Bush Never Recovered From Katrina

Advisors Say The President "Broke His Bond With The Public," "It Was The Final Nail In The Coffin"

(AP)  Hurricane Katrina not only pulverized the Gulf Coast in 2005, it knocked the bully pulpit out from under President George W. Bush, according to two former advisers who spoke candidly about the political impact of the government's poor handling of the catastrophic natural disaster.

"Katrina to me was the tipping point," said Matthew Dowd, Bush's pollster and chief strategist for the 2004 presidential campaign. "The president broke his bond with the public. Once that bond was broken, he no longer had the capacity to talk to the American public. State of the Union addresses? It didn't matter. Legislative initiatives? It didn't matter. P.R.? It didn't matter. Travel? It didn't matter."

Dan Bartlett, former White House communications director and later counselor to the president, said: "Politically, it was the final nail in the coffin."

Their comments are a part of an oral history of the Bush White House that Vanity Fair magazine compiled for its February issue, which hits newsstands in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday, and nationally on Jan. 6. Vanity Fair published comments by current and former government officials, foreign ministers, campaign strategists and numerous others on topics that included Iraq, the anthrax attacks, the economy and immigration.

Lawrence Wilkerson, top aide and later chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, said that as a new president, Bush was like Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee whom critics said lacked knowledge about foreign affairs. When Bush first came into office, he was surrounded by experienced advisers like Vice President Dick Cheney and Powell, who Wilkerson said ended up playing damage control for the president.

"It allowed everybody to believe that this Sarah Palin-like president - because, let's face it, that's what he was - was going to be protected by this national-security elite, tested in the cauldrons of fire," Wilkerson said, adding that he considered Cheney probably the "most astute, bureaucratic entrepreneur" he'd ever met.

"He became vice president well before George Bush picked him," Wilkerson said of Cheney. "And he began to manipulate things from that point on, knowing that he was going to be able to convince this guy to pick him, knowing that he was then going to be able to wade into the vacuums that existed around George Bush - personality vacuum, character vacuum, details vacuum, experience vacuum."

On other topics, David Kuo, who served as deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, disputed the idea that the Bush White House was dominated by religious conservatives and catered to the needs of a religious right voting bloc.

"The reality in the White House is - if you look at the most senior staff - you're seeing people who aren't personally religious and have no particular affection for people who are religious-right leaders," Kuo said.

"In the political affairs shop in particular, you saw a lot of people who just rolled their eyes at ... basically every religious-right leader that was out there, because they just found them annoying and insufferable. These guys were pains in the butt who had to be accommodated."

[engineer1503]

"The Decider."

Two companies and one country financially, morally, militarily, and sprirtually bankrupt. That sums him up.

[barbaraf4]

And all we did for eight years was to complain. Why was he elected for a 2nd term? Why wasn''t there an uprising to remove him from office?

[incog-nito]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

The cat is finally out of the bag (Actually it''s been out for years now).

[wingnutsblow]

cBS always runs pieces critical of the president in the middle of the night. By daylight, Bush will once again be the greatest thing since canned beer. That ain''t journalism, folks.

[spinproof]

True, never recovered and a "B" Movie performance comes to mind.

[hennighg]

Then why did he keep putting more nails in the coffin. Gosh, that guy is GOOD at putting nails in coffins! Now we finally have something to tell people that he''s good at!

[aztecdakota]

ALSO two wars that have never been won. No payback for the Twin Towers henious attack. And I am sure , over 5000 body bags, and unimaginable numbers of wounded. The worst American President ever. Don''t blame it on just one Hurricane.

[centerfall94]

Bush and Cheney should be tried for war crimes and high treason at the Hague. Nothing less, at this point, suffices. As Bush falls from power the calls for him to atone for what he has done over the past eight years will grow louder.

[bpai99]

To those who say Bush and Cheney should be indicted/tried/convicted/punished for war crimes, you are deluding yourselves that we live in a nation under the rule by law. So what if they broke laws and undermined the Constitution - they won''t be punished because of the power they wielded. Deal with it.

