Bush: Congress 'Shortchanged' New Orleans

[rodeodance]

Seems to me that the President is once again 'using' Katrina victims.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/08/AR2006030800297.html?referrer=email&referrer=email&referrer=email

Bush: Congress 'Shortchanged' New Orleans
Touring Gulf Coast, President Calls for Restoration of $1.5 Billion for Levee Repairs

By Michael A. Fletcher and Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, March 9, 2006; A01

NEW ORLEANS, March 8 -- President Bush, on a Gulf Coast inspection tour that included his first visit to this city's storm-shattered Lower Ninth Ward, bluntly accused Congress on Wednesday of underfunding the repairs and called for speedy action to make good on federal commitments.

The president said Congress has been slow to provide funding to rebuild housing destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and, while pledging to make New Orleans's levees "equal or better than they were before" the storm, attacked a congressional decision last year to redirect $1.5 billion from his request to repair the region's flood-protection system to projects in other storm-affected states.

As Bush was taking issue with the Congress, lawmakers from his own party were delivering a powerful rebuff to the president, joining with Democrats in an effort to kill the administration's plan to turn over management of some operations at six U.S. ports to Dubai Ports World -- a company owned by Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates. The House Appropriations Committee voted 62 to 2 to scuttle the plan, with just one Republican siding with the administration.

The juxtaposition of the president's words and the House committee action provided a telling example of the state of relations between the White House and the Republican-controlled Congress, a relationship that could deteriorate further as lawmakers worry about what Bush's low approval ratings could mean to them as they try to maintain their majorities in both houses in November......

[Inland]

1. I always expected Bush to run against Congress.

But the repukes always kept in such tight lock step, he never had a chance.

Now Bush is going to take on the repubicans in Congress, and for the UAE ports deal of all things.

Watch them dirty each other up.

[Montauk6]

2. Will the talking points blame the Democratic minority?

[rodeodance]

3. Laura has a foundation to raise money for libraries.

....After leaving New Orleans, Bush flew by helicopter to nearby Gautier, Miss., a small, working-class town hard hit by Katrina, where he and his wife, Laura, visited an elementary school.

There, the first lady touted her foundation's plans to raise money to help restore storm-damaged libraries in 1,121 of the region's schools. "Some schools should receive awards by late April or early May," Laura Bush said. "Additional grants will be distributed through the year as more schools are rebuilt."

[PuraVidaDreamin]

4. Will her foundation pay to replace only right winged christian books?

Stand Up
Rise UP

[stray cat]

5. Those terrible republicans in congress!

the ones Bush leads with an iron fist that are incapable of independent thoughts.

[flordehinojos]

6. DOES THE BASTARD BUSHBOY EVER ACCEPT DAMN RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING?