After tuning into CNN’s Paula Zahn Show this evening, I zipped off an e-mail because she, almost joyously, announced that she would soon have reports about “the blame game” going on over Hurricane Katrina. The “blame game”? I don’t think so.

I informed Ms Zahn, whom I didn’t like much to begin with, that what is going on is a demand for accountability and that trivializing the suffering and deaths of hundreds, perhaps thousands of victims by referring to this demand as a “game” was aboslutely horrific. I let Zahn know that her spewage of Republican talking points was a very low blow.

Straight from the arse’s mouth:

Bush said that while critics want “to play a blame game,” he and his administration have “got to solve problems. … There will be ample time for people to figure out what went right and what went wrong. What I’m interested in is helping save lives.”

Solve problems? Save lives? You wouldn’t have had these “problems”, Bush, if you had appointed people who knew what the hell they were supposed to do in the first place and if you had, you wouldn’t have been in the position where you are still looking for victims in order to “save lives”. You think this is a game? Think again and start thinking right now, because this is no game and you and your cohorts are going down.
Do you want to see who’s really playing games with this catastrophe?

Here you go:

Hillary Clinton has called for an independent commission to investigate the failures of this administration. The WH has refused. Sound familiar? 9/11, 9/11, 9/11. They’re not the only ones who can repeat 9/11 endlessly to make a point. The WH continually refused to form an independent commission to investigate 9/11 and they eventually caved. They need pressure again? Let’s give them all we have.

Via CNN, it was reported that Trent Lott took a swipe at Democrats, saying that those who voted to make FEMA a part of the Homeland Security department are to blame as well. On the other hand, Lott is running around saying this:

“I ain’t going to bite the hand that’s trying to save me,” Lott told reporters. “I’m not going to be criticizing anybody in the federal government, the state government, private companies that are trying to help me now. Are they making mistakes? Yes.”

Yes, Lott, they’ll rebuild your house so you and Bush can sit on your front porch and laugh at the lowly peons who suffered and died. Don’t you worry your pretty head about this accountability stuff – unless it involves blaming the Democrats.

Here’s another wonderful quote from Mr Lott:

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., who lost a home in the storm, said he hoped investigations would not interfere with recovery. “Please, please, my colleagues, let’s don’t try to fix blame right now. There’ll be a time for that. Let’s fix the problems that we’ve got to deal with now.”

Let me translate that for you: We don’t know how to walk and chew gum at the same time. Don’t you worry, people. Who the hell cares if there’s another catastrophe in the country next week? We just want to put off these investigations as long as we can because, really, we don’t give a damn about any of you – except maybe you rich folk. Now, vote Republican and we’ll keep you safe – sometime in the future – just don’t ask us when. We’re busy blaming Democrats right now.

And how about that master of compassion, Tom DeLay, you ask? Well, let’s see what he’s up to:

DeLay would not lay the blame anywhere, but emphasized that disaster response authority works from the bottom – with local government – up to the federal government.

“It’s fair to say that the overall response to this emergency could have and should have been better,” he said.

In other words, DeLay isn’t going to blame anyone – except the local governments. Good thing he isn’t going to lay blame or anything…

And Frist? Well, he’s always on the ball, isn’t he? Or is he?

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Friday also called for oversight hearings to begin once relief and recovery is done.

Yes, that’s right. All of those congresspeople, especially those Republican types, are so busy helping out on the ground and at the shelters that they just don’t have time to hold hearings right now. “Once relief and recovery is done”? When the hell will that be? I don’t think he cares all that much. This isn’t an administration. It’s a procrastination.

Maybe this will make you feel better:

During a day at the White House devoted largely to disaster relief, Bush acknowledged problems, but he suggested that all levels of government shared the blame. He said he would send Vice President Dick Cheney to the region Thursday for a new assessment of recovery efforts.

Cheney – about as useless as tits on a boar right now. But hey, he wouldn’t want to miss out on those important photo ops.

So, that didn’t make you feel better? Okay, how about this from Bush?

“It’s very important for us to understand the relationship between the federal government, the state government and the local government when it comes to a major catastrophe,” he told reporters after meeting with his Cabinet. “I’m going to find out over time what went right and what went wrong.”

Over time? Yeah, that didn’t make me feel better either.

Make no mistake here – lots of your Democratic congresspeople are calling (loudly) for immediate hearings – Republicans too, but did I just hear a report on CNN that DeLay is going to block those hearings requested by that anonymous Republican? He wouldn’t do that, would he? Damn right he would. (I’ll post the url when I get it.)

If this wasn’t enough for you, wait until you hear about the memo AP is reporting on this evening about from FEMA’s Brownie to Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff (better known as Skeletor) asking for volunteers after the hurricane had already hit (oops). That’s a big, fucking OOPS.

Wait no longer:

WASHINGTON (AP) – The government’s disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region – and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents.
Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Mike Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Brown said that among duties of these employees was to “convey a positive image” about the government’s response for victims.

Before then, FEMA had positioned smaller rescue and communications teams across the Gulf Coast. But officials acknowledged Tuesday the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged.

Brown’s memo to Chertoff described Katrina as “this near catastrophic event” but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, “Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities.”

Yup. You saw it. There it is. Total, complete, unequivocal, undeniable incompetence. You’re history, Brown. Either that or you are the next recipient of the Medal of Freedom. Only Bush knows…

Oh. And to add insult to horrendous injury, Brown was busy worrying about PR at that point too:

Brown’s memo told employees that among their duties, they would be expected to “convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public.”

Sigh.

There’s more. Be sure to read the linked article.

I’m left speechless at this point.