President Bush had planned to fly to Texas today to “to get a firsthand look at the preparations that are under way for Hurricane Rita and to show our support for the first responders as they get ready for the response to Hurricane Rita,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.”

Well, screw those first responders. According to CNN, Bush has cancelled that trip citing that his presence may actually disrupt the hurricane preparations. He’s decided instead to go straight to the Northern Command post in Colorado where he can wave at those first responders on the teevee.

White House propaganda gone bad:

McClellan said Bush’s visit to the Colorado Springs-based Northern Command will give him a better grasp of federal preparations for the storm, which forecasters predict will strike land between Houston and the Louisiana state line.

McClellan said the White House would try to have “as minimal [a] footprint as possible” to stay out of the way of emergency responders. The visit will take just “a short amount of time,” McClellan said, but he rejected any suggestion that it is just a photo opportunity for the president.

“This is a catastrophic hurricane that is headed toward the coast of Texas, and the president wants to go and see some of the preparations that are under way and thank all of those who are involved in preparing for this response,” he said. “He is the president. And, as he indicated to you all, it is his responsibility when it comes to the federal government’s role in these hurricanes.”

Yes, it is his responsibility and he has dodged it once again.

Meanwhile, over at the Pentagon, they’re busy blaming local government officials for not providing specific details related to their requests for help from the Feds:

WASHINGTON (AP) – About 3,400 soldiers of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division stood ready for post-Rita relief duty as the storm moved toward shore. Air Force planes evacuated thousands of people, and dozens of military helicopters were available for the aftermath.

The full scope of the federal military’s role in support of state National Guard and civilian relief efforts, however, was not clear Friday, in part because state officials had not clarified their needs, a Pentagon spokesman said.

To date, the governors of Louisiana and Texas have asked for 25,000 active-duty troops but have provided few details on how they might be used.

Well, gee…ummm…didn’t the military just coordinate efforts in response to Hurrican Katrina? I suppose they’re waiting for the final report from whichever committee will investigate Katrina to figure out what to do next. And when will that report be done? 2007 or so?

In line with standard practice, the Pentagon was playing a support role, with Homeland Defense Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the lead federal role. Military contributions are organized through Northern Command, which was established at Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2002 as part of the federal government’s reorganization in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Oh look – that’s exactly where the so-called Commander in Chief is headed. I’m sure he’ll ride in on his white horse and save the day, right? Not bloody likely. As if he knows the first thing about being a Commander in Chief. Well, at least he gets to wear those fancy flight suits. That’s comforting.

MORE BELOW:

Lawrence Di Rita, spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, said Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco put in writing this week a request to the Defense Department for 15,000 active-duty troops. That is being answered with the provision of fuel, medical assistance and search-and-rescue capability, Di Rita said, but federal officials were seeking more clarity from the governor’s office on other specific needs.

“Fifteen thousand active federal military could be 15,000 guys in tanks. It could be 15,000 guys with hospital gowns on. And you do kind of have to know what you’re ordering when you do something like that,” he said.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry asked for 10,000 federal troops but had not put it in writing with details by Friday morning, Di Rita said.

Okay. Is anyone else seeing the obvious here? Are state governors supposed to know exactly how these troops are supposed to be deployed? I dare “Di Rita” (notable coincidence) to send in 15,000 “guys” in tanks. There’s another official whose head deserves to be on the chopping block.

The disease of imcompetence is apparently contagious. It spread from the White House to Homeland Security, infected FEMA and has now made its way to the Pentagon. The only know treatment for this virus is a complete purge of the Republicans in the federal government. Quarantine the bastards, send them all to the Northern Command post bunker and send in Democratic replacements immediately in order to disinfect Washington D.C.