Nobody Could Have Predicted...

First and Last in A Series of "Where Are They Now, A Year Later?"

This is one of my favorite spontaneous photo-ops from a year ago. Somehow, these two manage to get past the legion of Secret Service to give W a big ole' hug for the wonderful job he was doing before, during and after the Katrina disaster. The woman is holding a garbage bag to suggest she's out doing clean-up work. Both the woman and the girl are remarkably clean for people out sorting through debris full of mud and whatever else. This was so obviously staged that the answer as to "where are they now" probably could best be answered by Central Casting.

The Unnoun

As we know,
There are known nouns.
There are nouns we know we know.
We also know there are known unnouns (like suicider and decider).
That is to say, we know there are some things, we do not know (like how to tell the truth).
But there are also unknown unnouns (perhaps war criminaler or torture condoner).
The ones we don't know we don't know (which are likely quite numerous).

George W. Bush at swearing in ceremony for Joseph Allbaugh, March 05, 2001.

We never know where FEMA will be needed next, but we do know what makes this agency so effective, more than 2,000 dedicated employees all across America; 4,000 standby employees, ready if needed; an ethic of professionalism and a willingness to work with state and local officials to help people in need.

As governor, I worked with FEMA officials. Joe and I have great respect for the outgoing director, James Lee Witt, and for the acting director, John McGaw. A lot of change is needed in Washington, but in this agency the standards are already high.

Every year, many thousands of Americans live through floods and hurricanes and fires. They know from personal experience that FEMA is an example of the federal government at its best.

FEMA Announces Organizational and Functional Changes
Release Date: June 18, 2001
Release Number: HQ-01-060

Washington, DC -- Joe M. Allbaugh, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has announced a realignment of functions within the agency and the establishment of the Office of National Preparedness. The realignment is effective immediately and will be fully implemented by August 25, 2001, Allbaugh said.

"After serving as director for several months, I recognized that the existing organization is not the best fit for the evolving mission of the agency, nor does it support President Bush's restructuring and streamlining goals," Allbaugh said. "The structure that I'm announcing is how I see us operating to best maximize our workforce, meet mission requirements and comply with the administration's requirements for workforce planning and restructuring."

A little over 4 months after taking the helm, Allbaugh, with no previous disaster management experience, decides to reorganize the premiere federal agency, which, according to his boss is an example of "federal government at its best.".

And they said Kerry was a flip-flopper! When the GOP talks about privatization of government functions, what they mean as a way to dole out contracts to their cronies, associates and supporters with no regard to competently carrying out that function.

For an example of how this push to grant government contracts based on patronage and not cost or competent completion see my post regarding the private bus debacle after Katrina.

http://nobodycouldhavepredicted.blogspot.com/2005/09/connecting-no-buses-dots-something.html

I've never heard of any reports or investigations of this blatant abuse by FEMA of their contracting apparatus. The trite adage of "follow the money" is unfortuately still appropriate.

Rule: Never accept anything that shines a positive light on this adminstration at face value!

Now that 2,500 marines are "involuntarily" being called back to active duty...

From the Rude Pundit

President Bush met today with Rockey Vaccarella, a Katrina survivor who lost everything in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, and who drove a mock FEMA trailer to DC in order to talk with Bush about Katrina relief. Unlike, say, Cindy Sheehan, Bush invited Vaccarella into the White House and had coffee with him. And then, as if to prove that the hurricane had made him batshit insane, Vaccarella offered this while standing next to the President: "I just wish the president could have another term in Washington... You know, I wish you had another four years, man. If we had this president for another four years, I think we'd be great."

Link to Rude Pundit

As it turns out, probably due the Bush/Rove inspired level of cynicism, that "Rocky" may not have mentioned his GOP roots.

Does Rocky sound too good to be true?
By: John Amato @ 1:10 PM - PDT

Is it too much to ask that our liberal media do a little checking? Digby wondered too…

Attywood:

In fact, we had a hunch — that maybe, just maybe, Rockey Vaccarella had a background himself in GOP politics.

And, whaddya know? Turns out that the earthy Vaccarella — a highly successful businessman in the fast-food industry — is indeed a Republican pol, having run unsuccessfully under the GOP banner for a seat on the St. Bernard Parish commission back in 1999. We don’t have a good link, but here (via Nexis) is part of his bio that ran in the New Orleans Times-Picayune on Oct. 15, 1999:

Crooks & Liars

So, as usual, the Stage Crafted Perception Managment Team is hard at work. Too bad they don't put this kind of effort into actually getting something done in Mississippi and Louisiana, or Iraq for that matter.

