1) "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
–President Bush, on "Good Morning America," Sept. 1, 2005,
six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of
damage expected from Hurricane Katrina
2) "What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want
to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.
And so many of the people in the arena here, you know,
were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) – this is working
very well for them."
–Former First Lady Barbara Bush, on the Hurricane flood evacuees
in the Houston Astrodome, Sept. 5, 2005
3) "It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild
a city that's seven feet under sea level....It looks like a
lot of that place could be bulldozed."
–House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.)
4) "We've got a lot of rebuilding to do ... The good news is
and it's hard for some to see it now that out of this chaos
is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before.
Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house he's lost his entire
house there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking
forward to sitting on the porch." (Laughter)
President Bush, touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005
5) "Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans,
virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going
relatively well."
FEMA Director Michael Brown, Sept. 1, 2005
6) "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
–President Bush, to FEMA director Michael Brown,
while touring Hurricane-ravaged Mississippi, Sept. 2, 2005
7) "I have not heard a report of thousands of people in the
convention center who don't have food and water."
–Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff,
on NPR's "All Things Considered," Sept. 1, 2005
8) "Well, I think if you look at what actually happened,
I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and
I saw headlines, 'New Orleans Dodged the Bullet.'
Because if you recall, the storm moved to the east
and then continued on and appeared to pass with considerable
damage but nothing worse."
–Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff,
blaming media coverage for his failings,
"Meet the Press," Sept. 4, 2005
9) "I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and
then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings.
There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who
decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences
to not leaving.
–Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sept. 6, 2005
10) "You simply get chills every time you see these poor
individuals...many of these people, almost all of them
that we see are so poor and they are so black, and this
is going to raise lots of questions for people who are
watching this story unfold."
CNN's Wolf Blitzer, on New Orleans' hurricane evacuees, Sept. 1, 2005
(THIS IS WHAT THE BUSH'S CONSIDER A PHOTO OP !!!)
"Strangely, some people have been saying that this picture is "doctored"
Gee, I don't think so....................
looks like an accurate depiction to me..............
(except perhaps for the missing beer can and Halliburton T-shirts)"