Power Line Blogging

Via Tim Grieve's "War Room" column in Salon, this story from the Hattiesburg American by Nikki Davis Maute:

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina roared through South Mississippi knocking out electricity and communication systems, the White House ordered power restored to a pipeline that sends fuel to the Northeast.

That order - to restart two power substations in Collins that serve Colonial Pipeline Co. - delayed efforts by at least 24 hours to restore power to two rural hospitals and a number of water systems in the Pine Belt.

The orders came from Dick Cheney's office, which placed calls on August 30 and 31.

"I reluctantly agreed to pull half our transmission line crews off other projects and made getting the transmission lines to the Collins substations a priority," [Jim] Compton [general manager of the South Mississippi Electric Power Association] said. "Our people were told to work until it was done....

Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Mike Callahan said the U.S. Department of Energy called him on Aug. 31. Callahan said department officials said opening the fuel line was a national priority....

Mindy Osborn, emergency room coordinator at Stone County Hospital, said the power was not restored until six days after the storm on Sept. 4. She didn't have the number of patients who were hospitalized during the week after the storm.

"Oh, yes, 24 hours earlier would have been a help," Osborn said.

Compton said workers who were trying to restore power to some rural water systems also were taken off their jobs and placed on the Colonial Pipeline project. Compton did not name specific water systems affected.

[Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Mike] Callahan said the process of getting the pipelines flowing would be difficult and that there was a chance the voltage required to do so would knock out the system - including power to Wesley Medical Center in Hattiesburg.

With Forrest General Hospital operating on generators, Wesley was the only hospital operating with full electric power in the Pine Belt in the days following Katrina.

"Our concern was that if Wesley went down, it would be a national crisis for Mississippi," Callahan said. "We knew it would take three to four days to get Forrest General Hospital's power restored and we did not want to lose Wesley."

Compton, though, followed the White House's directive.

So:

While the Bush administration screwed the pooch, the Cheney administration had its eyes on the ball the whole time. That's certainly reassuring.

Okay, I'm Retiring Use of That "Shocked" Quote from Casablanca for the Duration

1) Party line Senate vote KO's Clinton's call for an independent commission.

I'm surprised. Really, surprised.

2) Knight-Ridder reporters discover it was Chertoff, not Brown, who was actually asleep at the (main) switch.

Oh? That's unexpected.

3) Dick Cheney, asked by a reporter why he didn't return from his vacation until last Thursday, said, "I came back four days early."

Hmm. That seems so unlike him.

4) USAToday: Bush called Barbour "three or four times" in the wake of Katrina, but did not return Blanco's calls and didn't speak to her until she got on the phone and demanded he do so.

Well knock me down with a feather.

Norbizness: Not As Funny As I Thought

Okay, not that I don't realize he's the funniest guy alive. It's just that yesterday I was reading him riffing on the President's informal press conference in New Orleans over my morning tea, and there were two questions I swore he'd doctored:

Q Sir, what do you make of some of the comments that have been made by quite a number of people that there was a racial component to some of the people that were left behind and left without help?

and

Q Do you recommend that Congress consider allowing the federal government to act more quickly?

Then I checked the White House site. Those are the real questions. Y'know, you might be able to run away from a hurricane, but stupidity moves at the speed of light.

The Mark of a Real Leader Is Knowin' When It's Time To Have the Little Woman Ride To the Rescue

Nedra Pickler, AP: First Lady Becomes President's Defender

Never a Discouraging Word:

Mrs. Bush said Tuesday that much more human good than bad has come from the disaster, despite what people see on TV. She said the evacuees she has met in her three trips to the Gulf Coast are hopeful and thankful that they don't have to start from rock bottom because of the donations and the kindness of strangers.
"That's what I've seen at each of the shelters I've visited," she said. "I've never heard a single word of complaint."

Hmmm. Mrs. Bush seems to be an expert about "what people see on TV", but she hasn't heard a word of complaint. It puzzled me for a moment, before I realized she must be watching with the sound off.