McCain, once purported to be a straight-talker, has repeatedly revealed himself as an extreme partisan who supports and votes for other republican no matter FUBAR their policies are. What little respect I had left for McCain was erased today by his appearance on Meet the Press.

When questioned by David Gregory about his continued support for the Iraq war, and most notably of the Bush administration, McCain weasels with the best of them.

One thing struck me as crying out for a follow-up question for McCain. Alas, it was not to be. The following exchange took place after the litany of Iraq mistakes was laid bare.

MR. GREGORY: Why, why would you still support a group that you think has, has been so flawed?

SEN. McCAIN: Because serious mistakes have been made in every war. General MacArthur, our greatest general, told Harry Truman, “Don’t worry, those Chinese won’t come across the Yalu.” There are mistakes are made in war, that’s why we try to avoid them. And this is an elected president. I think he’s led our nation very capably.

My follow-up question would have been along the lines of, "So, do you think the adminstration did everything possible to avoid this war?"

Note: If McCain views the Bush adminstration leadership record as one of "very capably," he needs to adjust his medication.

the one branch of the federal government charged with the final determination of whether a governmental action is in violation of the U.S. Constitution would find that the Bush administration's wiretapping scheme is illegal and unconstitutional.

And NCHP that the mighty GOP Wurlitzer, and 101st Keyboarders would attack the judge who made the ruling.

The shameless and corrupt Richard Pombo sent out another blatantly self-promoting mailer at taxpayer expense. He's abused the "franking privilege" in the past and this is another example of how he squanders taxpayer money for his own political ends.

George W. Bush and others have repeatedly used the phrase "stay the course" for our occupation of the once-sovereign nation of Iraq. They have tried to portray anyone who questions their actions as a "cut and run," unpatriotic, treasonous, white flag waving, terrorist sympathizer.

Now, the new phrase coming from the mealy-mouth of Ken Mehlman is "adapt and win." For sure, the GOP and their media Wurlitzer press the point that it's important that we achieve victory in Iraq, whatever form such a victory may take. They insist the it's vital for our national interests; vital to the ulitmate goal of a peaceful middle east, vital to the perception of any who would conspire against us that we have the resolve, means and motivation to fight for our country.

However, I believe there is another reason victory is so important, or at least the perception of victory is so important to these warmongering chickenhawks which can best be expressed by Prescott Bush's pecuniary beneficiary.

I shall give a propagandist reason for starting the war, no matter whether it is plausible or not. The victor will not be asked afterwards whether he told the truth or not. When starting and waging war, it is not right that matters, but victory. Adolf Hitler.

Victory is important because victors get to write the history of the events. In this case, victory may keep those nagging questions about cherry-picked intelligence, prevarications and outright fabrications from being used as evidence in a war crimes trial.

The first campaign ad for Lamont should be how the Lieberman hit squad falsely accused them of bringing down Joe's lame website. That's right. Joe jumps to conclusions without sufficient evidence or proof and then attacks the wrong person. Sound familiar?

Hopefully, Bush's support will be the last straw for any Connecticut democrats who still question where Joke Mentum's loyalties lie.

Anyone remember the contentious period after the 2000 election where the republican party was conniving on how to make their theft of the election come to fruition and drive a stake into the heart of our democracy? Back then, even though the outcome had not been yet determined by the 5 to 4 vote in the politically biased Supreme Court, republican operatives and assorted other whiners were calling Joe Lieberman, Joe Loserman. You won't be hearing that from these hypocrites today after Bush toady Joe Mentum got his ass handed to him by a political novice.

Now they plan to support his candidacy as an "independent" even though the voters of Connecticut rejected Joe and his monotone drone. One can only hope the voters in Connecticut have the good sense to send this DB to the trash heap of political history.

Interviewer: Ms. Rice, if I were to ask you which Ferragamo shoes you like best, what would you say?

Rice: That's a hypothetical and I can't answer a hypothetical.

Follow this link. If this report had this title, maybe the mainstream media would not ignore it. Granted, lies and deceptions that cause death and destruction or erode our constitutional protections are not as salacious as accusing a sitting president of sexual impropriety or rape.