And just as importantly, why are the White House and FEMA now claiming that they had no idea Katrina was going to be this bad when the president declared an emergency in Louisiana last Saturday, two days before the storm even hit?
Note the specific language from the White House Web site:
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
"At its discretion." FEMA was given blanket authority by the president, a week ago, to do whatever it deemed necessary to help with this "emergency."
So, we've uncovered yet another lie from the White House and FEMA. FEMA had the authority to intervene a week ago. And Bush declared Louisiana an emergency a week ago, then promptly stayed on vacation another 5 days in spite of the fact that he clearly knew this was an emergency.
Tags: Katrina
