On that, I do agree.

Not surprised bush is hung in effigy in New Orleans.

But he is loved in Calgary, imagine that. LOL Well, pretty much any state that is NOT Blue.

Katrina is just one of his crimes against humanity. Iraq of course is the worst. He should be in jail for his war crimes.

As well as Obama for what he has done to this country.

"W" will always apologize for his appointees' mistakes and his wars without taking responsibility.

Obama is no different. At least Bush didn't lie and swapped a prisoner for some of the most dangerous terrorists and tried to spin it as if they were oblivious to the reports.

He just doesn't understand the terrible pain he caused by his poor decisions and by his appointees.

Just as as Obama doesn't.

Many people voted the second time for Mr. Obama because he said no more soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They did not care about the other issues.

But the admin. didn't care about the growth and expansion of ISIS and the caliphate, knowing that it would destabilize the ME further and breed more terrorism. Oh, I keep forgetting, it doesn't exist in the minds of libs. I guess what happened last week in France on that Train was workplace violence. Not to mention the Iranian deal that basically gives Iran to inspect themselves and give reports to the IAEA as verification of their nuclear activities. It's like asking your child to check their own homework for mistakes. Yeah, Obama cares....about himself...and maybe Jimmy Fallon.

Forget about the other issues, nothing can replace a human life and all the family suffering after the death or caring for the "wounded warriors."

Well, Obama is the last person that would give a fig about them.

I can hear that old funk record playing.

"Well, I have a list that reads 10 times worst [sic] of what Obama is and I don't have enough adjectives to list them all with the litany of things this guy has done. But when that thread comes, I'll be sure to jot them all down."

Hmmm--I'd be interested in seeing that list right now.

'Bush avoided parts of New Orleans that have yet to recover from the devastating storm'

As the expression goes, he'd be about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit.

Compare Katrina to Sandy

Compare a Category 5 Hurricane versus a Tropical Storm?

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/nws-confirms-sandy-was-not-a-hurricane-at-landfall-15589

As the expression goes, he'd be about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit.

Won't be able to say the same thing for Obama when he's gone.

George Bush must be going to show that he cares about black people,no?

Bush NEVER had a trouble with Black people. He had more Blacks that were promoted and worked in higher positions in his admin. than Obama's.

Heh, this Left Stream Media "story" reads like a Party-Formerly-Known-As-Democratic press handout. But, considering the current in-fighting about which old, white, professional politician -- whom the U.S. leftists used to despise -- they must support in little more than a year from now, it's understandable why regressives would welcome a chance to shake their little fists on a "story" about an event that took place a decade ago.

It was former New Orléans Mayor (and now prison inmate) Ray Nagin and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco who failed that city by not accepting federal assistance in a more timely manner back then. What the regressives don't know -- or, refuse to accept -- is once NO relocated most of its problem citizens here to Texas, how could that city not help but get better. . . .

'As the expression goes, he'd be about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit.

Won't be able to say the same thing for Obama when he's gone'

Could I please ask you to write clearly? Your posts are often incomprehensible.

"Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said Bush isn’t to blame for the disaster that ultimately killed more than 1,830 people. “I think he certainly did a tremendous amount of good. It was just a tremendous storm. No one was prepared,” Bryant said."

As if Barack Obama could have done any better.

"Bush avoided parts of New Orleans that have yet to recover from the devastating storm, such as the Lower 9th Ward, where President Barack Obama mingled with hundreds of residents the day before. Bush did not tour the federally managed levees whose failures flooded 80 percent of the city."

Of course he didn't. He's a coward.

George W Bush visits New Orleans disaster zone, 10 years after Katrina

...however:

Bush avoided parts of New Orleans that have yet to recover from the devastating storm, such as the Lower 9th Ward.

Bush did not tour the federally managed levees whose failures flooded 80 percent of the city.

Spirited headlines but flaccid reality. Plus ça change...

@Jimizo

posts are often incomprehensible.

Mock ye not the esteemed wordsmith's eloquence.

The tale of two cities:

You have the whole state of Mississippi that took the brunt of this storm and had the most damage. Everyone from everywhere had their pick-ups, trailers, and most importantly chainsaws helping. In a few days to two months they were ok and most had a few years of firewood with plenty to share.

