CA BDS; Prez is wrong either way
Yesterday I wrote about Barbara Boxer’s terminal bout of Bush Derangement Syndrome, apparently coupled with Tourette Syndrome, when she blurted out that they only had half of the National Guard troops they needed to fight the fire in California. The National Guard was quick to respond that they’d only drawn 1700 troops from their available 17,000 and there was no shortage of equipment – and Boxer’s staff scrubbed her statement on her official website to remove any traces of BDS.
Well, Bill Sammon tells of another bout of BDS which struck another California politician in the Washington Examiner;
President Bush is pushing ahead with a visit to fire-ravaged California Thursday, despite complaints from the state’s top Democrat that the trip is a “public relations†stunt that will distract firefighters.
“I got some doubt about the value of President Bush coming out here,†said California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi on MSNBC. “How many times did he go to New Orleans and still made promises, but hasn’t delivered?â€
It was a pointed reference to Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged New Orleans in 2005 and exposed weaknesses in the emergency preparedness of local, state and federal authorities. Although Bush was criticized by liberals for not visiting New Orleans soon enough, Garamendi accused the president of visiting California too soon.
“It’s public relations,†Garamendi said. “OK, President Bush comes out, we’ll be polite. But frankly, that’s not the solution. How about sending our National Guard back from Iraq so that we have those people available here to help us?â€
[Emphasis mine]
Can you imagine the uproar Garamendi would have made if the President hadn’t gone to see the fires? There would have been comments similar to the comments they made after 9-11 when he continued reading to children and then flew to Nebraska to his bunker. Did any Republicans disparage Bill Clinton for visiting disaster areas? Does anyone remember any Republicans complaining about the lack of equipment or funds to deal with the various natural disasters in the 90s? Nope.
The Democrats used Hurricane Andrew against the first President Bush – there was no FEMA before Hurricane Andrew, that President Bush created it as a clearing house for emergency response coordination. And they continue to use Katrina against this President Bush, even though this President Bush and FEMA urged local government to EVACUATE THREE DAYS before the levees broke. What kind of “jackbooted thug” comments would we be listening to today if Bush had forcibly evacuated New Orleans with Federal troops?
So I guess Garamendi will be running against President Bush for the governor of California this next year.
Bloodthirsty Liberal asks “How much do these people suck”? My answer would be “Immeasurably”. Gaius at Blue Crab Boulevard writes that Schwartzenegger is getting praised, though. Pam Meister at Blogmeister wants to know why it’s OK to talk smack about California residents after we had to be so careful not to disparage New Orleans’. Actually, I’d like to know, too (although I suspect we both know the answer).
Category: Politics
