Bush Outlines Gulf Recovery Plan

Faced with the nation's costliest natural disaster, President Bush said Thursday the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast will be one of the largest reconstruction projects the world has ever seen and the federal government will cover most of the costs — estimated at $200 billion or beyond.

"There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again," the president said in remarks prepared for an address to the nation.

Mr. Bush committed the federal government to covering "the great majority of the costs" of rebuilding critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, schools and water systems.

"Our goal is to get the work done quickly," Mr. Bush said.

CBS News will broadcast and CBSNews.com will provide a live Webcast of the speech at 9 p.m. EDT.

Trying to make up for a flawed disaster response that embarrassed his administration, Mr. Bush said he considers detailed emergency planning a "national security" priority.

The federal government and other layers of government must have clear, up-to-date plans for responding not only to natural disasters, but to outbreaks of disease and terrorist attacks, he said. Mr. Bush said the plans must encompass the evacuation of large numbers of people and providing adequate food, water and security.

Mr. Bush was announcing his reconstruction plan in New Orleans on Thursday night during a televised address also aimed at mending his image as a strong leader in a time of crisis.

It is Mr. Bush's first formal prime-time speech during more than two weeks of suffering along the Gulf, with most of the victims chased out by floodwaters in New Orleans. He planned to speak from the heart of the French Quarter, while across the city officials were still working to pump out waters and collect bodies left behind.

"You'll see a speech tonight that will show a strategy to help these people who are literally spread throughout the country and living in temporary shelters or in people's homes and churches and how we'll help them get back on their feet," White House counselor Dan Bartlett told

Mr. Bush planned to show sympathy for the misery brought on by the killer storm while charting a hopeful vision for the future. Many people, including members of the president's party, have said he should have given that kind of speech soon after the hurricane made landfall along the coast on Aug. 29.

Presidential advisers drafting the speech were working on plans for legislation that would provide job training and housing for people who have to start over, according to one Republican official. The advisers also were discussing tax credits for businesses to stay in the devastated region, said the official, who was consulted but wanted to remain anonymous because Mr. Bush had yet to deliver the speech.

Rather than speak before a live audience, Mr. Bush planned to stand alone and broadcast his message directly into the camera from the evacuated city's historic Jackson Square, according to a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity since the site had not been announced.

The square and its most famed landmark, the St. Louis Cathedral, were on high enough ground to avoid flooding but did not escape damage from Katrina's 145-mph winds. Two massive oak trees outside the 278-year-old cathedral came out by the roots, ripping out a 30-foot section of ornamental iron fence and snapping off the thumb and forefinger of the outstretched hand on a marble statue of Jesus.

Polling shows Americans are willing to pay to rebuild New Orleans. According to a CBS News/New York Times poll released Wednesday, 73 percent expect their taxes will increase as a result of Katrina, and more than half said they were willing to pay more taxes to help with Katrina recovery, job training and housing for victims.

The poll also showed Katrina had shaken Americans' confidence in the government's ability to manage a crisis – and their overall trust in government to do what's right.

Fifty-six percent of those polled said they are now less confident in the government's ability to respond to terror or disaster. And just 29 percent said they generally trust the government in Washington to do what is right most of the time – the lowest level in seven years.

Mr. Bush's ratings on handling the crisis improved slightly this week, but remain negative, with 44 percent approving of his response to Katrina and 50 percent disapproving. His overall job approval rating is mostly unchanged.

Mr. Bush was making a stop in Pascagoula, Miss., on the way to New Orleans for the speech. He was returning to the White House early Friday morning after delivering it, rather than spending the night in the region.

The format of the speech — Mr. Bush speaking alone to a national audience from a famous urban site — is reminiscent of his address from the front of the Statue of Liberty three years ago on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox shuffled their Thursday schedules to air his remarks live. Mr. Bush planned to speak for about 30 minutes, beginning at precisely two minutes after 9 p.m. EDT to accommodate the broadcasters.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president would describe new initiatives but would not announce the appointment of an official to oversee the recovery effort. Some GOP allies in Congress have urged the president to do just that.

Mr. Bush was to commit to meeting people's immediate needs and to supporting local ideas about how the new communities should look, McClellan said.

According to one White House aide, the president also planned to acknowledge the role of poverty in the disaster that has affected many who could least afford it. Black Americans have been particularly angered by the government response to the disaster, with an overwhelming majority telling pollsters they believe help would have come quicker if so many of the people stranded were not poor and black.

The perception of a sluggish response to the storm has led to the lowest approval ratings of Mr. Bush's presidency.

Mr. Bush, who prides himself on being a direct communicator, has struggled to convey a clear message since the storm hit. He began this week by dismissing questions about what went wrong as a "blame game." But on Tuesday, he said he took responsibility for any failures on the federal end.

The White House hoped that Mr. Bush's acceptance of responsibility and the commitment to rebuilding would help restore the public's faith in his leadership.

"This president is taking responsibility." Bartlett said. "What we have to do now is look forward. Tonight he'll talk about how there is some optimism that we can see as we move forward. We're going to build a better Gulf Coast, a better New Orleans and we'll work with local officials to make sure that happens."