NEWS: Bush: 'I Take Responsibility For U.S. Failures'

President Bush today announced that he accepts full responsibility for the federal government's failures in responding to Hurricane Katrina. Bush also said he wants to know what went right and what went wrong so that he can determine whether the United States was prepared for another storm, or an attack.




Bush has taken responsibility for the failed efforts to help the people of New Orleans earlier and many people already believe that he is to blame...But i dont!

How can anyone blame ONE MAN for the chaos that erupted after Katrina struck?
It was the fault of a nation ill prepared for such a disaster.

President Bush will undoubtedly take all the abuse in the aftermath of Katrina, but although he must shoulder some of the blame he cannot be held solely responible, others must take the blame too!

'Here Here'

Brilliantly said!

I too believe that Bush is not to blame for the fiasco in New Orleans, but once again the 'Bush bashers' will use it against him whenever they can!


Mic

So go ahead, sack a whole bunch of 'em

Shrub is just going for the sympathy angle now. He's owned up to being ill prepared and he's very sorry. What a swell guy, everybody unfurl the made-in-China flags and pray for him

I just love watching politics, I rarely know when to laugh, cry or just vomit!

With this statement, G W Bush has risen several steps in my estimation of his ability as a president. It is opposite of what I expected of him and I, as a Canadian, applaud his honesty.

I also agree with his statement regarding those 1rst responders...they can share none of the blame associated with the inability of FEMA and DHS to come to grips with the reality of the hurricane and subsequent flooding, both prior to the event as well as in response.

Now, if only the conspiracist mindset I nurture can get past notions of scalar, haarp and hints of mysterious explosions regarding New Orleans' levees...

I never thought I'd say it, but "Well-done Mr. President"! It's about time he started acting with a little honor. I'm really quite shocked, but pleasantly so.

It was the fault of a nation ill prepared for such a disaster.

The problem with this is that when you blame a 'nation' no one has to change. No one has to take responsibility to fix anything. A 'nation' isn't an entity that can be held accountable.

It's the job of the senior in charge, whether it be the coach of a football team, the project manager of group or the president of a nation to stand up and say, "This is a failure. I take responsibility." That's just leadership. It doesn't mean everything he did was wrong or that he was the only one who did something wrong. It's just saying that he is taking responsibility to see that this doesn't happen again.

Responsibility is NOT the same as blame.

This is the first indication I've seen from him in years that there is anything respectable about him at all. I support and appreciate his statement. I hope it's sincere...

Look... this country is what it is. For the time being at least. Hopefully we'll change for the better in years to come. I don't want to appear as a 'Bush-basher' but will openly state that I never voted for him and have been largely horrified at the direction he's led this country and the events that have fallen out of that leadership. I'm 53 and have obviously seen a number of admininstrations over the course of my lifetime. No, Bush isn't singularly responsible for the Katrina debacle. But the people he chose to work for him and their choices in-turn did fail the people of the Gulf Coast in spectacular fashion. For that he most certainly is responsible. Yes, the mayors and goevernors of the affected areas have primary responsiblity and failed. But that is precisely why we have the Federal government to begin with. If anything we should be much better prepared after 9/11 for exactly this sort of event. We've spent vastly more money on homeland security. What if this had been a dirty bomb, nuclear detonation, bio/chemical event? You mean to tell me the people in the affected area would have been left all that time without medicine, food, water, security or aid of any kind? FEMA was saying "too much water... couldn't get in". Would it have been easier if it had been smallpox, ricin, or radioactive contamination? There was ample warning prior to the hurricane's hitting. Materiel and personnel should have/could have been on the move.

President Bush convinced us to spend lots of money on better protecting this country, restructuring government to that end and hiring lots of new people to see that it all works. He chose poorly. As a Chief Executive he is most certainly responsible. Richard Nixon didn't break into The Watergate. The people who worked for him did.

If you read it correctly, he's taking responsibility for the Federal Governments response, or lack thereof.

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government and to the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility"

And, yes, we do have SERIOUS problems at all levels when it comes to a response to something like this. As I've stated before, we're no better off then we were after September 11, 2001.

