Katrina Kerfuffle

McCain claims he "supported every investigation" into the government's role regarding the hurricane, when in fact he twice voted against an independent commission.

Summary

McCain was asked by a New Orleans reporter why he voted twice against an independent commission to investigate the government’s failings before and after Hurricane Katrina, and he incorrectly stated that he had "voted for every investigation."

McCain actually voted twice, in 2005 and 2006, to defeat a Democratic amendment that would have set up an independent commission along the lines of the 9/11 Commission. At the time of the second vote, members of both parties were complaining that the White House was refusing requests by Senate investigators for information.

The McCain campaign accused the Obama campaign of "tired negative attacks" for pointing out and documenting McCain’s gaffe.

Analysis

A New Orleans television reporter asked John McCain at a June 4 town hall meeting in Louisiana why he had voted twice against the creation of a commission to investigate preparedness for Hurricane Katrina. McCain responded that he "supported every investigation and ways of finding out what caused the tragedy." That's not true.

McCain did, as the reporter said, twice vote against legislation that would have created an independent commission, much like the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the government's role in preparedness for and response to the hurricane. Here's the exchange:

Reporter: Senator, Maya Rodriguez at the CBS station out of New Orleans. My understanding is you have voted twice against the creation of a commission to investigate the levee failures in New Orleans. And my question is, why have you voted against that?

McCain: I’ve supported every investigation and ways of finding out what caused the tragedy. I’ve been here to New Orleans. I’ve met with people on the ground. I’ve met with the governor. I’m not familiar with exactly what you said, but I’ve been as active as anybody in efforts to restore the city.

The reporter was referring to votes on an amendment offered by Sen. Hillary Clinton in 2005 and 2006 to set up an independent commission to look into the government's actions regarding Katrina. The commission would have been made up of non-federal-government employees, appointed by the president and Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress. Republicans defeated both attempts, with yeas and nays cast completely along party lines.


Why Vote Against It?

McCain suggested that he was merely voting against wasteful spending. He told the Louisiana reporter that he voted against "one of the bills" because it was riddled with pork.

McCain: I also voted against one of the bills that came down that was loaded with pork barrel projects that had nothing to do with New Orleans too. It had billions for projects and programs that had nothing to do with the recovery of the city of New Orleans.

The Clinton amendments, however, would have provided $3 million for the investigation but no funds for anything else.

Full article below..

FactCheck.org: Katrina Kerfuffle

More straight talk from the straight talk express? You decide..

Just noticed this thread. But I was just saying that Bush poll numbers have never recovered from Katrina. Regardless of all the issues around Katrina. End of the day the picture of Bush flying over the devastation days later was the last straw for most people in America. He was able to attend fund raisers but not Katrina. I hope that is that last we vote someone in who is not a real leader. You have to know what to do. Not be told by handlers. The same with being commander in chief. You should be leading you military. Not waiting for advice from them for months on end. Bush was a major mistake for our country.

What should he have done?

Gone and toured the devistation requiring tying up all the resources and personnel that would have required?

Bypassed New Orleans altogether on his way back the D.C.

Or the Flyover for his own inspection for when he got back to D.C. and met with his staff over what need to be done and what they could do?


I don't recall Presidents always going to the scene of natural disasters and taking over control of the operations. Perhaps you can correct me.


Then why do you have heads of these departments and all their advisors, Presidents are suppose to go to the site and direct the operations?

Does Obama bring any such experience to the table, just curious we might not want to vote for him if he has never directed a hurricane recovery.


So you don't believe Generals have staffs that advise them and formulate plans which they present to the General to come up with the action they should take, the General sits in his office and reads all the reports and comes up with the plans all by himself?

If you look at the poll numbers. His number never recovered after Katrina. So arguing with me about it is pointless. The facts are what they are. And BTW Lyndon Johnson could show Bush a thing or two. Read this. He ended up climbing in to homes telling folks not to worry your president is here. Unbelievable huh?
LBJ Remarks on Hurricane Disaster in New Orleans

I'm not arguing I'm asking your opinion

try again what should he have done?

Gone and toured the devastation requiring tying up all the resources and personnel that would have required?

