Bush a failure, says Americans

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Thread Originator Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post Archive through January 31, 2006 themp Innisowen 40  1  1-31-06  9:28 am   Closed: New threads not accepted on this page

Author Message   Innisowen Citizen Username: Innisowen Post Number: 1429 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 9:30 am:        My new slogan: The Bush Administration---All Wrong, All The Time---   Guy Supporter Username: Vandalay Post Number: 1473 Registered: 8-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 9:39 am:        Innis, please send me your address. Sorry , but I have to charge you shipping and handling.   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 578 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 9:44 am:        Innisowen- Causing some trouble again I see? Was the skiing trip an abysmal failure (better blame Bush) so now you all this comrpressed energy? In all fairness, I think Guy gave an honest response to your post. Just because he has the balls to go against your superior (Jesuit) thinking doesn't mean he is wrong, or "smoking something..." I dare you to offer your own solutions to your post.... That is your problem, my friend, you are quick about whining, bitching, complaining and moaning but will never offer a solution of yor own... Why don't you and tulip go on a date...make a great couple.... typical...see my signature below, repat it to yourself 500 times and ACT....that is, if you have the balls too...but I am betting you don't... Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   tjohn Supporter Username: Tjohn Post Number: 3996 Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 10:55 am:        Guy's response to Innisowen in defense of Bush. "No one could have anticipated that FEMA would be as unprepared and poorly led as it is. FEMA has had many successes , even during Katrina. " Good point, and French Army enjoyed some successes during the German onslaught of 1940. But, the central fact is that the French Army was overwhelmed. And one of the central facts of Katrina is that Bush failed again to show leadership.   Guy Supporter Username: Vandalay Post Number: 1474 Registered: 8-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 11:05 am:        The estimated 30k people rescued after Katrina might disagree with you.   Dr. Winston O'Boogie Citizen Username: Casey Post Number: 1891 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 11:10 am:        The point I'm making is that the Bush Admin mantra "no one could have anticipated..." is a joke because in each case they use that excuse, the truth is that MANY PEOPLE did in fact anticipate the outcome that the Bushies were blind to. The Bush Admin is filled with people who don't pay attention to experts on any topic. And then when disaster strikes, they falsely claim that the disaster came out of the blue and there wasn't anyone who could have foreseen it. The list is long of things that experts had foreseen but the Bushies claim could not have been anticipated. The most prominent: Planes used as weapons The Iraq insurgency The breaching of levees in NO The Hamas electoral victory The near complete resistance of Americans to "Social Security reform" These guys continue to refuse to join what they deride as the "reality based" world. They think they can make their own reality. Unfortunately for them (and us) reality is a pretty tough customer, and it is going to continue to intrude on their neocon fantasies with what will be, despite their protestations, predictable results. And of course the wing nut chorus will blame the critics instead of the Bush Administration.   Innisowen Citizen Username: Innisowen Post Number: 1431 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 11:23 am:        Scrotey: It's not my job to offer solutions. That's why we elect a president and vp, and that's why they have the discretion of nominating supposedly qualified people whose job is to do a good job. That piece has been sorely lacking in this administration. If I run a company or a division thereof, and I can't effectively and efficiently on my own and with my handpicked team, develop, deliver, and implement solutions, I should expect to get my arse kicked. I don't expect to make excuses such as, "we couldn't anticipate...", "it's the political season...," "it's hard to make democracy happen...," etc.,. etc., etc., and all the et ceteras and other lamebrained, empty-headed excuses that this administration so pathetically offers up for its failures in everything from Iraq through prescription drug bills and FEMA stupidity to absolute loss of control of our southern borders, to being caught blindsided by a Hamas victory. You should go on a date with yourself, Scrotey, as the only thing you are doing in complimenting this administration is engaging in the same mental masturbation that the administration engages in.   maplescorp Citizen Username: Maplescorp Post Number: 108 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 11:24 am:        "The estimated 30k people rescued after Katrina might disagree with you." Chances are, most of those 30K people are as pissed off at FEMA (Washington and Brownie, not the individual rescuers) as those who spent weeks in those sports domes. I don't think you can count on that many New Orleaners as being big fans of George "Heckuva Job, Brownie" Bush right now.   