I take full responsibility of all errors made by all levels of goverment involved in the disaster.

There, I said it. Now tell me, what the hell is it worth saying that?!

Don't know with the new ATS rules how far one can go here, but I'll suggest being President's Bush's last term, and the poll out early this AM stating blame was placed on NO Mayor and Governor and far less of the National help conglomerate, points are being made with an admission of taking full responsibility by Bush for the the NO help initial failure fo a trade-off of the next Rep Presidential Candidate.

Dallas

Big Whoop. He "takes responsibility" and is going to "figure out what went wrong"... yay?

Enter right stage: Bush

"The problem is FEMA doesn't have enough power! Furthermore, we're granting them more power to be more aggressive in "relief" efforts!"

Exit Left stage: Bush

Enter right stage: Big Media

"Groups gather to protest Bush's sweeping change of command protocals during Disasters. The protocals were changed in order to save lives! Not take your rights away!

Exit right stage: Big Media

Enter right stage: Befumbled Citizens

"What the hell is going on?"

Bravo President Bush.

Granted, this admission could set the stage for more weaseling and all-new contortions...

BUT

This is a first, certainly in his Presidency, and perhaps, in his life. A great first step, IMO.


.

Originally posted by QuietSoul
Big Whoop. He "takes responsibility" and is going to "figure out what went wrong"... yay?

Enter right stage: Bush

"The problem is FEMA doesn't have enough power! Furthermore, we're granting them more power to be more aggressive in "relief" efforts!"

Exit Left stage: Bush

Enter right stage: Big Media

"Groups gather to protest Bush's sweeping change of command protocals during Disasters. The protocals were changed in order to save lives! Not take your rights away!

Exit right stage: Big Media

Enter right stage: Befumbled Citizens

"What the hell is going on?"

Yes, Karl Rove is playing everyone like fools... and well, I might add.
Rove let the media bark and bark and bark and bark, and now throws them a small bone.

They'll chew on this for a bit, people will continue to struggle and the powers of the federal government will grow and grow.

Ick. Politics stinks.

~Jammer+


[edit on 13-9-2005 by jammerman]

I like to play a little game. It's called let's pretend the city and state government was competent. Let's pretend that Nagin actually followed the city's disaster plans and used the city's assets with inteligence
to declare a mandatory evacuation. He ahd the school and city buses at schools and major intersections. He ordered locals who did not have transportation to go to their local schools where a bus would drive them to safety, in say Baton Rouge. Now instead of say, 100,000 civilians at home, only the few refuskins and those to ill to transport are left vulnerable. Now, the storm passes and the levee's fail. The city is flooded. Now the state mobilizes the gaurd and they save who ever can be saved. Now, with no one shooting at the rescue choppers and no one looting... the gaurd can concentrate instead on fixing the levee breech and draining the city days earlier, mitigating damage from flood and disease. Now FEMA does what it's supposed to do, cooordinates federal assets and monies thru the state governer to aide in rescue and rebuilding.

Too bad we don't live in fairy land and we we don't live happily ever after...

Well, one down, now a whole mess o' them to go... props to the president... at least he has balls
Glad he started the ball rolling, because this could have gotten ugly with the blame game going on...

next on the most wanted list:
Governor Kathleen Babineaux "Babs" Blanco: she admitted that she didn't call for troops, "because she was too frazzled" too bad she didn't have one assistant in her office with a IQ of over 75 who owned a TV...might have been able to bring her up to speed...

Ragin' Mayor Nagin: yep, too little too late: could have jumped on the offer of school buses, but wanted greyhounds instead... nice try to pull it out in the end though...

FEMA head Michael Brown a.k.a "doin good brownie": should we all go in together to buy this clueless f**k a TV ? I think we need to send this guy a nice little note... or better yet.. just hold him down, while the president of St Bernards Parish proceeds to administer proper retribution.