Laura Bush, to the Heritage Foundation:

"We've seen terrible, terrible things and we've seen unbelievably unselfish acts of giving as well by communities all across the United States and, of course, many more unselfish acts of giving than bad things," she said in a speech Tuesday to the conservative Heritage Foundation. "Maybe the media hasn't shown us that much, but we've read about it and we do know about it."

Now, the first thing that occurred to me here was that Laura sounds an awful lot like Hillary's Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, except without any evidence. I watched a lot of teevee coverage the first week. The terrible, terrible things I saw for the first 72 hours were, basically, what the Hurricane had done to the Gulf Coast and what the levee breaks had done to New Orleans. I call that "news". After the storm had passed and we got away from shots of beparka-ed newshounds standing in high winds, most of the pictorial coverage consisted of the Coast Guard rescuing people. I call that "about as unselfish an act as you can perform without drowning yourself."

For godssake, there's been no lack of uplifting stories. The teevee loves uplifting stories.

I would offer one modest suggestion, however. The next time Mrs. Bush sees some terrible, terrible things on her teevee she might want to pick up the phone and make sure the Department of Homeland Security [sic] knows about them.

Yes And No

Elisabeth Bumiller and Richard W. Stevenson, NY Times: President Says He's Responsible in Storm Lapses

Yes:

Throughout his nearly five years in office, Mr. Bush has resisted publicly acknowledging mistakes or shortcomings, and his willingness in this case to edge up to a buck-stops-here statement, however conditional, was evidence of how shaken his presidency has been by the political fallout from the government's handling of the storm.

No:

It also set the stage for a White House effort to pivot from dealing with urgent rescue and relief efforts to setting out a vision of how the federal government could help rebuild devastated communities and re-establish Mr. Bush's image as a leader.

Re-establishing his image as a leader. Meaning what, exactly? Another carrier landing? More brush clearin'? Some of his patented gut-trusting, chatter-ignorin', jes' folks doggedness?

George W. Bush was never a leader; he's never projected the image of one except among those desperate to believe we had one or those whose definition of leadership is "someone I agree with". He flew away from Washington on 9/11, resurfaced three days later with a bullhorn and a retired firefighter, who just happened to be a Republican his media handlers had conjured up, and he gave a halftime locker room pep talk the country went ga-ga over, not because of his "leadership" but because of its fears. In the intervening four years he's avoided press conferences like they were anthrax (even though he's one of the few we found some Cipro for and the toughest question he's likely to face from the Gaggle is "How hot is the barbecue sauce?"). He's spoken to no crowd that wasn't hand-selected and searched ahead of time. The first time the man ever laid eyes on a Democrat who hadn't been elected to something was probably on the roof of a house in the Ninth Ward when he flew over it.

Leadership is now defined by our major news dailies by whether Kit Seelye likes your tie. A leader is a guy who hires the right PR firm to convince the public that a turd dipped in sugar is a Tootsie Roll.

Biloxi

Down around Biloxi
Pretty girls are swimming in the sea.
Oh they look like sisters in the ocean.
The boy will fill his pail with salty water.
And the storms will blow from off towards New Orleans.

The sun shines on Biloxi.
The air is filled with vapors from the sea
And the boy will dig a pool beside the ocean.
He sees creatures from a dream under the water.
And the sun will set from off towards New Orleans.

The stars can see Biloxi.
The stars can find their faces in the sea.
And we are walking in the evening by the ocean.
We are splashing naked in the water.
And the sky is red from off towards New Orleans.

-Jesse Winchester © 1970 Hot Kitchen Music

The original air of wistful longing was due to the fact that Winchester, a Southerner (Tennessee, actually) was living in Canada at the time, avoiding the draft. The current air of wistful longing you know about, although you may be unaware that Biloxi still has no FEMA office, although there is one within driving distance assuming Katrina spared your car, assuming you had one to begin with. When it comes to a disaster, give me a mayor who'll shout obscenities on the radio over a governor who'll show up to smile at photo ops and let his name get brutted about as a possible Presidential candidate, any day. No matter what else I think about Ray Nagin.

