Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Monday, the 29^th of August.

Mr. Bush, why were you eating cake with Senator McCain on Monday the 29^th and playing guitar with some country singer the next day?

Why was a Senior Bush Administration official quoted by two major national papers saying that Gov. Blanco of Louisiana failed to declare a state of emergency in the site of interest? This official letter (pdf) states that Gov. Blanco ordered the state of emergency on the 26^th; at least two days before the hurricane blew ashore. That said, why was this letter not sent until the 28^th?

Why, on Friday 2 September, did President Bush stage a photo op in front of a fake levee that appeared to be repaired? And why did Sen. Landreiu have to fly over the site to find out that the levee was not repaired? Finally, were the helicopter and personnel you used at this site as props pulled off of rescue operations and other essential logistics.

Why are Karl Rove and Dan Bartlett coordinating damage control operations? And could those operations have anything to do with clear shifts in Republican talking points such as this

Boustany on the 2^nd :
Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr., (R-La.), said he spent the past 48 hours urging the Bush administration to send help. "I started making calls and trying to impress upon the White House and others that something needed to be done," he said. "The state resources were being overwhelmed, and we needed direct federal assistance, command and control, and security -- all three of which are lacking."

Boustany on Monday the 5^th:
BOUSTANY: [M]ost of the red tape and problems have been at the state level. I have to say that the federal response has been focused on New Orleans with search and rescue operations which is going very, very well at this stage. But we've had a completely ineffectual state response and this is being borne by the local communities to help now. And I have asked the president to take this into consideration, consider that the state response is completely ineffectual and the full range of social and health care needs to be met.

Should I remind Mr. Boustany that the Department for Homeland Security’s website states that "[i]n the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation."? Do Mr. Boutsany, Michael Brown and the Director of Homeland Security not see the similarities of what took place in New Orleans and just about any scenario of terror imaginable?

Why was there so much documented confusion at the federal level?

For days, Bush's top advisers argued over legal niceties about who was in charge, according to three White House officials who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. Beginning early in the week, Justice Department lawyers presented arguments for federalizing the Guard, but Defense Department lawyers fretted about untrained 19-year-olds trying to enforce local laws, according to a senior law-enforcement official who requested anonymity citing the delicate nature of the discussions.

Why were trained firemen, as Mayor Ray Nagin begged publicly for aid, routed away from the Gulf Coast and into Atlanta to receive unnecessary training and sexual harassment seminars from FEMA in order to become community-relations officers ?

Why was Northern Command not called sooner or why did they not react quicker to aid the needy in NOLA and the rest of the remaining Gulf Coast? NorthCom Lt. Commander (video) Sean Kelly said that his unit was prepared to give military support, distribute medical supplies, perform search and rescue operations, distribute food and water, and meet transportation needs. When Lt. Kelly was asked about the slow response, he stated that the president did not make the right call at the right time.

Why was the USS Bataan positioned behind the storm, equipped with 6 operating rooms, 600 beds for patients and many more for others, the ability to make 100,000 gallons of water a day, helicopter accessible, a large staff of doctors and nurses covering a wide swath of medical specialties (including surgeons, pediatricians, heart specialists, a psychiatrist and even a physical therapist) not called into ground zero to aid in relief efforts? Were they associated with NorthCom?

Is the following enough of a warning to make this, now famous, Bush quote a questionable statement at best; "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did anticipate a serious storm. But these levees got breached." If you go here you’ll see a large amount of statements made in the public record by Senators and Representatives recently. The list includes Sen. Landreiu, Sen. Blumenauer, Sen. Edwards, and Mr. Jones. Furthermore you can read a lengthy report in Scientific America on the reality of the very disaster that happened one week ago Tuesday; Drowning New Orleans link. Plus, FEMA and the DHS recently prepared for an event of a very similar scenario, called Hurricane Pam (more) (link to Homeland Security site).

Finally, Mr. President, you campaigned around the illusion of safety; you even had Cheney threaten the voters stating that the country would be attacked again if Bush-Cheney were not reelected. So what do you have to say now? This was a disaster waiting to happen, and it was widely known, and should have been prepared for. This event has had one absolute truth; we are not safe, and we are not secure. Should a terrorist attack again; whether by plane, dirty-bomb, chemical or biological devices, or a full-fledged nuclear weapon, we now know what the results would be in Bush America. Dead bodies as far as the eye can see.

GDM-hfiend