[kansas1946]

Wilkerson said, adding that he considered Cheney probably the "most astute, bureaucratic entrepreneur" he''d ever met.

"He became vice president well before George Bush picked him," Wilkerson said of Cheney. "And he began to manipulate things from that point on, knowing that he was going to be able to convince this guy to pick him, knowing that he was then going to be able to wade into the vacuums that existed around George Bush - personality vacuum, character vacuum, details vacuum, experience vacuum.

*****************************************

Ouch! I think that "vacuum" will be George''s true legacy, but the article forgot "intellegence vacuum." And that, in the end, was truly what was missing. It takes a big intellect to handle the presidency, and George just is lacking in that. It is really not his fault that he was a lousey president, it is our fault for electing him.

[terrorislame]

Shameless !
An Idiot,..
A moron,..
a phony,..
A Liar,..
a Hypocrite,.
Each and EVERY Person Who Tries to Uphold this ,.....
Shell of a Body who Embarrassed the USA Beyond Comprehension

[whitemale08]

I knew when Republicans failed on that faithful morning on 9/11 that they should never ever run a campaign on national security.

Then Katrina happened and again Republicans failed the 2nd test of the Constitution which was the welfare of the peoples.

Then Financial Crisis, just when you think that the worse president in history couldn''t do worse, he tops himself.

Not only did he help create the crisis by bragging about phony ''home-ownership'' and rising wages based off fake ''home-equity increases'' but his solution was ''let the evil bankers'' loot the rest of the country.

Oh my, what have we done to ourselves by letting this complete moron ruin this country for the last 8 years?

I don''t think we or our children will ever forgive us for this.

[bienhoa1968]

George W. Bush and Big *** Chaney will go down in American history as the most incompetent, draft dodging cowards ever to lead this country. The only people who truely appreciate them are the bible pounding right, millionaires and billionaires, big oil, and oh yeah all of them inbreeding southern rebels who are still fighting the civil war and have an IQ of 25.

[kansas1946]

National Security was an obvious platform after a thing like 9/11, doncha think?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by william471 at 11:47 PM : Dec 29, 2008
*********************************

Yes, and Bush handled it terribly.

[gregorio57]

I am from New Orleans and most of the people who were trapped there after Katrina were there due to their own laziness. You could have walked out of harm''s way given that there was three days notice! Katrina was NOT Bush''s fault. New Orleans was hit by hurricane Camille in 1969 and then did nothing for decades to protect itself. Yes, the federal government could have done better, but I feel it was really local and state government''s responsibility. I was back in New Orleans the day after the storm hit and there was understandably a lot of confusion. The only people who helped me after the storm was the federal government.

[standlee5]

Katrina was a disaster like no other. 9/11 same thing. Would anything be any different right now. Katrina would still be a staggering catastrophe. Local leadership however may have imporved. The latest snow storms shows how limited the govt. is in saving the day.

[erasmus606]

"But Kerry would have been an excellent president. A soldiers president.."

Kerry is a wimp. Wouldn''t have been a good choice.

[collis12]

Why are we surprised? We knew from the beginning that this Bush knew even less than the first Bush. At least the first one had some political experience behind him. The only reason this guy got re elected is because Cheney and Rove scaared people into thinking that we needed him because we were at war. Nobody, at least the "base" that reelected this guy realized that he had no say so about the war or how it was to be fought, he was a puppet who did what he was told and when the ship sank he got all the blame for being the captain. I bet he is so happy to be out of the White House and having to take orders that he never understood.

[jerr11]

Kerry is a wimp. Wouldn''''t have been a good choice.

Posted by erasmus606 at 11:58 PM : Dec 29, 2008



I agree.

The man''s an IDIOT.

Any man who would allow Karl Rove to redefine him into a coward and Alabama Bush into a war hero did not deserve the White House.

Kerry is just one in a long line of distinguished Gigolo-Senators.

The only one who one upped him in this game is John McCain!