Then you had the choas in New Orleans (Louisiana had very little damage). The levees break and flooding is allowed to bring chaos. Martial law is declared and National Guard is brought in to take the guns from homes that were not even flooded. People are forced into the hellish SuperDome. Police leaving the departments and some help looting of stores like Walmart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYn-P72lp3M

George Bush must be going to show that he cares about black people,no?

I am still waiting for Obama to show he cares about white people. He doesn't of course - he actually believes his own mother is a racist. He seemingly believes that America is so unfair that Bush caused Katrina to spare white neighborhoods and directed the storm to hit only black communities. But of course many more white communities were devastated. The local and state authorities in these communities responded admirably.

New Orleans is below sea level and was a disaster waiting to happen. The disaster was compounded by the failure of local officials to respond adequately to the natural disaster.

I am still waiting for Obama to show he cares about white people. He doesn't of course - he actually believes his own mother is a racist. He seemingly believes that America is so unfair that Bush caused Katrina to spare white neighborhoods and directed the storm to hit only black communities.

Perhaps the corrupting influence of which Trump is but a symptom has metastasized to the extent in which such comments may be professed in the light of day; still, a tad of support for your assertions might aid turning your rant into a plausible argument.

Trumpism seems to have infected several posters on this board, and it only seems to be getting worse. I'd worry about how they'd handle another four years (at least) of a Democratic president if I discerned any sense of reality-based cognition, but as it is - nah.

most liberal states are a failure. heavy in debt, crime ridden, etc.

"Bush avoided parts of New Orleans that have yet to recover from the devastating storm, such as the Lower 9th Ward, where President Barack Obama mingled with hundreds of residents the day before.

There was no Katrina the last 7 years, Bush went and as for Obama, we know he cares more about looking good than looking presidential.

Bush did not tour the federally managed levees whose failures flooded 80 percent of the city." Of course he didn't. He's a coward.

Yeah and Obama couldn't tell the truth about Bergdahl, about Iranian deal, about the pitfalls of Obamacare. Now if that doesn't describe a yellow bellied coward, then I don't know what does.

'Bush did not tour the federally managed levees whose failures flooded 80 percent of the city." Of course he didn't. He's a coward.

Yeah and Obama couldn't tell the truth about Bergdahl, about Iranian deal, about the pitfalls of Obamacare. Now if that doesn't describe a yellow bellied coward, then I don't know what does.'

'Yeah and Obama' sounds to me like you're saying both are cowards. As a non-partisan who doesn't hold a torch for any party, I'm sure you'd have no problem confirming this. Avoiding these areas sounds like ducking. I'm sure you'd agree from your impartial standpoint.

Since Arimura didn't bother providing any actual facts to support his/her post, I decided to do a little fact checking. I checked a number of sites, but I decided to post the ones here where I was able to also check on the validity of their claims (some results did vary, but for the most part, they were pretty similar). Here's what I found:

Let's start with crime. According to the FBI's crime statistics for 2014, your top states for crime are:

Tennessee Nevada Alaska New Mexico South Carolina Delaware Louisiana Florida Maryland Oklahoma

Next, I looked at states that received the most welfare from the federal government. I took this from a site called WalletHub (they were one of the only sites that actually put a list together). Here's what they reported:

New Mexico Kentucky Alabama Montana 5, West Virginia Arizona Louisiana South Dakota Maine South Carolina

WalletHub came to the following conclusion: "Fact: Blue states are Less Dependent than Red States by a margin of 33.2% of the Red States on the federal dole as opposed to 18.3% for the Blue States."

As far as balancing state budgets goes, The New York Times reported on June 8, 2015 that a number of states were having serious budget problems. The state with the biggest problem was Illinois (nearly a $3 billion deficit). They also reported that Louisiana had a $1.6 billion deficit). Other top contenders for serious state budget woes were Kansas and New Jersey. The NYT's summary was: "While some states led by Democrats are having budget problems, there are far more states where Republicans control both the legislature and the governor’s office: 23, compared with seven states controlled by Democrats. Some of the bitterest budget fights this year pit conservative Republicans against centrist Republicans over how to cut spending or raise taxes."