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 584 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 11:52 am:        Innisowen- I went on one to many dates with myself already...I got so bored I broke up with myself on numerous occassions! Oh taking the easy way out I see? Criticize others how to handle a situation but can't offer your own ideas? Is it because you don't have any or just too good to participate? But it would be nice if you just offered a solution or two just to prove that you do actually think yourself and not just some whiny goof... Maplescorp- That just go to show you don't depend on any governemnt to bail you out of anything...why these people just didn't get out of the way is beyond me... I see that "Broeback Mountain" failed to bring any awards home Sunday night...blaming that on the "ignoramuses" and "bigots" too.... Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   Phenixrising Citizen Username: Phenixrising Post Number: 1386 Registered: 9-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 11:54 am:        "The estimated 30k people rescued after Katrina might disagree with you."   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 589 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 12:00 pm:        Phenixrising- Talk about bias reporting....why are all these people waiting (except for the 1st photo obviously on a roof)...get moving folks, a Cat 3 hurricane is coming your way...!!!!! Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   maplescorp Citizen Username: Maplescorp Post Number: 109 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 12:10 pm:        Scrotis, you try moving with little money, a job that barely covers your living expenses week to week, no means of useful transporation, and surrounded by all your worldy possessions and family. I'm not saying that description matches all Hurricane victims, but to say, "hey, no prob, just move!" seems a little class-insensitive, unless you're offering all of them airfare and shelter in your house. Also, check your Academy Award nomination news. You're a little behind the times. That said, there's a big dif between awarding or not awarding a film, and BANNING it. But that's a subject for another thread.   Phenixrising Citizen Username: Phenixrising Post Number: 1387 Registered: 9-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 12:12 pm:        Bias reporting? Are you kidding. The whole world saw these images. Many who had firsthand look beg to differ. why are all these people waiting (except for the 1st photo obviously on a roof)...get moving folks, a Cat 3 hurricane is coming your way...!!!!! In case you didn't know, these same people are poor people, living below the poverty level. Some, with no where to go. The biggest failure? The response of our government to our own people. There's no BIAS reporting in that.   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 591 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 12:57 pm:        Phenixrising- Does being poor mean you have no brains to think with or no legs to walk? "Anywhere" is better than being in a middle of a Hurricane, especially if you had 5-7 days to figure something out. Pack some food/water and start walking...work out the details later... I see you convienently leave out the state and local govts. in your "failures" list, or at least vague. You know, the ones that had an Emergency Evacuation Plan for things like this but failed to put it into action? I am sorry, call the PC firing squad for saying this, but part of me just can't believe the failure of one's "survival instinct" in these situations...how frustrating.... The ducks in Memorial Park have such an instinct when fighting over the cracked corn my 2 year old and I frequently feed them and they don't even have a concept of death. My heart goes out to these people, but come man, if a speeding train is heading your way-MOVE! Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   Dr. Winston O'Boogie Citizen Username: Casey Post Number: 1892 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 1:02 pm:        you're missing the point. The point was that in response to questions about FEMA's poor post-Katrina performance, Bush again invoked the "no one anticipated" excuse, which was demonstrably false. ALL THE EXPERTS did in fact warn of the breach of the levees, a fact which Bush knew, or should have known. but once again, the buck does not stop at 1600 PA Ave, where every calamity is unanticipated.   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 594 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 1:05 pm:        Dr. O'Boogie, And you are also missing my point. Don't wait around waiting for the govt. to bail you out... Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   Dr. Winston O'Boogie Citizen Username: Casey Post Number: 1893 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 1:07 pm:        I got your point, and within the context of this thread, it was a non sequitur. of course it would have been great for everyone in NO to have taken care of themselves. Maybe Bush should have given the country some tough love and said that instead of telling the whopper he chose to tell.   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 596 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 1:19 pm:        maplescorp- Pack some food, water and money (there is a good chance no rent or bills will need paying anytime soon) and start walking....sure is difficult... And that wasn't my question, if Broeback Mountain fails to win any awards, what do you plan to blame it on...can I take a guess??? Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   Dr. Winston O'Boogie Citizen Username: Casey Post Number: 1894 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 1:24 pm:        how far do you think the average person can walk carrying a week's worth of water? How about carrying a week's worth of water for themselves and a couple of kids? and diapers? and food? I guess they could have brought their Visa check cards and bought provisions along the way...   maplescorp Citizen Username: Maplescorp Post Number: 110 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 1:26 pm:        Scrote, Are you saying that the refusal of people to drop everything and just start walking excuses the Bush Administration's mistakes and incompetence in handling the problem and absolves them of responsibility? If I take a chance in driving what I know to be a defective car does that absolve the car company from responsibility in making a defective product? One may question the victims' judgement, but they're not responsible for placing an unqualified person in charge of FEMA as a political gift or the resulting tragic debacle thereof.   Hoops Citizen Username: Hoops Post Number: 779 Registered: 10-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 1:28 pm:        A great number of them tried to walk out of NO and were turned back by sheriffs. The surrounding towns did not want strangers coming into their communities, nor were they equipped to handle an influx of refugees.   bettyd Citizen Username: Badjtdso Post Number: 50 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 1:42 pm:        The only poll that counts is the one on that Tuesday in November. The mid terms this year are huge. There is so much to criticize about this adminstration, so many mistakes and so much incompetence. It means nothing if the better organized Republicans frame the debate and their claims go unanswered. The Dems better find their voice and message soon or they won't make any gains, and the opportunity for gain is there. They have to not only criticize Bush, but say what they are going to do differently. So far I hear mostly criticism; we need more. November will be here before we know it. I take no solace in polls. The exit polls told me in November 2004 that Kerry was going to be the next president. Maybe Innisowen should do some consulting for the democrats.   Innisowen Citizen Username: Innisowen Post Number: 1432 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 5:10 pm:        Excuse the length of this posting. I need to respond to Scrotis's obsessive but foundation-less argumentation. Scrotey: Sounds as though you and I may have had some action with the same kind of partner. As Woody Allen says, "At least you've always got something lined up for a Saturday night." OK, I'll play your game of solutions, but that game is like doing the architectural drawings after you've built the house. It seems to me, that is just what this administration continues to do. 1) Stay out of Iraq and pursue Al Qaeda where it should be pursued: in Afghanistan and Pakistan to get the top tiers of leaders, and in Saudi Arabia to staunch the funding. However, the administration didn't do that. 2) So it has to recruit a military with adequate human resources to avoid multiple tours of the same units and to avoid draining the ANG and reserves from crises here at home. It has to make sure that the military is sufficiently armored and protected and in sufficient numbers. It needs to do all that so that it can stop the hemorrhaging of mid-level officers (1st lts and captains) who are platoon leaders and company commanders today but grow into tomorrow's battalion and division commanders, and to stop the departure of staff sgts/1st sgts/master sgts, the guts and experience of the enlisted ranks. It ain't happening. 3) It has to be willing to listen to intelligence advice and information even from sources that disagree with it and then make decisions based on all the advice, not just on the advice of people who are scared to disagree with the president. Certainly the billions of $ that the US spends on intelligence gathering and analysis can turn up better intelligence and insight than what the administration used to go in to Iraq and to believe what Achmed Chalabi fooled them with, and of the kind which left the administration blindsided as to the potential for a Hamas victory. The administration should have been willing to take into serious account the warnings about Al Qaeda that it received when it went into the White House and the warnings of imminent attacks that the intelligence services were passing on to Condi Rice and to the president in daily briefings in August 2001. 4) The administration should appoint qualified public servants to run FEMA and other critical agencies. At very least it should monitor the performance of those appointees (just the way corporations monitor the performance of their senior executives) to avoid embarrassing trip-ups like putting Mike Brown at FEMA, Julie Myers at ICE, and the nomination of a "highly qualified" Harriet Myers to the SC. 5) If the president is going to continue with his habit of appointing inexperienced people (let's not even call them "unqualified") to key posts, then he and the administration need to develop and assign a SWAT team of various experts to track the performance of these inexperienced people and to jump in and help them when they look as though they're about to drown, instead of letting the citizenry drown from the appointees' inability to perform. 