Brownie Points

• Do we know, exactly, what horse Mike Brown did ride in on?

• You've probably heard by now that his successor, David Paulison, miraculously appointed by the President before he learned Mike Brown had resigned, was the guy responsible for the Duct Tape Episode.

• But did you know that at the time he also said that "in the first 48 to 72 hours of an emergency, many Americans will likely to have to look after themselves?"

• That alone makes him qualified in my book.

• Richard Wolffe, on Olbermann last night, said that it was an "open secret" in Washington that Homeland Security was a mess. Gee, maybe you guys might think about letting us in on it next time.

The Emperor's New Fall Fashions

David E. Sanger, NY Times: FEMA Chief Was Recalled After High-Level Meeting

Either way, how the White House moved, in a matter of days, from the president's praise of a man he nicknamed "Brownie" to a rare public reassignment explains much about fears within the administration that its delayed response to the disaster could do lasting damage to both Mr. Bush's power and his legacy. But more important to some members of the administration, it dented the administration's aura of competence.

Evan Thomas, Newsweek: How Bush Blew It

President George W. Bush has always trusted his gut. He prides himself in ignoring the distracting chatter, the caterwauling of the media elites, the Washington political buzz machine. He has boasted that he doesn't read the papers. His doggedness is often admirable. It is easy for presidents to overreact to the noise around them.

Let's leave aside the fact that this is all bullshit. (The Newsweek article is well worth a read, which is why I link it, but despite the shocking peeks behind the curtain--which shouldn't be all that shocking--of an administration whose ineptitude really does match its venality, it maintains this "Bush's management style" façade in a way which suggests the author would be astonished to learn Bush's brush clearing activity misses some of the finer points of good horticultural practice.) Let's forget that until a couple weeks ago, back when Cindy Sheehan was this country's greatest crisis not involving missing blonde girls, these folks were assuring us that Bush was on a working vacation, emphasis on the working. I won't even bother to ask what power the Times thinks the only sitting duck in the White House ever to pull up lame before his second inaugural still had before Katrina, or what part of his legacy was left to be damaged. That some members of the administration believe it exudes an "aura of competence" I'm pretty sure was intended as a sick joke.

Instead, let me ask again: the steely-eyed assurance, the admirable doggedness, the gut-trusting, the uncany ability to ignore the confusion that "facts" create for ordinary people--do you want this trait in your doctor? Your mechanic, your insurance agent? Your babysitter?

There's Never Enough Shit In The Water For Indiana Republicans

Let's leave aside Indiana 8th District Congressman John "Divorce Is Nearly As Evil As Gay Marriage" Hostettler and his vote against the Hurricane Katrina aid legislation. That was a vote on principle. Congressman Hostettler is one of the last real Christian men of principle left in politics, which is why he believes that we ought to make quid pro quo budget cuts before we send aid to Americans who are still able to tread water. Hostettler did not raise similar objections to aiding hurricane victims last year, but that was in Florida in an election year, and if you don't understand the distinction you must be one of those Democrats who can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and demonizing Christians he mentioned on the House floor before he took it back. Besides, Representative Hostettler's principles will be coming into play again next year when, as he was a freshman signator of the Contract With America, he retires in order to preserve our citizen legislature. I don't hear many of you holding your breath out there.

No, instead let's turn our attention to Governor Mitch "Tiny" Daniels. The Indianapolis Star found him pining away this 9/11 for our lost unity:

"The days after that were really the most memorable, I suppose, of my life, because for a short time the nation came together in a way, and its politicians came together in a way, that they just aren't famous for," Daniels said this past week.

Yeah, it was a great time to be alive. Assuming you still were.

"I think it's sad and regrettable that our political class behaves in this way," Daniels said. "The charges, particularly those directed at the federal government, are so obviously bogus. By the time federal assistance is even legal, requested and legal, the death and destruction essentially has occurred.

