Bush: Katrina response 'not acceptable' (AP) Updated: 2005-09-03 11:22
US Army National
Guard soldiers assist stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina outside the
New Orleans Convention Center. Thousands of troops poured into the city to
help with security and delivery of supplies in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina. [AFP] | |He stayed far from the
worst-hit areas of the city and places that have been gripped by crime. Bush met
with state and local officials, including New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin who a day
earlier had lashed out at federal officials: "They don't have a clue what's
going on down here."
"The president is starting to grasp the magnitude of the situation," said
Sen. Mary Landrieu (news, bio, voting record), D-La. Sen. Trent Lott (news, bio,
voting record), R-Miss., said, "The president obviously was just stunned" by
what he saw.
Bush sprinkled levity in his remarks at New Orleans' airport at the end of
the day. He talked about coming to New Orleans years ago and enjoying himself
"occasionally too much." He said he believed the city will recover and "be a
better place to come to."
Four days after Katrina killed hundreds if not thousands, Republicans joined
Democrats in wondering why it was taking so long to relieve the misery of so
many people living in squalor without the necessities of life.
"If we can't respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the
Gulf for days, then why do we think we're prepared to respond to a nuclear or
biological attack?" asked former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican.
Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts called the government's response
"an embarrassment."
Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record), R-Fla., called upon Bush to
recall National Guardsmen stationed in Iraq whose homes and families were in the
path of Katrina's destruction. The president said there were enough Guard troops
for Iraq and recovery efforts.
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| | Hurricane Katrina batters US | | | | | Pakistani, Indian officials meet for peace | | | | | Death toll of Baghdad bridge stampede nears 1,000 | | |
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