6) Any corporate executive worth his/her pay knows that when you introduce new initiatives or programs internally or to customers, you make sure that you identify and resolve as many implementation problems as possible before you launch. With the Senior Prescription Drug Benefit, the administration failed on this. Inexcusable for an administration where the head guy brags about his MBA. So get the program right. Identify and shore up the weak spots. Make sure that you have the right communication and implementation strategy and plan before you kick it off. 7) Our southern border situation is in tatters. The administration needs to develop and implement strategies that protect us effectively from a) illegal immigration of workers, b) the importation of dangerous drugs and controlled substances, c) the arrival of terrorists in substantial numbers across the same borders. The president has proposed an "amnesty program" to cover illegal immigrants already in the country. The program does not solve the illegal immigrant problem and does nothing to deal with items b) and c). The administration needs to focus attention on the southern border problem by enacting legislation that prevents or sharply reduces illegal immigration and inflicts heavy penalties on companies that employ illegals. Cracking down on illegal immigration will probably have a beneficial side-effect: it should cut down on the chances that terrorists can come across our southern borders posing as illegal workers. 7) Any good business leader has to have P&L experience and has to keep control of P&L. The administration has failed to do this. The head guy has totally lost control of his P&L and his organization's budget is growing out of control like an aggressive cancer. The administration didn't identify (or didn't wish to acknowledge publicly) the cost of the war in Afghanistan/Iraq (total cost: invasion, toppling of regimes, stabilization, nation-building, cost of eqipping the troops, cost of the medical care and rehabilitation for the seriously wounded, cost of replacing worn out equipment and materiel). It missed by an order of magnitude the true cost of the Prescription Drug Benefit program. When I launch a new product or service in my division, or when my company intends to penetrate a new market or new geography, we have to assemble all the numerical projections, provide a cost/benefit analysis, and monitor the living crap out of what we're doing. If we don't, we're out of a job. USA Inc has a lot of problems, and the head guy and his management team don't appear up to the task of dealing with: lack of strategy, competitor threats, more weaknesses and threats than opportunities and strengths (so much for a quick SWOT analysis), poor market intelligence, and questionable ability to execute and implement well. If I were giving them a performance review, I'd have an attorney and an HR person as witnesses in my office, and I'd be telling the pres and his team to look for opportunities elsewhere. Scrotey: all I am doing is expecting the same thing of the CEO of this country that any board of directors or any group of shareholders expects of the CEO of a company, except that in this case the stakes are higher. Up to now, the performance of the president and his team has been poor. In my book, he gets the Millard Fillmore award with Fickle Finger of Fate oak leaf cluster. (More like a clusterf--k, if you really want me to be candid)   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 599 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 5:34 pm:        Congrats, Innis! I have a new found respect for you. I will read your post at a later time but you do get an A for effort at this point! Thanks for taking me up on my challenge.... Maplescorp-no, I am not. i am saying that there are multiple parties to blame, including those stranded, but surely the Feds do get some of it....alot of people tend to forget (deliberately?) that their many players in Katrina, not just Brown and Bush... Hoops-so their choice is to go back to death? Sorry, I would like to believe that the human survival instinct is more resilient than that.....remember Leo in the "Titanic?" Although a cheesy flick, he just didn't lay down to wait for the boat to sink when he heard their wasn't enough lifeboats..... Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   Innisowen Citizen Username: Innisowen Post Number: 1433 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 5:49 pm:        Scrotey: The disciple does not get to grade the master.   Foj Citizen Username: Foger Post Number: 923 Registered: 9-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 10:08 pm:        GWB NEVER declared an emergency for the Coastal Parishes prior to Katrina. The implications of this single act are huge. Federal attention, prepositioned supplies and personnel were thusly directed inland. A National diaster cannot be handled by local & State Government, as they have just been blown away. The White House was briefed 2 days prior to landfall, FEMA Power Point presentation, they were told that 90% of NOLA would be wiped. The WH was told that the levees would be breached. Any statement saying - who would have thought the levees would be breached-- is just false and a cover up. 2 Republicans have demanded Katrina info from the WH, the WH has so far rejected the demands.   Innisowen Citizen Username: Innisowen Post Number: 1438 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 10:13 pm:        Scrotey: Just to make sure you understand, I thought that I would reiterate my message above: The disciple (you, in this case) does not get to grade the master (me). You may, however, feel free to bask in the warmth of my light.   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 602 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 7:58 am:        Innisowen- Not one but two posts from the "master" clarifying who is what in your grand scheme of things....wow, what an honor.... What, have control issues? I always admired the vast intelligence and styrict education of the Jesuits, it is their arrogance that leaves much to be desired.... Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   Phenixrising Citizen Username: Phenixrising Post Number: 1388 Registered: 9-2004 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 8:26 am:        Does being poor mean you have no brains to think with or no legs to walk? The ducks in Memorial Park have such an instinct when fighting over the cracked corn my 2 year old and I frequently feed them and they don't even have a concept of death. My heart goes out to these people, but come man, if a speeding train is heading your way-MOVE! Scro- Yeh, if it was so simple as you make it. Interstate 10 is the main road in and out of NO. With the roads being PACKED with cars et al., I think it would be pretty dangerous for folks who did NOT own transportation to walk right out of NO. There are families with very young children, the elderly, the sick and disabled and you expect them to walk right out of New Orleans? And in that horrid HEAT? I was in New Orleans 3 weeks before that hurricane hit ( and felt that heat), and saw the "poor" parts of the city. I am NOT surprised that they decided to seek shelter in the Superdome & Convention Center. Plenty of the working & poor people DEPEND on public transportation to get around NO. Easy for you to sit back and access what they SHOULD have done. You may have the MEANS to get out of NO but some of these people don't. And you have the audacity to compare their survival exstincts to some duck pond. Give me a break. Have some sympathy. The people of New Orleans who suffered from Katrina are citzens of the United States and our government should have treated them better than this. They are hard working people who pay taxes just like you and me. A disgrace.   Innisowen Citizen Username: Innisowen Post Number: 1442 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 9:10 am:        Scrotey: You've had the unfortunate distinction of running on empty and content-free on a consistent basis, but quick with cliches and snap judgements, in my opinion. That's why I put up the disciple-master split. You may call it Jesuitical arrogance. I call it "telling it like it is."   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 605 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 11:30 am:        phenixrising- When did I ever say I didn't have sympathy for these people? I am critical of EVERYONE involved while you are critical of ONE entity involved... I am just pulling an "Almighty Jesuitical Innisowen manuever"-"telling it like it is." It is just as easy for you to sit there and say how NO should of happened as me. Just because my opinion differs from yours does not mean I am incorrect.... Innisowen-If you consider your typical/predictable Anti-Bush rants epiphanies to open the worlds eyes then you seriously have some preception issues... But first and foremost, get over yourself... Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   tom Citizen Username: Tom Post Number: 4298 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 12:01 pm:        When I consider some of the things Bush has wanted to do -- eliminate Social Security, any kind of market regulation, let product manufacturers be totally unaccountable for deaths and injuries they cause, pillage any open space left, shift the entire tax burden onto the working class -- I'm glad he's so incompetent.   cjc Citizen Username: Cjc Post Number: 5110 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 12:02 pm:        Some people just don't want to be helped, I guess, according to this AP story: La. Turned Down Feds' Help, Documents Show http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/31/D8FFSI7O2.html LA didn't help, but the feds were working with them 'lining their assets up' for Katrina. Were those the buses underwater in the parking lot? Phenix -- it's apparent your sympathy for NO residents is geared to the potential hurt it puts on Bush.   Southerner Citizen Username: Southerner Post Number: 623 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 12:07 pm:        bettyd, You are right on the money. Luckily for us conservatives, most Dems don't think like you do. They would rather "discuss" and "harangue" rather than do something. For a thinking lib like you I understand it has got to be a tough time, knowing the brass ring is out there but no one will help you get it. As I've stated before, every single issue that the Dems bring up now was on the table before the past elections. And that election was a total Republican victory at every level. Iraq, oil, other scandals, were all factored into the electorate and you saw the response. The newest issue is the NSA spying issue. But that issue like Sheehan, had it's month and now you rarely hear of it. All I want is the status quo to be maintained. I have no problem if Dems replace Dems in Congress this November. I just don't see where the Dems have changed any minds in the past 15 months since they were rejected. Isn't it funny how the "next" election is always the most important one in years. This one is important but isn't that important. Even if the Dems take control, Bush will just veto everything. And I doubt the Dems will have enough to override the vetos. The big election was the last one. If nothing else comes from that election, it will be two young SC appointments that will haunt the libs for years. Imagine the SC with Kerry picks and you see how important the last election was. This upcoming one is more like a scrimmage.   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 607 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 3:08 pm:        Thank you CJC- It is impossible to trust any Anti-Bush whining from some posters because that is all they seem to be able to do... -PJH Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   evm Citizen Username: Evm Post Number: 320 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 7:24 pm:        I just love this open minded debate amongst a bunch of idiotic liberals. Grow up you overeducated fools.   