A tale of one hurricane and two candidates
Submitted by James Mitchem on August 31, 2008 - 4:58am.
As hurricane Gustav bears down on the gulf coast Barack Obama and John McCain have taken very different tacts about how to react to the storm.
Senator McCain plans to fly into Jackson Missisippi Sunday with his wife Cindy McCain and his Vice Presidential running mate Gov. Sarah Palin to review the progress of evacuations and visit a storm command center at the invitation of Gov. Haley Barbour.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1928744420080831
On Saturday Senators Obama and Biden appeared twice before cameras to urge residents of the gulf coast to leave and leave early.
“Obviously this is a very serious situation. Every indication is that this storm is bearing down on the Louisiana coast and it is potentially a very powerful storm . I think the main message that Gov. Jindal, Mayor Nagin, Mary Landrieu and other officials wanted to communicate is for the public in those areas that are potentially in danger to take the evacuation seriously.
Even if you’ve ridden out this storm before, even if you think that it may pass over, even if you think that you can wait until last minute, this is going to be, potentially, very, very serious and, you know, for your own safety and your family’s safety, people have to follow the instructions of the officials there to make sure that this evacuation is going smoothly.”
Of Gustav, Biden said: “…this could be worse. It may not be worse. But Katrina wasn’t the - it was the worst storm ever hit it but it’s not the worst storm that could have hit New Orleans. And the back end of this storm, if the east end of this storm, which is the tough side, ends up being the place that goes over, over New Orleans, this could be, this could be gigantic in terms of its consequences. But those folks who rode out, do not ride out again, ride out of town. Get out of town. Do what the governor is suggesting, what the mayor is suggesting, what the senators are suggesting. Get out of town.”
When asked by reporters if he would head to the region Obama ruled it out. Obama cited the fact that his entourage of staff, press, and Secret Service amounts to a “long tail.” "We can be a distraction in these situations" Obama said. “We want to make sure that we are monitoring the situation and that we can be useful."
Is it just me, or does John and Cindy McCain and Sarah Palin flying down to Jackson in the middle of a crisis for essentially a photo op just smack of Bush on so many levels?
I think on this one Obama really showed he's got more substance than McCain, Obama did what he could to help to tell people that it's deadly serious business and to head the evacuation order, he's in touch with the right people and is staying informed and is ready to help in any way he can, but he's staying out of the way and letting the people there do their jobs.
This McCain stunt just makes me keep remembering Bush on the USS Abraham Lincoln and other infamous Bush photo op moments. What exactly does McCain being there do to help the evacuation efforts? Am I missing something here?
he don´t get it.
Here is a Katrina tale of two stories:
If McCain flys down there, it's a photo stunt. If he stays in Ohio (or wherever), he's just another callous Bushie not caring.
In the meantime, there are people like Michael Moore thanking God that a possibly catastrophic hurricane is going hit the United States (with interviewer Keith Olberman implicitly approving that statement)...Moore is a dumb ass if he think he'll earn some votes for the democratic ticket like that
...not throwing Moore under the bus with that Peter Jennings question in 2004, even if it did cost Wes politically. Integrity is always more important.
I really think Moore needs to get over himself, there is no call to ever hope for a storm like this. We all know how we felt when the likes of Pat Robertson called Katrina God's punishment for the sins of New Orleans.
that Gustav will wipe New Orleans off the face of the earth, kind of a Amhadinejad "wipe Isreal off the face of the map" type deal. The man's heart is filled with hate as we learned after 9/11 and Katrina and many other national tragedies that the lunatic fringe have pointed to as evidence of their own rightousness.
these neo-conservatives in Washington didn´t investigate 9/11
with science evidence, they use Pat Robertson. It was the axis of evil like George Bush said.
on this. It's on the par with the General Petraus add that Move On ran -- uncalled for and doesn't help to elevate the national discourse.
"It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and one to hear." - Henry David Thoreau
Freedom of speech should be used wisely, Moore's comments did not serve Wes well, Wes had to waste time defending Moore's comments, and I think it hurt his standing and played to Kerry's advantage. I understand why Wes stood up for him, the principle of free speech is important. But it did Gen. Clark no favors that Moore said what he did.
I agree with Obama's view that going down there would be a distraction. On McCain's trip, at least Jackson, Mississippi is 185 miles inland (due north) from the coast and New Orleans. He should be less of a distraction there than closer to the coast.
The politicians are a little between a rock and a hard place. They could be slammed, no matter what they do. The best is probably just a sincere wish and prayer for the people affected.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
Wes Clark -- Make America All It Can Be!
McCain has to do everything he can to at least appear that he cares...
What can I say, a picture truly is worth a thousand words.
As the GOP's frenzied reaction to Gustav unfolds, just think about how many lives might have been saved if Hurricane Katrina had hit New Orleans during an election year.
man o' action talking on the phonae abut the Gustav situation and standing holding a red file, like
he is engaged and in charge??????????
ahhhhhh, ahahhahahaaaaa hahahhahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
this year, we put the adults in charge
COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY!!!!!!
Bill (from RI)
I thought on that day we are all Americans. But not for Karl Rove. Rove and his acolytes insult Biden at a RNC event as a" big, Blowhard Doofus" . I can´t wait to see Barack Obama as the next President of the United States of America, then Joe Biden and John Kerry hopefully will rip MC Rove apart.
ENOUGH!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYZre8kEsuw
McCain would be another president more than willing to take advantage of any and every tragedy to "look" compassionate for the cameras.
It's the cameras that matter to these clowns, not the people and their needs...only the grand photo-ops matter.
We don't need another "fly over" president. We need one with sense enough to realize when to not add to the chaos.