So, yesterday the AP released a bunch of video and transcripts that depicted conversations leading up to the mishandling of Katrina. On the surface, it seems to paint a picture of a President who was well informed of the possibility of a disaster in the making.
This would be quite different than the “Oh, Golly, were we ever taken by surprise!” pitch the White House tossed out in the days following the devastation of the hurricane.
The following is the response from the Bush folks after the release of the tapes and so on.
The White House and Homeland Security Department urged the public Wednesday not to read too much into the footage.
"I hope people don't draw conclusions from the President getting a single briefing," Bush spokesman Trent Duffy said, citing a variety of orders and disaster declarations Bush signed before the storm made landfall. "He received multiple briefings from multiple officials, and he was completely engaged at all times."
So you there was that part in the “Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy and her crew were going to meet the great and powerful Wizard dude. And the curtain blows back and they see the brains behind the whole deal. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” was the line as I best recall. Call me an idiot but I see a bad remake of the Oz flick happening more and more in the Oval Office.
Let’s recap shall we…
Let’s discuss why a good PR person is worth their weight in Crude Oil.
Karen Hughes was GWB’s 1st spokesperson: she was golden. You wanted to believe everything she told you and she came across as believable, even in the worst-case scenario. She left after the 1st term to go back home to Texas.
One of the best examples of leadership not really seeing the strength of the folks that help hold up the tent around the three rings. Sometimes, you might not want to believe your own press clippings too much and think about the folks who actually do the work and make you look good.
Luckily, for the Bush camp they were able to bring Hughes back prior to the last elections. “Luck” is being very subjective, of course.
The new PR dude is Scott something or other. He leaves a bad taste in your mouth like cheap wine that comes in a box. He is simply defensive and reminds you of the kid who would always “narc” you out to the teacher at school.
I loved the ‘spin’ on the hunting accident a few weeks back. To hear ole’ Scott tell it, it seems the old lawyer guy snuck up on Cheney, jumped up and yelled, “Boo!”
After, old lawyer guy told a press conference that he was very sorry to have caused Cheney any problems because of the incident.
I saw a great media “op” for my man, Scott. Instead of ‘suicide by cop’ (this is where a bad guy will try to get the police to kill him so he doesn’t have to pull the trigger himself); this could have been spun as “Suicide by VP”.
But, I have to admit to date, nothing seems more incredibly stupid than Port Security. To steal a line from myself, “He ran for the Port Security position because he thought he got to be in charge of cheap wine.”
For crying out loud, Batman, did you just finish reading Orwell’s 1984?
This is not about whether this company is qualified? Race and so on is not an issue? Hell, cost is not even on the “smart buy” radar screen.
Could you even pretend you are aware of what it looks like? You missed the lecture about 1st impressions didn’t ya? It’s the guy behind the curtain all over.
You might want to reconsider who is in charge of the other poles holding up this three ringer. Arrogance is not a good thing in a leader; denial makes it seem even less attractive.
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