Home > Rice Defends Bush’s Katrina Response

Rice Defends Bush’s Katrina Response

by Open-Publishing - Tuesday 6 September 2005
5 comments

Governments Catastrophes USA

By LARA JAKES JORDAN

BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended President Bush on Sunday against charges that the government’s sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina showed racial insensitivity.

Nobody, especially the president, would have left people unattended on the basis of race,'' the administration's highest-ranking black said as she toured damaged parts of her native Alabama. Later, during a service at the Pilgrim Rest AME Zion church outside Mobile, Rice nodded in agreement as the Rev. Malone Smith Jr. advised the congregation,Wait for the Lord.’’

There are some things the president can do; there are some things the government can do,'' Smith told about 300 worshippers during a rollicking two-hour service.But God can do all things. I want you to know he’s never late. He’s always on time.’’

Rice later echoed the call for patience.

The Lord is going to come on time - if we just wait,'' she said. It was a sort of homecoming for Rice, an Alabama native and granddaughter of a Presbyterian minister. Her visit came as some black leaders, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, have complained bitterly about the slow response to the disaster, whose victims have been disproportionately black and poor. They have said racial injustice was a factor in the government's slow relief effort.How can that be the case? Americans don’t want to see Americans suffer,’’ Rice said. Nobody, especially the president, would have left people unattended on the basis of race.'' Since Katrina struck, an estimated 70 nations, from Azerbaijan to Venezuela, have offered hundreds of millions in cash donations for the federal government to relay to the American Red Cross, Rice said. Many countries have also donated supplies, ranging from helicopters and medical aid to food and blankets. After the church service, Rice visited a community center in Bayou La Batre, one of Alabama's hardest hit areas. Flood waters following Katrina reached 11 feet in some places in southern Alabama, while about 718,000 homes and businesses in Mobile were left without power for days, and at least two people died. Republican Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, escorting Rice through the community, said power had been restored to all but about 50,000 residents and businesses, while up to 2,500 Alabamians were still looking for shelter.It was devastating, but in comparison to what they had in southern Mississippi and Louisiana, it kind of pales in comparison,’’ Riley said.

While welcoming Rice, some Alabamians expressed frustration with the administration’s response.

It's so unfortunate that the time it's taken to rescue them is too long,'' Democratic state Rep. Yvonne Kennedy said at the church service.Had the response been more timely, I think we could have saved lives. To be so slow in coming, people lose hope.’’

While touring domestic disasters falls outside her official domain, Rice told Bush that ``if there is anything I can do outside of my responsibilities as secretary of state, I’d be happy to do that, too.’’ She was criticized last week for attending a Broadway show and shopping in New York during an abbreviated vacation. (AP)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlate...

Forum posts

  • If this hard to look at individual, Condi Rice, had an origional thought and did not need someone else to pull her strings, then it might make sense that she would have had the compassion to leave her vacation and be there to give aide. This woman is the laughing stock of America. During her confirmation, Democratics stated over and over that she had no previous experience which would entitle her to fill the position of Secretary of State. Whopi Goldberg would have done a better job fulfilling this position.

    • Of course she supports the current puppet in the white house. The bottom line is she knowns where her chitlings, sow belly and cornpone is coming from. Like they say one for all, and all for one. They must support each other, you see. Otherwise they don’t qualify. Classic example is the honcho of fema. He was kicked out as a horse association member, yet he’s qualified to oversee fema? Where have we descended to? Croneyism? Dictatorship? What?????

    • Condaloser is always there to change Georgies diapers. When he leaves a big shitty mess, Condi comes to the rescue, diaperbag in tow. Around they White house they call her mammy, but she is really just another loser like Georgie.

  • Bush had advance warning of the magnitude of the hurricane. He had advance warning that the levees would fail which would cause the city to fill up like a bowl. He knew that he appointed an inexperienced and mind-bogglingly incompetent head of FEMA. He knew that those that didn’t leave New Orleans for the most part, couldn’t leave. He was asked to help by both the Mayor of New Orleans & by the Governor of Louisana and failed to get help to those in need. He knew that the USS Bataan was off the coast of Louisana and sat unused. Amazingly, bush found time to go to Senator McCain’s birthday party, play the guitar and make speeches on medicare and the war all AFTER the hurricane while people were dying for lack of help. The only reason that Condi found bush’s behavior defensible because her behavior was no more responsible or compassionate. Her prioritites in the days following the hurricane: going to a broadway show, a tennis match and shoe shopping. All the while, Cheney was busy mansion-shopping and Rumy was going to a San Diago Padres game. Meanwhile the FEMA moron, Brown, turned down offers of water, food and rescue help from volunteers offering plane and boat rescue services.

    The only excuse for their NON-RESPONSE is the one that we ALL ALREADY KNOW; THEY DIDN’T CARE THAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT DIED!!!!!!! We all know that the only lives that count in bush’s "culture of life" are the lives of those that are rich, white, republican or all of the above.

    The only evolution that he believes in is survival of the richest.

    • I suppose when in doubt the race card is the easiest to throw about - this kind of thinking will not serve you well as it is tired, needy and shows a lack of intellect, especially if the ultimate goal is to persuade others to join your cause - but I don’t suppose that would occur to you.

      When you suggest that Bush’s "lack of response" is racially motivated you lose your credibility instantly with fair-minded individuals (right wingers won’t be swayed anyway). Also, i’m curious what your response would have been in a similar situation - I suspect you do not know where primary responsibilty lies with responding to such a crisis, namely with state and local government, at least initially.

      Those in your camp would be the first to decry the abuse of federal power if Bush would have invoked action unilaterally - and you know it.

      Finally, despite what I thought about Clinton’s political philosophy (which I disagreed with) I never underestimated him as a politician. Clearly he was gifted. Your continual whining about Bush’s lack of intellect & your inability to see past the fact that the 2000 election is over leaves your current arguments impotent. Thankfully you will never change.