March 3, 2006
WASHINGTON Mar 2, 2006 (AP)— In the hectic, confused hours after Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast, Louisiana’s governor hesitantly but mistakenly assured the Bush administration that New Orleans’ protective levees were intact, according to a new video obtained by The Associated Press showing briefings that day with federal officials.“We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees,” Gov. Kathleen Blanco said shortly after noon on Aug. 29, according to the video that was obtained Thursday night. “We heard a report unconfirmed, I think, we have not breached the levee. I think we have not breached the levee at this time.”
I wonder if the liberal blogs that jumped on the Bush tapes will jump on this. Odds are slim to none, and slim just left town.
Oliver Willis gave President Bush, what he thought was, a spanking. I wonder if he will give Kathleen Blanco one too? Doubt it.
DOWNLOAD – .WMV
USA Close Away linked with Daily Review
Shadowscope linked with Who really gives a fuck anyway....
Amy Proctor linked with Let's Get Real About Katrina...
gbush.com linked with Other Blog “Takes” On The Blanco Video
Donkey Stomp linked with Blanco Assures Bush Administration Levees Are Safe...
reverse_vampyr linked with Blanco's still wrong...
Independent Conservative linked with Katrina Tapes Show Brown and Bush Were on the Job. Shows Blanco Gave White House Bad Information....
Independent Christian Voice linked with Smoke and mirrors blame game...
PA Pundits linked with A Blanco Buffet
Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator linked with New Video Shows Blanco Saying Levees Safe ...
By: Ian at 3:30 am in Hurricane Katrina, Video, Oliver Willis, US News, In The (MS) Media | | Permalink
36 Responses to “Blanco Says Levees Are Safe (VIDEO)”
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4:41 am [ Quote ]
At this time I , I mean we, we are confident that the rope we put around around our neck uh, seems secure…..but that could change as the MSM continues to dish it out…..No breaches here, nothin’ to see here folks, just keep preachin’ I mean movin’.
Is that a sliknot I see or hangmans? Either way…..
4:49 am [ Quote ]
New Video Shows Blanco Saying Levees Safe
...
In the hectic, confused hours after Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast, Louisiana's govern…
6:24 am [ Quote ]
“I think we have not breached the levee at this time”
Yeah that sounds really safe.
6:55 am [ Quote ]
[...] Two great videos of our favorite person Kathleen Blanco here and here. [...]
7:47 am [ Quote ]
Smoke and mirrors blame game…
Typical of many right-wing bloggers, Ian defends Bush with the they are guilty of doing something too defense; he does it in a dishonest way as well. Ian mischaracterizes Blancos statements as saying the levees are safe (in his headline)....
9:14 am [ Quote ]
Doesn’t matter. The hatred of Bush and the ignorancce of how a Republic/American gov’t (especially local gov’t) is really supposed to work will keep people blaming Bush.
10:58 am [ Quote ]
Independent Christian Voice, may I suggest you study the Constitution, the separation of federal and state authority, and ask yourself “why did this not happen in Mississippi and Texas were the damage was just as bad or not worse?”
Blanco is an idiot. Too bad you want to defend her for being totally stupid.
11:59 am [ Quote ]
Get over yourself 05,
They all failed in some ways. Local, State, AND FEDERAL. Yes, even GEORGE W BUSH. Your refusal to admit this drains you of any credibility. You act like Bush has nothing to do with anything involving one of the most disasterous hurricanes to hit the USA ever. “Its up to you state and local, I’ll just watch a dvd of the news reports. Hope everything works out for you. I’m just the president of the United States, what could I possably do?”
12:14 pm [ Quote ]
I will be consistant. Blaming Blanco, ditsy as she is, for a cat. 4 hurricane is stupid. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. That’s why they call it a natural disaster.
Blame God.
12:17 pm [ Quote ]
Katrina Tapes Show Brown and Bush Were on the Job. Shows Blanco Gave White House Bad Information….
First I need to mention, that the primary blame regarding any issues during/after hurricane Katrina falls on the heads of the people who did not leave as they were told to do. And while the local government could have offered transportation, I do not…
12:21 pm [ Quote ]
“why did this not happen in Mississippi and Texas were the damage was just as bad or not worse??
Hmm, maybe it has something to do with the fact that NO is quite a bit under sea level? Failures at all levels, I will go with that, no question…. Maybe just once though, instead of finger pointing and saying “bu them too” th right would just own up and say, yeah, Bush and the federal response was horrible.
12:24 pm [ Quote ]
Blanco’s still wrong…
Just how many quarterbacks does Monday morning need?
It seems everyone has been all atwitter recently about whether or not President Bush was briefed that the levees in New Orleans were about to be breached (even though that specific word wasn’t m….
12:54 pm [ Quote ]
The people of New Orleans elected Democrats because they wanted a comfortably corrupt administration and the right spread of minorities.
They got what they voted for.
Ten bucks says that the Democratic Party will unreservedly support Nagin and Blanco for reelection, because negligent homicide is just minor change to them.
Joe, where were those buses? What was President Bush’s responsibility to evacuate New Orleans?