ALL THE LOOTERS STEALING NON ESSENTIAL ITEMS: you are first on my wanted list... you were the problem above any government official... and always will be the problem... you are a waste of space, and a waste of air... be thankful for every breath you don't deserve... hope you get sepsis or gangrene

The above would make a good start...

a few thumbs up
general Honore

president of St Bernards parish

all the caregivers that didn't abandon there clients

all the police that stayed to do the job that needed doing

imho


just so much, hollow words....his required & expected 'Mea Culpa',
no more-no less

? as for , exactly, just what went right??

*probably the ejection/eviction of a greater number of the poverty-class from New Orleans.
*probably the live & real time observations of how trapped civilians would react in a desperate & catastrophic scenario...will the computer models of a terrorist 'dirty bomb' in an American city be readjusted to include the New Orleans data...in the govt's upgraded 'Disaster Algorithims'??
*probably the preceived Need of having Haliburton & K.B.R., and other Corps. being the Only remedy & salvation from the Aftermath.
*probably giving even more Carte' Blanc to the neocons/dominionists/NWO'ers

thats' what went right, for the PNAC'ers & regime & administration

i don't know about the rest of US....
perhaps the victims that spent their Katrina 'ReStart-Your-Lives-Funds'
on designer handbags and upscale merchandise in Atlanta & other big-city malls, see it differently.....after all, IT went right for Them!!

-2 cents worth-

So is he going to step down over his massive life costing blunder, or just laugh about the apology with dick and condy?

I'd like to know who he's trying to throw a bone to and why?

Is this for up and coming re-election rhetoric to spout when the time comes?

Taking responsibility is a noble act, but all it does is put a band aid on the problem. Bureacracy.

This is thee statement that he and other republican's alike will announce and then try and sweep this all under the rug.

"he admitted responsibility now deal with it, get over it, and shut up about it, what more do you want from the man?"

This is going to unfurl a boat load of more whining and political mud slinging and that's what they hope for, everyone is going to get sick of it and just want the news to stop reporting it, like the cindy sheehan protesting that got swept under the rug.

There is a reason for everything, and he's not doing it to be noble and responsible, as claiming total accountability is just silly as we all know it's not just him.

I smell an Agenda!

Considering he can't run again and there is no vote of confidence in this country and he is not about to resign in disgrace or commit suicide in shame, his accepting responsiblity doesn't mean a damned thing. What's he gonna do slap himself on the wrist and say bad president?

All this nonsense about bush bashing or as I perfer to say bush whacking is tedious...considering the abuse you wrong wingers heaped upon Clinton...I cannot work up the gumption to shed crocidile tears for Bush. Politics is a hard ball sport...if you don't like the fact your guy gets knocked about some too bad...grow up and quit your belly aching...like I said you did the same damed thing to Clinton.

As for whether Bush is responsible or not...he's not 100% responsible, there is alot of blame to go around BUT the boss...the CEO or head honcho, whatever you call him always sets the tone for the management underneath him...there is no escaping that fact, and as such it always palys an important role in what happens in a company or a country. Bush exhibited his priorities alright, fundraising and vacationing. If he really wanted to set a positive example he would have left his vacation not 2 days early but a week or more early when it became apparent Katrina could be real bad and was aimmed for New Orleans and begun cooridinating a response. It would have been far, far better if we had wasted the money gearing up ahead of time and had to issue a stand down afterwards than to do what we did. A good friend of mine works for the railroad in this area and the Thursday before Katrina hit he was sent to staging ground in Norfolk and was in the gulf coast the very next day repairing power and phone lines, and when not doing that, helping out wherever they could. There is no telling me that the U.S. government could not have done the same damned thing.

Yeah right. Accepts responsiblity my ample ass.

Originally posted by grover
Considering he can't run again and there is no vote of confidence in this country and he is not about to resign in disgrace or commit suicide in shame, his accepting responsiblity doesn't mean a damned thing. What's he gonna do slap himself on the wrist and say bad president?

Considering he has 2 people in his administration already named as posible runners for 2008, this doesn't mean a damn thing exept taking the heat of the rest of the Bush admin.

Methinks he just wants his approval ratings to go back up. Why is saying you're sorry when you've done something wrong something to be praised for. So he apologized, he's not 2 years old for me to say, "Good boy!" - or is he?