Oopsie! How'd that cat get out of the bag?

Source: Yahoo News

Someone at The Associated Press received some "secure" (there's irony for you) government video of a "super-secret" meeting that took place before Katrina hit, proving that Bush was warned about the potential disaster awaiting the Gulf-side states.

Apparently, Brown was telling the truth when he stated in his testimony that he did warn the White House, and they didn't respond. Is that what Bush meant when he said, "You're doing a heckuva job, Brownie"?

"My gut tells me ... this is a bad one and a big one," then-federal disaster chief Michael Brown told the final government-wide briefing the day before Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.

The president didn't ask a single question during the briefing but assured soon-to-be-battered state officials: "We are fully prepared."

Yes, New Orleans certainly shows that they were "fully prepared".

A top hurricane expert voiced "grave concerns" about the levees and Brown, then the Federal Emergency Management Agency chief, told the president and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff that he feared there weren't enough disaster teams to help evacuees at the Superdome.

"I'm concerned about...their ability to respond to a catastrophe within a catastrophe," Brown told his bosses the afternoon before Katrina made landfall.

I suppose you really did do a great job, Mr. Brown! My humble apologies.

And the White House is in full "let's cover our rears" mode.

The White House and Homeland Security Department urged the public Wednesday not to read too much into the footage.

"I hope people don't draw conclusions from the president getting a single briefing," Bush spokesman Trent Duffy said, citing a variety of orders and disaster declarations Bush signed before the storm made landfall. "He received multiple briefings from multiple officials, and he was completely engaged at all times."

I sincerely hope the public does "draw conclusions" because people really need to wake up and smell the stench coming from Washington. Faced with the knowledge that Bush could have done more to prevent the wreck that is southern Louisana, and he just couldn't be bothered...people should be ready to storm the White House lawn because Bush doesn't care about (poor) America.



[I searched all over the net for the video and found this on the AP's website (I think I read it was just set up last night?). You'll need Internet Explorer 6, Macromedia Flash 7, and Microsoft Media Player 10 to view the video, so view at your own risk.]

AP's Katrina Warning Report Video