Progressive Minds

Blogging live, from somewhere in the reality-based community. Speaking truth to power. You've entered the real "no spin zone." Republicans beware!

2006/8/29

The Intellectually Incurious George W. Bush

@ 07:35 PM (38 months, 25 days ago)

One of the things I believe Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, was how dangerous it can be to have an intellectually incurious President.

George Bush has made no secret of the fact that he's not a big reader, and that he doesn't like extensive written briefings.

But in this case, his lack of curiousity and failure to grasp the facts cost many lives.

Of all of the information that has come forward about the federal government's abissmal response to Hurricane Katrina, two things in particular stood out for me.

1.  On the very last briefing that took place between government officials before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, George W. Bush failed to ask a single question.  As federal disaster officials discussed the impending hurricane and warned Bush of the gravity of the situation, he asked not one question.  He simply stated "We are fully prepared."  Ok, case closed, I guess.

Video shows Bush got explicit Katrina warning

President, Chertoff were clearly told of storm’s dangers numerous times

2.  The other thing that stands out for me, is that in the days immmediately following the Hurricane, while people were dying in their homes and on their rooftops, and in the Superdome, even White House officials realised that Bush did not understand the pure gravity of what was happening on the ground.  So Dan Bartlett made Bush a DVD of newcasts from New Orleans, in order to make him understand just how bad things were on the ground there.

The average American citizen glued to their television sets understood the gravity of what was happening. So why is it that George W. Bush didn't have a clue? Why did he have to be shown a DVD?

How Bush Blew It

Bureaucratic timidity. Bad phone lines. And a failure of imagination. Why the government was so slow to respond to catastrophe.

Comment(s) »

  1. I love your well written and researched articles. I understand that bloghi will be closing. Are you going to be moving somewhere where I can find you?

    Comment by an admirer— 2006/08/29 @ 11:50 PM — (Reply)

  2. Speaking of George W. Bush:

    George W. Bush committed hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism (indicated in my blog).

    George W. Bush did in fact commit innumerable hate crimes.

    And I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed other hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention.

    Many people know what Bush did.

    And many people will know what Bush did—even to the end of the world.

    Bush was absolute evil.

    Bush is now like a fugitive from justice.

    Bush is a psychological prisoner.

    Bush has a lot to worry about.

    Bush can technically be prosecuted for hate crimes at any time.

    In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy.

    Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
    B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
    Messiah College, Grantham, PA
    Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993

    “GEORGE W. BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG
    ______________________
    I am not sure where I had read it before, but anyway, it is a linguistically excellent statement, and it goes kind of like this: “If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memory so it never got stale and faded.” Oh wait—off the top of my head—I think the quotation came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.

    Comment by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang — 2009/03/03 @ 04:05 PM — (Reply)

  3. You're a dick Wang.

    Comment by Ed— 2009/03/03 @ 04:08 PM — (Reply)

  4. DIDNT ANYONE TELL YOU.....THOSE PEOPLE "TRAPED' IN THIER HOMES AND AT SUPERDOME WERE THOSE WHO "REFUSED" TO LEAVE, THEY WERE NOT ABANDONED, THEY "REFUSED TO LEAVE" EVACUATE WHEN TOLD TO DO SO, PUT DOWN THE "CRACK PIPE" AND GO, NOW, TOMARO WILL BE TOO LATE

    Comment by aza spade— 2006/08/30 @ 11:06 AM — (Reply)

  5. so please explain the empty school buses, and nagins lack of plan for escape, the now former govenors delay of declaring the disaster and so slowing the process of getting help, oh and let's not forget the shooting at the people trying to help. Katrina merely floated the scum to the top. They had the same warnings the rest of the country had and were too stupid to get out. But it's all bushes fault? I'm smelling bs. And the usual case of bush deraingement syndrome. Riff

    Comment by riffran— 2009/03/03 @ 05:57 PM — (Reply)

  6. Looks like an Old article Riff / ED . Back in the day when Sooner was experimenting with Multiple personallity dishonest order commonly found in the left leaning Liberal IDIOT agenda who thinks it is the rsponsibility of Hunter/gatherers to feed and cloth the lazy idiots that Leach along with the Hunting Party !

    Comment by jim— 2009/03/03 @ 06:29 PM — (Reply)

  7. The article is old. The comment by that dick Wang is new. The is a left over blog run by a bitch named Shalana Millard (real name - get this: the woman works for the federal government). The bitch blocked all the sensible bloggers, EB, the Senator, etc.

    Comment by Ed— 2009/03/03 @ 06:57 PM — (Reply)

  8. Bush read over 200 books a year.

    Comment by EB— 2009/03/04 @ 06:57 AM — (Reply)

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