Posted on 03/03/2006 4:51:36 PM PST by new yorker 77
Clarification: Katrina-Video story ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) _ In a March 1 story, The Associated Press reported that federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees in New Orleans, citing confidential video footage of an Aug. 28 briefing among U.S. officials.
The Army Corps of Engineers considers a breach a hole developing in a levee rather than an overrun. The story should have made clear that Bush was warned about floodwaters overrunning the levees, rather than the levees breaking.
The day before the storm hit, Bush was told there were grave concerns that the levees could be overrun. It wasn't until the next morning, as the storm was hitting, that Michael Brown, then head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Bush had inquired about reports of breaches. Bush did not participate in that briefing.
I wonder if someone was afraid of legal action. The original "story" as written, even though about a public figure, bordered on libelous.
"This is unheard of, and I think you can thank the new media, and Brit Hume for this correction."
Precisely.
And now that we've gotten THIS straightened out.
The 'surf' Kat rode in on was 30'.
I've seen the video.
Lots of folks in NO know the truth.
Perhaps someone out there in media land (since they don't tend to deliver news, but rather deliver opinions) might opine as to how tall the wall should have been to have protected NO.
You are absolutely, 100% correct. And it amazes me everyday when I read Freepers freaking out over the daily stream of MSM lies. I don't mind people getting mad at the MSM (I sure do), but I just can't fathom why they actually believe what they're reading. The first assumption MUST BE "this is not the truth. What is the real truth behind this BS".
No question about it--there are a lot of huge egos in the news media these days who are eager to be the next Woodward or Bernstein. The strongest force that is stopping them in their quest to crucify Bush is the conservative media that didn't exist back in 1974, including bloggers like us. Without conservative bloggers and CBS's own blunder of posting apparently forged documents on their website, who knows how far Mapes' Bush ANG story would have gone. I also think the Israeli lobby and Israel's influence on the news media is helping Bush significantly to stave off the attack of the egomaniacs.
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco answers questions about the recent videotape of President Bush's pre Katrina briefing as she arrives in the French Quarter of New Orleans on Thursday, March 2, 2006. Six months after last year's hurricane, a 34-member congressional delegation led by the House's top Republican and Democrat arrived in Louisiana on Thursday to see the devastation up close. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
More than a morale boost, IMO. The continual Bush bashing is taking down his poll numbers and with it those of Republicans in general. If it goes on much longer without the WH fighting back, we could be in very serious trouble in the fall elections.
More AP Lies.....
same with the Gitmo story they have been sending out today, complete with 4 year old photos of the dog cages.
...as does anyone who speaks english. God what morons.
The story should have made clear that Bush was warned about floodwaters overrunning the levees, rather than the levees breaking.
Yeah well, why let clarity ruin a good smear?
I think everyone is focusing on semantics without looking at the big picture, which was that the feds, including the president, were clearly warning the locals that action needed to be taken to get people out and prepare for the worst. Instead Nagin and Blanco fiddled around for at least 24 hours. Mayfield called the locals directly and the President even went on national TV telling them to get out.
I think that the feds and Fema folks were expecting local and state LA officals to do what other state officals do in the face of impending disaster -- take timely action to get people in harm's way out in time to avoid massive loss of life. The fact that the LA officals for whatever reason delayed decision making until it was too late (essentially doing nothing except opening the Superdome) was apparently not considered by the feds as a likely alternative until it happened.
The vision of all those yellow buses lying under water comes to mind and the statement of Nagin that most of the union bus driver workers would flee rather than report for duty if ordered to makes clear that their evacuation plan was not worth the paper it was written on.
Here's an earlier post of mine from Thursday morning:
I was telling my wife that "before it landed I knew the levees might not hold - the paper says they are built for a Class 4 and you have a Class 5 coming in - doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out".
Mayfield would be on the news days before saying how they need to get out of New Orleans now! That this has the potential to be devasting.
I don't recall the exact quote, but I think that Bush's comment about "nobody thought the levees would break" might be technicaly true - they thought they would be overtopped.
OK, that's a belly rippin funny LMAO picture if I ever saw one!!
USGS Scientists Investigate New Orleans Levees Broken by Hurricane Katrina
By Robert Kayen, Brian Collins, and Helen Gibbons
Dec. 2005 / Jan. 2006
The storm surges produced by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, breached the levees protecting New Orleans in numerous places, flooding approximately 75 percent of the metropolitan area. Most of the levee failures were caused by overtopping, as the storm surge rose over the top of a levee and scoured out the base of the landward embankment or floodwall. Three major and costly breaches appear to have been caused by failure of the soils underlying the levees or failure of the earthen levee embankments themselves; in several places, levee foundations failed when water levels were below the tops of the levees. Transitions between levees of differing heights or materials proved to be weak points in the flood-protection system; a significant number of levee washouts occurred, for example, where the weaker of two adjacent materials was at a lower elevation...
The walls that failed lined the canals, not the actual lake. If Dutch-style gates had been built at the lake end of these canals, New Orleans might have been spared the devastation it had.
The reporting of what actually happened in NOLA has been dreadful, as in p*** poor. Anything that could not aid the stroyline of "Bush's fault" was not worth spending time or ink or film on.
Interesting. The AP BS news cycle has been reduced to 2.5 days.
shameless scumbags
Bastards.
Hey AP - breached is not the same as topped! What utter morons, but it works as propaganda for the masses and works toward the ultimate BUSH IMPEACHMENT. Michael Medved was arguing yesterday that impeachment would actually help Bush just like it helped Toon - ratings would go to an all time high as his supports would rally round. Not sure I buy into that one . . .
The radio words that I remember (on Monday I think) was "New Orleans dodged a bullet".
Joseph Goebbels and his boss would be so proud of the current MSM.
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