Snagging Cindy has to be John McCain''s greatest accomplishment!

What a Babe! And the seven or ten houses don''t hurt either!!

[bienhoa1968]

9/11 (the biggest disaster in American History) happened while we had an incompetent Republican president and all of his incompetent Republican cronies, including the incompetent Republican congress which was being lead by all of Bush''s fellow draft dodging, coward politicians. The Repugnicans are willing to destroy the USA, just so they can win the Civil War.

[erasmus606]

I can''''t believe you agree with me about ANYTHING.

Posted by txgrouch2008 at 12:02 AM : Dec 30, 2008

Me neither. Go figure.

[erasmus606]

"Kerry was a war hero! I mean, a real live, no bullshyyt, war hero! And he fought to end the Vietnam war! What better candidate?"

I don''t know anything about him, but I can tell by looking at him that he wouldn''t have been good. Trust me.:)

[jerr11]

But I digress.

This article is about the Greatest Conman to ever win the White House!

And after eight years, we''re just finding out the true cost of his presidency.

$3 Trillion down the ******** in Iraq.

A war that we were lied into - 935 Big Ones.

And to those of us losing our homes because of his mismanagement, our pain is nothing compared to the pain of the widows and orphans he left behind with his IRAQ war.

And Katrina is nothing compared to the devastation this IDIOT Liar-in-Chief has wrought on this nation.

A scripture reading for George W Bush - Son of Satan.

Damned for All Time!!



Proverbs 6:16-19

[16]There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: [17]haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, [18]a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, [19]a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

[erasmus606]

We voted for Bush because after eight years of Bill Clinton, Gore and Kerry scared the daylights out of us.

Posted by txgrouch2008 at 12:15 AM : Dec 30, 2008

You voted for BUSH?

Billy is a cutie.:)

[erasmus606]

Are you SURE you''''re not my wife??

Posted by txgrouch2008 at 12:18 AM : Dec 30, 2008

Yup, pretty sure. If I was, we wouldn''t be having a conversation right now. You''d be dead.:):)

I told you before that I''m a better aim.

[ghalie123]

If Cheney is so smart, why didn''t he make himself a shinning candidate at the end of Bush''s 1st term?

When Bush is down, the whole team is down. (obvious now). He won''t be able to benefit from a mess left by his predecessor.

He will never be a good President too if he can''t be loyal to his boss and help his boss succeed.

So obviously Cheney is not smart enough as reported here.

[flsunjnky]

Bill Clinton didn''t scare me. He is the one that put this country in the black. Now look where we are.

[samael2014]

To those who say Bush and Cheney should be indicted/tried/convicted/punished for war crimes, you are deluding yourselves that we live in a nation under the rule by law. So what if they broke laws and undermined the Constitution - they won''''t be punished because of the power they wielded. Deal with it.

Posted by bpai99 at 11:30 PM : Dec 29, 2008

I don''t think you understand the nature or history of punishment for war crimes. Do you think Nazi-hunters are looking for people in positions of power they currently wield? If it was discovered Hitler was alive and living in some secluded retirement community, that something about his past notoriety and level of power he wielded would somehow make him immune for war crimes prosecution and punishment?

BTW: War crimes are punishable under U.N. charter, not the U.S. Constitution. Please read up on the Nuremberg Principles in Wikipedia or some other reference to get a better feel for how this actually works.

[flsunjnky]

No txgrouch2008, I was responding to another post. Don''t call people names, it makes you look bad.

[erasmus606]

You just said Kerry was no good. So who else would I vote for? Ralph Nader???

Posted by txgrouch2008 at 12:27 AM : Dec 30, 2008

Al Gore. Hahahahaha

[walt1944-2009]

Analysts can make guesses as to the cause of the downfall of the Great Emperor Bush II, but the fact remains that he was a MAJOR mistake from the moment the neocons on the Supreme Court "appointed" him Great Emperor!

