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Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment"?

By Last Night in Little Rock, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Thu Sep 15, 2005 at 04:24:12 PM EST
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by Last Night in Little Rock

CNN just reported on air that tonight's speech in NOLA by the President would be a "defining moment" for his presidency. Wrong.

His defining moment, to me, was when he stupidly said "nobody thought the levee would break" when the NOLA doomsday scenario was on everybody's mind who ever had a sentient thought about the fact a hurricane could destroy NOLA. Key words: "sentient thought."

I love it when somebody wants to tell me that something is a "defining moment" after the excrement has already hit the proverbial fan. Picking through the excrement for the "defining moment" never has worked well for anybody, except those looking for a salvagable "defining moment."

Bush's defining moment passed three weeks ago. He never saw it coming, and he never saw it leave. Opportunity after opportunity squandered. He and all his incompetent crew simply blew it. The could have been heros, but they came off like watching the "Three Stooges at the White House." By the time they realized Elvis left the building, they were standing around with Cherthoff and Brown looks (i.e., "why did I ask for this job?" "what the hell do we do now?") on their faces.

It took an outraged media and plummeting poll numbers to get somebody's attention. Not the President's, of course, because he doesn't watch or read the news. He apparently has ADD.

Or maybe I'm all wrong about the President. Maybe this was all just a Machiavellian stroke of genius to let NOLA drown so Halliburton, Bechtel, and all the other buttboys of the President could clean up.

And so it goes...

Update: (TL) The text of Bush's speech is here.

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    Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment"? | 27 comments (27 topical)
    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#1)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    Bankrupting the federal government so he can privatize social security and cut funding for all social services. The money is not lost because it gets recycled to Haliburton et.al.; big companies=big employers. Sounds pretty Machiavellian to me. The Chimp King and his court are not to be underestimated.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#2)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    1. Most of the goals he laid out are long-term, only achievable some time after he leaves office, if at all. He gets credit for starting this grand rebuilding effort, the next guy (probably a moderate Democrat) gets stuck with either making it happen or explaining why it falls short.
    2. No word on how to pay for it all.
    3. He wants NO rebuilt better than before. Is that really the taxpayers' responsibility? I can see building it more hurricane-resistant than before, but does it have to be prettier?
    4. He said "inspectors general" instead of "inspector generals".
    5. He acknowledged that racial discrimination contributed to poverty.
    6. The Gulf Opportunity Zone is corporate welfare on overdrive.
    7. He's promising to do things the feds haven't figured out how to do well, such as getting people to own rather than rent homes, and providing training for jobs before the jobs come.
    8. The idea of giving federal land to individuals and families who will build on it sounds interesting.
    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    The President’s prime-time "Katrina Comeback" address was vintage Bush. Primarily designed to help him, and not the Gulf States, recover from his administration’s disastrous bungling of the Katrina response, Bush’s speech offered to shower money on the devastated South. But in his typical fashion, George W. Bush held no one accountable and shunned independent oversight of the response and the rebuilding. Most of all, the Free Lunch President refused to ask the American people to pay for it. For the full story, see: "Bush's Katrina Cop Out"

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    the blue background and the blue shirt made it look like a giant floating head. He said we all saw the horrific images on television (except for him) and I realized that this is a guy who doesn't watch television and tv right or wrong, is the window on the world 24/7, especially tragedy. Plus the whole backdrop of rebuilding Iraq going so badly, how can we trust him to do right in his own backyard....very scary.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    The link to the text of the speech is broken. Try this.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    The chimp is doing his level best to bankrupt us...

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#7)
    by The Heretik on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    "Army of compassion" did not come across for me. The odd grin flashed. Disaffected. Struggling. Oy.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#8)
    by Nowonmai on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    I read his speech, and I agree with a friend of mine: He has a new speech writer. that speech is nothing more than a bribe to the masses, an attempt to make him seem like an intelligent and feeling human being, and it just doesn't quite come across. Bribery to the people affected by Katrina and humongous payouts in the way of 'gov't rebuilding contracts' to his buddies, and cronies. I hope that people don't suddenly develope amnesia about his and his appointees actions and lack of actions.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#9)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    Well, this is what a black person said at the Astrodome:
    All of those interviewed at the Astrodome were black. They were all evacuees from New Orleans. When the first person was asked if she believed the President she said “yes.” She said that what the President said lifted her up and gave her hope. When the reporter questioned her about the slow response of the federal government, she said they did a good job once they got there and that she blamed the local and state officials, who had not done their jobs. She said they were the ones there when the storm hit and they did not do what they needed to do. Then she got on a rant about the buses that were not used. She later said she blamed Mayor Nagin personally.
    Link Just goes to show you how smart the American people really are.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#10)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    Would the buses have been necessary if the order by Ray Nagin to plug the levee hadn't been inexplicably "lost"?