Bypassed New Orleans altogether on his way back the D.C.

Or the Flyover for his own inspection for when he got back to D.C. and met with his staff over what need to be done and what they could do?

Oh and Johnson did it reluctantly and at the insistant of Senator Russell long who convinced him it would do him political good in a state he had lost. Bush choose to stay out of the way of the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts and not politicize it.

"Brian Williams: L.B.J.'s Political Hurricane

Source: NYT (9-24-05)

[Brian Williams is the anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News."]

GIVEN President Bush's final decision not to head to Texas in advance of Hurricane Rita, it's worth noting that American presidents have long found both political riches and peril at the scene of a storm. A listen to the tapes of President Lyndon B. Johnson's White House telephone conversations of 40 years ago reveals that history does indeed repeat itself, even if presidential reactions and motivations have varied widely.

On the evening of Sept. 9, 1965, Hurricane Betsy, a Category 4 storm, roared into Louisiana with winds of up to 160 miles per hour. The next day, President Johnson followed coverage of the damage, watching the three television sets in the Oval Office and monitoring the news service wires clacking away inside the soundproof cabinet next to his desk. Then, at 2:36 in the afternoon, Senator Russell Long of Louisiana, son of the legendary Huey Long, called the president and urged him to come to New Orleans. Floodwaters had spilled over the levees, and three-quarters of New Orleans was under water.

The senator opened with a geography lesson. "Mr. President, aside from the Great Lakes, the biggest lake in America is Lake Pontchartrain," he said. "It is now drained dry. That Hurricane Betsy picked up the lake and up and put it inside New Orleans and Jefferson Parish." Long said that his own house had been destroyed, but that his true concern was "my people - oh, they're in tough shape."

Not fully convinced that his message had gotten through to his old friend and fellow Southerner, Long chose the most direct route to Johnson's famously weak heart: electoral politics. "If you want to go to Louisiana right now - you lost that state last year ... you could save yourself a campaign speech," the senator insisted. "Just go there right now and say, 'My God, this is horrible! These federally constructed levees that Hale Boggs and Russell Long built is the only thing that saved 5,000 lives!' "

Johnson replied that he had a "hell of a two days" ahead on his schedule, so Long went in for the kill: "If you go there right now, Mr. President, they couldn't beat you if Eisenhower ran!"

Minutes later, Johnson had his staff make arrangements for a trip to New Orleans. ..."

History News Network

Well he should have done what I would have done. First I would have skipped the fund raiser. Secondly I would have landed the plane and got out. And if nothing else I would have tried to look engaged.

When they wanted to go to war in Iraq everyone in the administration worked toward that goal. Condi, Powell, Rummy. Even Cheney and Libby were spending time at CIA trying to work up the case for war.

Wouldn't it have been nice if they had put that much effort in to helping New Orleans? What did anyone in this administration do for those folks?

The fund raiser didn't need to be stopped, Presidents don't stop whatever they are doing when hurricanes hit.

You say you would have landed the plane, disrupting the continoues stream of supplies that were coming in, requiring security be set up at the airport, taking the leaders of the rescue and recovery away from their jobs to meet you.

And then what, what would you have done now that you have disrupted everything? Stood around an "looked engaged"?

Why would you need to disrupt everything? Johnson didn't. There was nobody trying to assassinate him. People were looking for a leader. He can fly all over the country with two planes to do fund raisers. And you worry that he would upset the progress in New Orleans. Thats a shaky excuse for Bush

OK he flies there and lands and steps out of his plane and no one is there so he waves at nobody and then what?

That was then this is now and the SS did complain about it and the problems it posed.


No they were looking to get rescued, be fed and clothed and that comes from the local people not a President standing around at the airport.

He was at a fundraiser and was flying back to DC.

It was rescue and recovery, getting vital supplies into an area with little access except by plane.

So be specific, he lands there so what was he suppose to do?


I was in Alabama in my own recovery, I certainly didn't need President Bush to show up for a photo op.

And let's not be coy here. Had he done that, then the left would have been complaining he had done so for a photo op and would have critisized him for that. He was in a lose lose situation so why disrupt the rescue and recovery, there was nothign for him to do there.