State of the Union Fallout, Pt. III: Does The President Know What It Means To Forget New Orleans?

In case you blinked and missed it, here's what the President said about New Orleans-

A hopeful society comes to the aid of fellow citizens in times of suffering and emergency – and stays at it until they are back on their feet. So far the Federal government has committed 85 billion dollars to the people of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. We are removing debris, repairing highways, and building stronger levees. We are providing business loans and housing assistance. Yet as we meet these immediate needs, we must also address deeper challenges that existed before the storm arrived. In New Orleans and in other places, many of our fellow citizens have felt excluded from the promise of our country. The answer is not only temporary relief, but schools that teach every child … and job skills that bring upward mobility … and more opportunities to own a home and start a business. As we recover from a disaster, let us also work for the day when all Americans are protected by justice, equal in hope, and rich in opportunity.

And that's it.

On September 15 of last year, the President stood in New Orleans' Jackson Square and gave a lengthy prime-time speech to address the disaster. It was a speech so great in scope and rhetoric that, following it, pundits were comparing his proposals to Roosevelt's New Deal and Johnson's Great Society. In that speech, the President promised "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen". And that's no small promise. He pledged that "we will do what it takes, we will stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives". He spoke of the horrors we watched, seeing "fellow Americans calling out for food and water, vulnerable people left at the mercy of criminals who had no mercy, and the bodies of the dead lying uncovered and untended in the street". He rightfully compared the destruction to the events of September 11th, noting that "Americans have every right to expect a more effective response in a time of emergency" and also stating that, as President, he is "responsible for the problem, and for the solution". Discussing how Congress would assess what went wrong and how we can move forward, he stated that "Congress is preparing an investigation, and I will work with members of both parties to make sure this effort is thorough". In short, he promised us that "This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina".

From all that to just one paragraph in only four months. How sad.

Here's the reality of current events...

MSNBC: Katrina investigation gets limited support-
White House cooperation on hurricane response failures less than promised

Ratcheting up a battle with Congress, the Bush White House is now refusing to turn over Hurricane Katrina related documents or make senior officials available for testimony. The administration contends executive branch discussions about the storm are not open to review by Congress...

...It was Senator Lieberman, the president‘s favorite Democrat, who on Tuesday alleged the Bush administration‘s refusal to cooperate has killed the Katrina investigation. "There has been a near-total lack of cooperation that has made it impossible, in my opinion, for us to do the thorough investigation we have a responsibility to do."...

AP: Probe Faults Feds for Katrina Response

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff or another top official should have been a central focal point of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, congressional investigators asserted Wednesday, saying the lack of a clear chain of command hindered relief efforts.

The Government Accountability Office also found that the government still lacks sufficient plans and training programs to prepare for catastrophic disasters like the Aug. 29 storm that devastated much of the Gulf Coast area...

This is a disgrace. Democrats (or someone), please hold them accountable for this. The people of the Gulf Coast deserve better.

[PS- Craig Crawford looks at this as well- SOTU: The Six Sentence Disaster]