The Great Emperor Bush II was an idiot even before he took office and criminals like Karl Rove knew it. Both Rove and VP Darth Vader Cheney knew that Bush couldn''t come up with an original idea if his life depended on it, so they, in effect, ran the country with Rove creating domestic policy and Cheney making ambitious, imperialistic foreign policy. Bush was just there to provide the "stubbornness", and show everyone how STUPID he really was!

If there is a moral to all this and a lesson to be learned from the past 8 years, as well as the 4 years his father was Great Emperor, it is that ANYONE named BUSH is ABSOLUTELY B-A-D NEWS!!!

A Bush in ANY political office, is a MAJOR DISASTER for the country and for us citizens. Congress should tack an amendment to what is left of the Constitution barring ANYONE named BUSH or related to the Bush family from holding any kind of public office!!!

SIG HEIL, I INTEND ON CREATING A DYNASTY!!!, BUSH!!!

[flsunjnky]

I don''t know if the Katrina thing was the biggest, I think that "Preemptive Strike" rakes up there pretty good.

[flsunjnky]

You know txgrouch2008, why don''t you go and snuggle up with Rush and share a ham sandwich and a bottle of pain killers?

[erasmus606]

Gore didn''''t get the nomination that year.

Posted by txgrouch2008 at 12:43 AM : Dec 30, 2008

Oh. That was when Bush first ran.

[erasmus606]

I''''m serious, you talk EXACTLY like my wife. It''''s just scary. I''''m telling you.

Posted by txgrouch2008 at 12:43 AM : Dec 30, 2008

Yes, that''s VERY scary.

[cariboubarbi]

Bush is criminally incompetent and the undoing of this nation.

[countslapula]

And all these Bush hangers-on can pat themselves on the back for contributing to our decline, by remaining utterly quiet until two weeks before the end of 8 long years of atrocious leadership.

[erasmus606]

Like I said, I had my doubts about Gore even before the election.

Posted by txgrouch2008 at 01:02 AM : Dec 30, 2008

When Al Gore ran against Bush, I would have picked Bush. But now, I like Al Gore!

Men don''t like Al Gore because he wants to take away their SUVs and barbecues.

[flsunjnky]

Well, txgrouch2008, you starting to feel a little "alone" now?

[flsunjnky]

Wow, you might even have to turn to that lady that you referred to a little while ago? What a thought!

[erasmus606]

"Michael Connell was the IT specialist who altered the votes..."

See, I keep telling you guys to get rid of those stupid voting machines! You need to go to paper ballots.

[downtowner97]

Bush went to the G-8 summit, and all the leaders there had decided to ignore him. There''s a video of it on the Huffington Post. They wouldn''t even shake his hand. We can''t survive in a global economy if our leader is so ridiculous he is ignored.

[flsunjnky]

It''s really sad that it has come to this. And the GOP would shoot themselves in the foot with a cork gun if given the chance...so they did!

[whitepicks2]

Don''t think for a second that those who voted for dubya - twice - learned from their mistake...they''ll be attending palin rallies before long.

[flsunjnky]

Yea, but guess what. George''s little brother is running for the Senate in FL. Guess who will be President soon!

[zykracosmos]

I wish Jeb would run for president. Guaranteed win for any Dem running that year.

[flsunjnky]

Maybe so Zykra. Maybe so.

[mick7744]

He never recovered from Katrina?

He never recovered from being dropped on his head as a baby!

[puritan9]

Our Bushy boy got elected not on merits, character or performance, he got elected both times on cheating, lies, spreading fear and disinformation. Karl Rove won and the country lost. You elect stupidity and you get disastrous results. This presidency should be a lesson for future generations. Bush, Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld - and all the traitors to the constitution should be held accountable for destroying the country. With leaders like this who needs terrorists?

[mick7744]

Don''t blame Bush''s failed presidency on Katrina!

He would have failed miserably without any help from bad weather...bad intel...bad advisors...bad VP...bad intentions or bad vibes.

He is and always has been a chronic failure who was rewarded for each lack of success with something better. On that basis, with his phenomenal lifetime rate of failure...the White House was inevitable.