(answers: parked in lots four miles away, because Nagin didn’t use them; and NONE- he asked Nagin and Blanco if they wanted Federal assistance in evacuating NO and they refused for over 24 hours.)
12:56 pm [ Quote ]
Blanco Assures Bush Administration Levees Are Safe…
In a new video obtained by the media, one can hear the voice of Louisiana Governor, Kathleen Blanco (D) tell federal officials that the levees had not been breached. From the AP on ABC News (hat tip: Expose the Left):......
1:00 pm [ Quote ]
DaveP,
Absolutely, as I said, failures at all levels. You won’t see me saying Blanco and Nagin were not involved and deserve all the criticism they get. There was plenty more that could have been done to save dozens of lives. Included in the blame should be Bush and the federal response. My argument is that all these right wingers are so quick to try to shift blame away and use the “but, but, but…” excuse saying it was someone elses fault not Bushes.
1:14 pm [ Quote ]
Joe,
Try as you might you will not be sucessful in getting any bush cult members to admit any single mistake by their dear leader. I know because I try too. It is not possible for them to do because he can do no wrong in their minds. It is fun though to show them the facts and watch them expose themselvs for the unwavering apologists they are with lame but…but..”arguments”. No one is perfect. That is a fact. The fact that these bush bots refuse admit this of their dear leader is the only argument we need to deflate their lame duck “arguments”. We only need to state one critical fact to be dismissed as bush haters. They are blind and may never see.
1:20 pm [ Quote ]
Joe,
Not true at all. Right wingers are just fed up that ONLY Bush was blamed. Blanco and Nagin refuse to accept blame.
1:21 pm [ Quote ]
Here’s a right-winger who wants to know why you won’t answer the question: I have pictures and great friends in Mississippi, and know lots of folks from right down the road in Florida…yet, there’s nowhere near the whining and turmoil from them, and Florida gets hit routinely every year.
Mississippi Gulf Coast cities were completely destroyed. now they are rebuilding with what meager funds they get from FEMA (the thing that comes in AFTER a natural disaster).
please explain to me how 60 years of mismanaging the funds for levee improvement are President Bush’s fault.
1:47 pm [ Quote ]
[...] Expose The Left is here they also have the video. [...]
1:51 pm [ Quote ]
ATTENTION:
No one thinks bush can control the weather or that he controled poor levee maintainance! It is the poor federal RESPONCE thereafter that we are critical of! He deserves blame along with state and local. This is the last time that will be clairified. That work for you Mac?
1:54 pm [ Quote ]
The Patriot Act has passed 89-11, with most Democrats also voting for it. They had 4 years to think about it this time, too.
Here is a great article that deconstructs those who oppose the Patriot Act. Forward this to ‘liberals’ who you want to piss off..
1:56 pm [ Quote ]
Democrats are worthless fools that cannot help themselves. They will continue to blame any and all Republicans for everything because as THEY know Democrats are just perfect and NEVER make mistakes.
As far as I am concerned Bush had absolutely nothing to do with Katrina and NO responsibilty for it. This was a Louisiana state disaster that incompetent Democratic idiots allowed to happen.
Democrats=stupid incompetent corrupt jerks!
2:20 pm [ Quote ]
Let’s Get Real About Katrina…
Hurricane Katrina hit Lousiana on Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. Blanco did not specifically ask for military assistance. IT WASNT UNTIL 2 DAYS FULL DAYS LATER ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THAT BLANCO MADE A SPECIFIC REQUEST FOR FEDERAL TROOPS, WHICH WERE IMM….
3:02 pm [ Quote ]
WOW! Thank you GBAA!
For proving my point right here for everyone to see!
No, on second thought mabie you are right GBAA. He is only the President of the United States. What could he have done?
3:10 pm [ Quote ]
Who really gives a fuck anyway….
Everyone is still looking for someone to pin the blame on. I can understand some of this, but if you want to help, put your energy into helping the people of the gulf coast, whether that be to going down…...
3:11 pm [ Quote ]
“Odds are slim to none, and slim just left town.”
hahahha!
“Oliver Willis gave President Bush, what he thought was, a spanking. I wonder if he will give Kathleen Blanco one too? Doubt it.”
Oliver Willis would need to grow a lap before he could do any spanking.
4:14 pm [ Quote ]
“I’ll just watch a dvd of the news reports. Hope everything works out for you.”
Well, this video demonstrates that the reports he was getting on the ground from the officials was completely wrong. Combined with media reports of dozens of bodies piled up in the Superdome, isn’t it more wise to compile reliable reports rather than watching live reporters get everything wrong?
“It is the poor federal RESPONCE thereafter that we are critical of!”
You DO know that at the very time this conference call was taking place, the Bataan was flying rescue missions… right?
4:39 pm [ Quote ]
Ian,
Blanco has taken responsibility and put blame on herself for it. Perhaps she also needs to resign. But Bush hasn’t even done that much. The closets he came to acknowledging failure was stating that the federal response has been too little. In any case, in this disaster all local, state and federal levels failed miserably. Just ask yourself this: did anyone at any position of power do absolutely everything they possibly could have? Sadly, no. I suppose that’s what we get with a government that is drowned in a bath tub and full of incompetent officials.