Class, please take your highlighters and mark the factual errors in the above paragraph. Raise your hand when you reach eight.

"Sure, things could always have been done better, but I just wish people would drop their political hammers for a few weeks, as happened in 2001, and work on the problem at hand."

The whole class found all eight? I'm impressed. Record time, too. Now, would anyone like to hazard a guess as to why Governor Daniels is disappointed at politicians who do their jobs by criticizing the greatest governmental cock-up since Winston Churchill gave up planning military operations, but has nothing whatever to say about politicians in his own party criticizing innocent victims? Please, don't all speak at once.

Happy Birthday

Stephen Jay Gould: September 10, 1941--May 20, 2002

I was hoping to link to a copy of "Phyletic Size Decrease in Hershey Bars", but I couldn't find one. It's in Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes". Hit the used bookstore.

I'll Have the Lemon Chicken

AP:

U.S. Military Tube-Feeds 13 Gitmo Strikers

By ALEXANDRA OLSON Associated Press Writer

September 09,2005 | SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The U.S. military is tube-feeding more than a dozen of the 89 terror suspects on hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, a spokesman said Friday.

Some of the 89 striking detainees at Guantanamo have not eaten for a month, said Guantanamo detention mission spokesman Sgt. Justin Behrens. The others have refused at least nine consecutive meals, he said.

Fifteen have been hospitalized and 13 of those were being fed through tubes, Behrens said in a written response to questions from The Associated Press. Medics are monitoring all 89 and checking their vital signs daily, he added.

Previously, the military has said that 76 inmates were participating in the hunger strike.

The Guardian:

More than 200 detainees in Guantánamo Bay are in their fifth week of a hunger strike, the Guardian has been told....
British human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith...pointed to an American army claim that only 76 prisoners at the base were refusing food, saying that they were attempting to play down what could be a political scandal if a prisoner were to die.

AP:

Guantanamo prison spokesman Maj. Jeff Weir...said he did not know the reason behind the hunger strike.

"As far as their reasons for hunger striking it seems to be a myriad of different reasons that they all have, the largest one seems to be like they want to protest their continued (detention)," he said. "Their future is uncertain from a legal point view so they are trying to find out exactly what their future entails."

Guardian:

Yesterday, Mr Stafford Smith, who represents 40 detainees at Guantánamo Bay, eight of whom are British residents, said many men had been starving themselves for more than four weeks and the situation was becoming desperate....

The hunger strike is the second since late June. The first ended after the authorities made a number of promises, including better access to books, and bottled drinking water.

The men claim that they were tricked into eating again.

In his statement, Mr Mohammed [one of Stafford Smith's clients, whose August 11 letters were delivered last Wednesday] described how during the first strike men were placed on intravenous drips after refusing food for 20 days.

He said: "The administration promised that if we gave them 10 days, they would bring the prison into compliance with the Geneva conventions. They said this had been approved by Donald Rumsfeld himself in Washington DC. As a result of these promises, we agreed to end the strike on July 28.

"It is now August 11. They have betrayed our trust (again). Hisham from Tunisia was savagely beaten in his interrogation and they publicly desecrated the Qur'an (again). Saad from Kuwait was ERF'd [visited by the Extreme Reaction Force] for refusing to go (again) to interrogation because the female interrogator had sexually humiliated him (again) for 5 hours _ Therefore, the strike must begin again."

The thing I most want to know about the Bush administration is, how many of the people at the highest level believed they didn't have to plan for the aftermath of any of this because they actually thought they were setting off a Biblical Armageddon? And does that number include Chimpy McBushitlerCo?

Public Service Announcement

Hi, ladies, I'm Tommy the Firefighter. Y'know, this posing stuff is just for charity. I'm more than just a piece of beefcake. In fact, I'm a skilled first responder and an emergency paramedic. Right now I'm working with FEMA on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Here, have a leaflet. Really, take two. I think there's a coupon on the back for a free salad bar or something.