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#11)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    Also, upon cursory inspection, the levees broke in places where they were unreinrorced dirt. The money to shore them up was pretty much taken directly from Louisiana and sent to Halliburton for their signature $100 loads of laundry. Go feds.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#12)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    I can't watch Chimpy without my trusty vomit-bucket.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#13)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    inspector general n. pl. inspectors general Abbr. IG An officer with general investigative powers within a civil, military, or other organization.
    Inspectors general would be correct, like mothers-in-law.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#14)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    ppj-nice subterfuge, your link to wingnut pundit site is a hijack and is as BS as your fake quote. Even if it were a real quote it does not prove a thing, except that a Black person chose to praise the Chimp as opposed to venting about him. That's how we like them Blacks, huh ppjAKAkkk, nice and docile.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    Jim hasn't corrected his statement that "if Brown was fired, it was for politics." He also tried to pretend to this: "As for Brown’s confirmation, it wasn’t Lieberman. He was unanimously confirmed by a Senate in which the Democrats had the majority." Which is also a lie. Brown was promoted to Chief, against Lieberman's express views, because of a technicality in the DHS bill. He was not given a Senate floor vote -- the DHS bill was. Jim is an old tart with a whore's taste in men. He doesn't hold a candle for Bush, Chertov, or Brown, but he surprisingly comes on and defends them at every single turn, generally with LIES.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#16)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    Think Progress has the talking points distributed to Wingnut Pundits. link via kos

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#17)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    ppj-Here it is from the lips you love to ape. The entire nation, he said, saw the poverty that "has roots in a history of racial discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America." Polls show that black Americans are far angrier and more skeptical than whites about the administration's actions since the storm. link

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    No levees failed in New Orleans. What failed were the flood walls, and there is a distinction. Levees are by definition unreinforced earthen mounds, which in and of itself is not bad. Most manmade lakes in the US are created with earthen dams. Flood walls are walls made of reinforced concrete that are built with pilings on an earthen base. What failed was reinforced concrete, not dirt.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#19)
    by peacrevol on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    I volunteered at my local rec center where we were housing some of these NO evacuees. The plain and simple truth is that EVERYBODY knew the levees or flood walls or whatever would break. I was told by some of the evacuees that in the days right before the hurricane, New Orleans residents were saying to each other, "Man I hope the levees dont break." Everyone knew they were not capable of withstanding a big storm and everyone knew that the pumps were old. If Bush didnt know, it was his own fault b/c everyone else did.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    Squeaky, sweetie. I read'em sometime and I post'em sometime. Now, if you have any proof that the quote is not accurate, please provide it. In the meantime, I'll just put your rant down to bias. Squeaky, your poll may be true; your poll may not be true. I'll just take it as presented and say that I do not believe there was any institutionalized racism involved in the attempts to help NO and the 90,000 square miles damaged by the hurricane. That racial discrimination exists in certain individuals, I have no doubt. That racial discrimination caused part of the problems we have today, I have no doubt, and you cannot find a comment by me saying otherwise. Indeed, if you go back through the archives you will see that I support affirmative action, although I see its need coming to an end. The policies that have created the hell holes of our inner cities have been debated endlessly, and we are not apt to solve them here. And, as a son of the south, indeed the son of a sharecropper, I have seen the problems of racism, poverty and class discrimination up close and personal. But I have also seen that all Americans can, through education and work, find a better life. That is the uniqueness of America. PIL – My information re Brown’s confirmation is as I wrote. I provided a link, and just went to Google and again found a copy of the hearings. I would copy it, but I really see no need to pay much attention to people who write such things as:
    Jim is an old tart with a whore's taste in men
    I must admit that I at first thought you had improved your insult abilities. But then I Googled your insult and discovered you had stolen it. I am LOL. BTW - It is somewhat of a Hobson's Choice, but on the whole I think it is better to have a whore's taste than to be one. What say you, PIL? Quick! Google up a snappy reply.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#21)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:54 PM EST
    They were high sounding words. Too bad they sound more like a response to a perceived "PR problem" than anything else...

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:55 PM EST
    edger - Well, let me give you some low sounding words. What you see is what you get. Leave it, like it, or lump it. Tell me. Does being a consultant make you think that everyone is dishonest? Or just those you disagree with.

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#24)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:56 PM EST
    DA - Is your name "Edger?"

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#25)
    by roger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:57 PM EST
    W's defining moment was "My pet goat". Everything after that is just more of the same

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:57 PM EST
    In answer to your question: Is only edger allowed to respond to your dumba** remarks? Trying to limit my freedom of speech, eh?

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#27)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:57 PM EST
    Jim:
    edger - Well, let me give you some low sounding words. DA - Is your name "Edger?"
    Rough day Jim? Reduced to your worn out gambit of "attack the speaker" instead of "discuss the opinion"?

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#28)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:57 PM EST
    Jim:
    Does being a consultant make you think that everyone is dishonest?
    Just "snake oil salesmen".

    Re: Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment" (none / 0) (#29)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:57 PM EST
    Jim:
    let me give you some low sounding words...
    OK, why change now?

    Tonight's NOLA Speech Bush's "Defining Moment"? | 27 comments (27 topical)