evm Citizen Username: Evm Post Number: 321 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 7:29 pm:        winston o boogie must be a Lennon fan EXCELLENT   tulip Citizen Username: Braveheart Post Number: 3137 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 8:58 pm:        I guess they really wanted her out of there!!! (AP Photo) Byline: LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE Police Drop Charge Against Sheehan, Apologize to Her and Lawmaker's Wife Ejected From House By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press Writer (AP) 06:26:09 PM (ET), Wednesday, February 1, 2006 (WASHINGTON) Capitol Police dropped a charge of unlawful conduct against antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for ejecting her and a congressman's wife from President Bush's State of the Union address for wearing T-shirts with war messages. Police removed Sheehan and Beverly Young, wife of Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Fla., from the visitors gallery Tuesday night. Sheehan was taken away in handcuffs before Bush's arrival at the Capitol and charged with a misdemeanor, while Young was not arrested. Capitol Police did not explain why Sheehan was arrested and Young was not. However, Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer was asking the U.S. attorney's office to drop the charge against Sheehan, according to Deputy House Sergeant of Arms Kerri Hanley. "They were operating under the misguided impression that the T-shirt was not allowed," Hanley said Wednesday. "The fact that she (Sheehan) was wearing a T-shirt is not enough reason to be asked to leave the gallery or be removed from the gallery or be arrested." And in a private meeting Wednesday, Gainer apologized and said he planned to issue a statement, Rep. Young told reporters. "They apologized," Young said. "They made a serious mistake. What they did had no basis." A foreign-born American citizen who was the guest of Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., also was taken by police from the gallery just above the House floor, Hastings said Wednesday. The congressman met with Gainer and said he also requested a meeting with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., about the incident. "I'd like to find out more information," Hastings said in an interview, identifying the man only as being from Broward County in Florida. "He is a constituent of mine. I invited him proudly." Sheehan's T-shirt alluded to the number of soldiers killed in Iraq: "2245 Dead. How many more?" Capitol Police charged her with a misdemeanor for violating the District of Columbia's code against unlawful or disruptive conduct on any part of the Capitol grounds, a law enforcement official said. She was released from custody and flew home Wednesday to Los Angeles. Young's shirt had just the opposite message: "Support the Troops _ Defending Our Freedom." The two women appeared to have offended tradition as much as the law, according to several law enforcement and congressional officials. By custom, the annual address is to be a dignified affair in which the president reports on the state of the nation. Guests in the gallery who wear shirts deemed political in nature have, in past years, been asked to change or cover them up. Generally, the House's sergeant at arms sets out rules at the House speaker's direction. The Capitol Police enforce them and the Secret Service evaluates any threat to the president. Rules dealing mainly with what people can bring and telling them to refrain from reading, writing, smoking, eating, drinking, applauding or taking photographs are outlined on the back of gallery passes given to tourists every day. However, State of the Union guests don't receive any guidelines, Hanley said. "You would assume that if you were coming to an event like the State of the Union address you would be dressed in appropriate attire," she said. Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, had been invited to the speech and given a ticket by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif. Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said police warned Sheehan that displays such as her T-shirt were not allowed. Sheehan said she had one arm out of her coat when an officer yelled, "Protester." She said she intended to file a First Amendment lawsuit over the episode. Young was removed from the gallery during Bush's address and told she was being treated the same as Sheehan. Her husband was angry about the way she was treated. "Because she had on a shirt that someone didn't like that said support our troops, she was kicked out of this gallery," Young said on the House floor Wednesday, holding up the gray shirt. "Shame, shame," he scolded. Beverly Young was sitting about six rows from first lady Laura Bush when she was asked to leave. She argued with police in the hallway outside the House chamber. "They said I was protesting," she told the St. Petersburg Times. "I said, 'Read my shirt, it is not a protest.' They said, 'We consider that a protest.' I said, 'Then you are an idiot.'" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. News content provided by the Associated Press. Weather content provided by Weather.com © 1994-2006 LocalNet Corp. All Rights Reserved.   Scrotis Lo Knows Citizen Username: Scrotisloknows Post Number: 610 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 8:21 am:        Tulip- I guess acknowledging a mistake and issuing an apology isn't good enough for you (or apparently Sheehan either)? Maybe we should of lynch those who arrested her right in the Capital for the entire world to see... And nice try SPINNING the article. Apparently Young didn't breeze through the entire episode unscathed... And you also don't see her suing anybody over the matter... Welcome to your first day of class for Michael Moore Economics 101! Start a Revolution or shut the hell up...   