Clueless

September 3, 2005 by Jeff Jarvis
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Homeland Security boss Chertoff just said regarding the slow move-up of military to New Orleans: “We don’t ask them to pack up in 24 hours unless it’s a real emergency.” Incredible.

  • http://oodja.blogspot.com Jersey Exile

    With quotes like these, do we really need a bipartisan investigation to determine who f***ed up here?

  • http://www.feedwriter.com Greg Burton

    Dec. 26, 0059 GMT Quake hits.
    Dec. 26, 0130 GMT Tsunami hits.
    Dec. 28, Relief operation begins.
    Jan 1. US Aircraft carrier arrives in Indonesia, sending helicopters, heavy machinery, and water purifcation equipment to Banda Aceh.

    June 24, 1948: Blockade of Berlin begins.
    June 25, 1948: Berlin airlift begins.
    May 12, 1949: Blockade ends.
    September 30, 1949: Airlift ends.

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  • Grray

    Good comparison, Greg! I want to add one, too:

    ‘Frequent Wind turned out to be the helicopter evacuation of Saigon from the Defense Attaché’s Office at Tan Son Nhut and from the embassy compound itself. Some 6,236 passengers were removed to safety, despite severe harassing fire.’

    Once upon a time, there was a country confident that everything was possible. But then a clown named ‘Dubya’ became president. His prayer was ‘can’t do’, and he appointed lots of buddies who only fulfilled low expertations, but still got promoted regularly. And the country lived happy ever after, until evil Katrina hit ‘em…

  • http://www.danuloff.com/craig/blog/ Craig Danuloff

    The entire speach and Q&A was pathetic. The worst was his attempt to explain/justify their failure because ‘this was actually 2 disasters’. He made it sound like he was so busy doing a bang-up job on the first disaster, that he just couldn’t make it over to the 2nd. Of course, no reporters questioned the idiocy of this premise.

    There is one question that must be repeated until they answer (hopefully with resignations): Why did people have to suffer and die at the SuperDome and Convention Center (let alone the rest of the city) for four days without ANY assistance? Neither the total size of the disaster nor the thousands of other rescue/relief efforts that did take place answer that question.

    This man is an insult to America.

  • trygve

    Unbelievable …

    I don’t suppose you have a source to cite for that? I can’t find the quote in Google News.

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