Finally, I looked at USA Today's piece on "The Most Miserable States in the USA" (February 14, 2014). They looked at things like average income, healthcare, life expectancy, and the obesity rate. Here is what they found (in descending order):

Louisiana - they also had the 4th highest obesity rate. Oklahoma Missouri Tennesee - (7th highest obesity rate) Arkansas - (5th highest obesity rate) Ohio - (8th highest obesity rate) Alabama Mississippi - (#1 in obesity) Kentucky West Virginia (2nd highest obesity rate)

They felt that the obesity rate was important since it was related to the state's healthcare costs and affected the life expectancy rate.

Feel free to dismiss what I found if you like, or you can draw your own conclusions. I concluded that Arimura's post was pretty much unsubstantiated horse-hockey.

'Yeah and Obama' sounds to me like you're saying both are cowards. As a non-partisan who doesn't hold a torch for any party, I'm sure you'd have no problem confirming this. Avoiding these areas sounds like ducking. I'm sure you'd agree from your impartial standpoint.

I know you have a very difficult time reading my posts and are a typical liberal selective reader, but as someone that is a non-partisan and impartial person that I am, I don't give neither a pass, it's just that libs lie more, scheme more, deceive more and are more hypocrites, but having said that. There are things that Bush did that I liked and some things that I was completely against, Obama on the other hand.... Well, it's late and that litany list will just have to wait, such as it is, we can all spread joy and love in 436 days when the Tyrant of democracy is gone.

Feel free to dismiss what I found if you like, or you can draw your own conclusions. I concluded that Arimura's post was pretty much unsubstantiated horse-hockey.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/176479/chicago-police-will-no-longer-respond-burglaries-daniel-greenfield

http://motorcitymuckraker.com/2014/04/03/stabbings-shootings-detroit-police-stop-reporting-violent-crimes-to-media-public/

Many of the crimes in these "Liberal Cities" are under-reported or not reported at all. So I would say your stats are off somewhat. Note: This is only the City of Chicago and Detroit and not the suburbs.

Bass, I know you regard Obama as a tyrant, a socialist, a liar and a coward among many other things. Okay. I get that. Many on the left regard Bush as a warmongering, lying, inarticulate and incompetent idiot. The left and the right throw out insults.

Let's stick to the matter being discussed. Bush avoiding the areas mentioned in the article is cowardice, isn't it? Let's be brutally honest.

@badsey - I was responding to the original charge by Arimura that "most liberal states" are failures (please note the word, "state" and not "city"). I didn't do a search on the crime rates of individual cities--just the states.

@bass - Please don't come in here and tell everyone that you are "impartial" and "non-partisan." The content of your incredible number of posts on a daily basis indicates quite the opposite. The fact is, you are a hyperpartisan who feels the need to post your obsessive hatred of President Obama whenever you see a chance to do so. If that is what you need to do, then that's fine. Just be honest about it.

'Tis with our judgments as our watches, none go just alike, yet each believes his own. - Alexander Pope

bass4funk: "but as someone that is a non-partisan and impartial person that I am, I don't give neither a pass,"

You are the most partisan and biased poster on ANY post that involves American politics, my friend, so stop saying you are non-partisan when you engage in NOTHING but partisan politics. And, just a point of order, "don't give neither" = "give either" because it's a double negative.

"Yeah and Obama couldn't tell the truth about Bergdahl, about Iranian deal, about the pitfalls of Obamacare. Now if that doesn't describe a yellow bellied coward, then I don't know what does."

That doesn't describe a 'yellow-bellied coward' at all, and so, yes, clearly you don't know what does -- or at least refuse to admit it. Like I said, though, bush's actions point out how much of a coward he is, and despite you saying Obama is just 'trying to look presidential', he is amongst the poor and those who are STILL suffering after Katrina, while the shrub merely went to talk to those who were helped through his wife's funds (to hear praise and thanks!), and was too scared to visit the places his government was responsible for for not only NOT helping, but for contributing to the devastation (such as the levies). So, bass, NOT going to places because you are scared; THAT is being a coward. And that is bush.

There you go.

I know you have a very difficult time reading my posts and are a typical liberal selective reader, but as someone that is a non-partisan and impartial person that I am, I don't give neither a pass, it's just that libs lie more, scheme more, deceive more and are more hypocrites

To summarize:

I'm non-partisan, but I hate liberals.

That's about as non-partisan a comment as it gets.