Phenixrising Citizen Username: Phenixrising Post Number: 1389 Registered: 9-2004 Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 9:54 am:        cjc, I believe that article talks about moving patients, but they did coordinate with HHS in an interview Monday night, Louisiana Medical Director Dr. Jimmy Guidry said HHS was helping state health officials plan for evacuating hospitals and nursing homes by the eve of the storm. The federal department also stayed after Katrina hit to help the state coordinate transportation assets, like ambulances and military vehicles, Guidry said. Seems like some organization was done. However, the poor response is blamed from the TOP. GOP, Democratic Senators: White House Slowing Katrina Response Probe By Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is crippling a Senate inquiry into the government's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina by barring administration officials from answering questions and failing to hand over documents, senators leading the investigation said Tuesday. In some cases, staff at the White House and other federal agencies have refused to be interviewed by congressional investigators, said the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In addition, agency officials won't answer seemingly innocuous questions about times and dates of meetings and telephone calls with the White House, the senators said. The White House had no immediate response Tuesday afternoon. "No one believes that the government responded adequately," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn. "And we can't put that story together if people feel they're under a gag order from the White House." Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the committee's Republican chair, said she respects the White House's reluctance to reveal advice to President Bush from his top aides, which is generally covered by executive privilege. Still, she criticized the dearth of information from agency officials about their contact with the White House. "We are entitled to know if someone from the Department of Homeland Security calls someone at the White House during this whole crisis period," Collins said. "So I think the White House has gone too far in restricting basic information about who called whom on what day." She added, "It is completely inappropriate" for the White House to bar agency officials from talking to the Senate committee. Government policies contribute to Katrina disaster Insurance, infrastructure programs encourage risky development http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1126343933299220.xml& coll=3 Katrina response lacked leadership: report Wed Feb 1, 2006 1:23 PM ET7 By Donna Smith http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-02-01T1 82345Z_01_N01270330_RTRUKOC_0_US-HURRICANES-KATRINA-CONGRESS.xml&archived=False WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Failure to designate a single person in charge of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina led to confusion and a lack of decisive action in the aftermath of the devastating storm, congressional investigators said on Wednesday. The report also faulted Chertoff for waiting until a day after the storm hit and much of the Gulf Coast region was already devastated before he declared the area an event of national significance. That designation frees up federal funding and personnel to assist local officials. ************************************************** Lots of beaurcracy from the top cjc. Have you been listening to the hearings on this? Also, yesterday during these congressional hearings, The White House had no clear chain of command in place, investigators with the Government Accountability Office said, laying much of the blame on President Bush for not designating a single official to coordinate federal decision-making for the Aug storm. Bush accepted responsibilty for the governments halting response, but for the most part then-FEMA Director Michael Brown, has been the face of failure. I got LOADS of articles from various sources on this continuing investigation.   cjc Citizen Username: Cjc Post Number: 5122 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 12:34 pm:        Phenix -- your single-minded blaming of all things Katrina on the Administration takes hits every day. HHS asks if they should evacuate people. LA says no. HHS, per the LA authority, "sent people" to help LA line up assets on the ground. No doubt those same assets that LA allowed to sit in parking lots under water.   Dr. Winston O'Boogie Citizen Username: Casey Post Number: 1904 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 1:08 pm:        Anyone who blames "all" on the Bush Admin would be dishonest. Katrina was mishandled on all levels, but of course that includes the feds. And if the Bush Administration had only screwed up the Katrina response, and nothing else, there would not be the same level of outrage. But once again, they tuned out the experts, ignored the warnings, reacted slowly, and then tried to substitute photo ops (rolled up sleeves, "heck of a job" etc.) for results. and all this from the guys who promised us all that only they could protect us.   bettyd Citizen Username: Badjtdso Post Number: 58 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 1:24 pm:        Ray Nagin failed, the governor of LA failed, and the Bush asministration failed. All deserve the criticism they have received for their inept handling of the crisis. There were varying degrees of incompetence at each level and at various times in the crisis, but incompetence it surely was.   cjc Citizen Username: Cjc Post Number: 5123 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 1:28 pm:        I agree.