4:47 pm [ Quote ]
w0rf,
The quote by Ian says that Blanco made those comments on Aug. 29th. On the Bataan’s own website, “Bataan began her involvement in the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts Aug. 30 by launching helicopters to aid in search and rescue missions.”
6:01 pm [ Quote ]
Were there mistakes made at the federal level? Probably.
Was the pre-hurricane management botched at the state and local levels? Definitely. If Bush hadn’t pressed for evacuation when he did, who knows how many MORE people would have perished?
I’ve had enough Monday morning quarterbacking about what SHOULD have been done in this unprecedented disaster that this hurricane wrought. “They should have known,” does not apply here.
Should we look at what happened to determine how we might do a better job in the future? Definitely.
Should we continue to throw out accusations of blame to score political points? I’ve had enough of it….
6:34 pm [ Quote ]
Look, Bush was briefed about the levees possibly being “topped?. That is not the same as breeched. Breeching levees entail a lot more water in faster flooding conditions. Not nitpicking specifics, just tired of words getting replaced and resulting in misleading a lot of people. Topped, not breached. Terminals, not entire ports.
Joe: but the problem is, Bush is getting a lot more publicity even though the local gov’ts are the first responders. Too many people are either still oblivious to Nagin and Blancos foul ups, or still refuse to acknowledge it because they for some reason think the fed is the first responder for natural disasters. And as Ian pointed out, Nagin and Blanco immediately blamed others, namely FEMA and Bush, and the media ate it up and spread it like a slanderous high school rumor.
Keith: I understand the slow federal response afterwards, but why isn’t anyone criticizing Nagin and Blanco for their inactions BEFORE the storm hit? Bush had to call Blanco and plee for an evacuation. All those abandoned and swamped busses? Refusing an offer from Amtrack to transport out some couple hundred people?
TheRobot: Proof please? I have yet to hear or read of Blanco or Nagin admitting they were wrong to only Blame Bush and/or accept responsibilities for their gross incompetence.
But here is another question. Why is 2/3 the money supposedly already gone, but hardly anything has been done yet for repairs? With 1/3 the money given to N.O. for Katrina relief, my unit could build enough houses (probably better quality and more spacious than the poor ones ruined) to compensate each person who lost their home. What is going on down there? This is why I was asking earlier, “Why is there not going to be any gov’t oversight on how this money is spent? N.O. already showed they mishandle money when they were spending money allocated for levee repairs on dredging and deepening the canals so ship traffic could continue thru. Why trust them again?”
7:21 pm [ Quote ]
As a Looosianan, I was STUNNED by the amount of National Guard help that arrived after the hurricanes. I mean, they were giving out mre’s and hot meals about every 2 miles on every road in southern Louisiana. You really had to see it to believe it. Unfortunately, I bet you didn’t see it
Obviously Nagin could have bussed more people out of New Orleans, and Blanco could have let the guard in earlier. I’m not sure what Bush or Brown could have done quicker without Blanco’s support, although I’m sure there was something. But blaming any of the various governments for this tragedy is nothing but politics. A city of half a million went under water for christ’s sake! The fact that only 1k people died is strong evidence that help was available.
Could they have ideally entered New Orleans a few days earlier? Sure. But I don’t think any lives were lost by the delay. They were lost because of the breach in the levy, or standard hurricane reasons. Maybe 5(?) more lives could have been saved if everything was done absolutely perfectly after the levy collapsed. Anyone who expects the government beurocracy to perform flawlessly obviously never worked for, or with any government agency.
6:59 am [ Quote ]
Hey….who’s in charge down there? You have a black mayor that left town and is a racist. You have a govenor that is incompetent. She blew it plain and simple. Nagin blew it and ran to Houston to his new mansion and Blanco blew it for being a complete ditz. Rusty the Dog and Walter the cat have more brains than she does.
8:15 am [ Quote ]
[...] Blanco Says Levees Are Safe (VIDEO) By Expose the Left [...]
9:42 am [ Quote ]
“The quote by Ian says that Blanco made those comments on Aug. 29th. On the Bataan’s own website, “Bataan began her involvement in the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts Aug. 30 by launching helicopters to aid in search and rescue missions.?”
Scribe, I already corrected my mis-statement on your own site, along with pointing out that the media was saying that same night that New Orleans had “dodged a bullet”. It wasn’t until everyone woke up Tuesday morning to this catastrophe that there was a known problem, and only because the pumps had become swapmed and shut down, so they could no longer keep up with the emptying of the lake into the city.
My own innocent error of fact, which I have openly acknowledged and corrected on two distinct occasions now, does not excuse the fact that you are nitpicking Ian’s choice of words, when the bottom line is that the information the President was receiving from the people on the ground was incomplete and/or wrong.
9:43 am [ Quote ]
CNN’s morning-after coverage
The storm was described as doing a lot of damage, “topping” and “straining” (but not “breeching”) the levees, the storm did its damage and moved on, officials said wait a week (A WEEK!) before coming back home. The secondary catastrophe of Katrina was unanticipated.