McClellan: When White House First Learned Of Levee Failure

[cal04]

McClellan Breaches Truth About When White House First Learned Of Levee Failure
In today’s press briefing, a reporter challenges Bush’s assertion that there was no way to anticipate the levees breaching after Hurricane Katrina. McClellan’s response:

If you will recall, on August 29th, when the hurricane hit, and then it passed the New Orleans area, there were a number of reports, including media reports, saying that New Orleans had dodged the bullet, and there was some sense that the worst-case scenario did not happen. … We learned the next day — all of us learned — that, in fact, the levees had been breached and that there was a systemic failure in the levees. That was what was certain the next morning.

First, the media was not reporting that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. In fact, newspapers around the country were reporting on the “catastrophic” damage to the Gulf Coast. Second, McClellan’s timeline is wrong. (Check out the right timeline here.) Katrina made landfall at 7 AM CDT on Aug. 29. As early as 7:30 AM CDT, the administration received word from New Orleans Homeland Security Director Col. Terry Ebbert that the levees in New Orleans had broken. By 11:13 AM CDT, the White House Homeland Security Council began circulating an internal memo called the “Katrina Spot Report,” reporting on the levee breach:

Flooding is significant throughout the region and a levee in New Orleans has reportedly been breached sending 6-8 feet of water throughout the 9th ward area of the city. A total of 28 government agencies, including the White House, reported the levee breach on Aug. 29. Therefore, McClellan’s claim that the White House didn’t learn of the breach until Aug. 30 doesn’t hold water.

links to timelines
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/03/06/mcclellan-katrina-levee-breach/

[MADem]

1. Well, levees are failing in GAL-EEE--FORN-YA as I type

Putting our nation's breadbasket in harm's way.

Ahhhhh-nuld was on MEET TIM RUSSERT the other week doing a Brownie about it.

How many weeks will pass before some White House clown gets up and says:

NO ONE COULD HAVE ANTICIPATED...or....WE HAD NO IDEA...that the levees could fail!!!

Of course, the Monkey will say "HUH?? They have levees in Cal-eye-forn-ya????"

http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/oped/ci_3573711

And the GOP will cry, because the price of California produce, some of the best in the world, will skyrocket...

[MADem]

2. Pardon my doublepost

Here's a funny picture by way of apology!

[Kansas Wyatt]

3. Two things...

1) BushCo needs to pull the plug on FOX and it's Corporate Republican MSM, and govern instead of campaigning and checking the news for any image problem.

2) It's BushCo's responsibility to know what the Hell is going on, and not relying on the news to see if they have a crisis.