From Gulf to Gulf

Another poll yesterday showed George W. Bush's approval rating at an all time low.
President's Poll Rating Falls to a New Low

Rising gas prices and ongoing bloodshed in Iraq continue to take their toll on President Bush, whose standing with the public has sunk to an all-time low, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The survey found Bush's job approval rating at 45 percent, down seven points since January and the lowest ever recorded for the president in Post-ABC surveys. Fifty-three percent disapproved of the job Bush is doing.

Meanwhile Bush has decided to trade the unnatural disaster he created in the Persian Gulf for the natural disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. But as the true nature of the devastation on the Gulf Coast Bush spent only 1 minute and 25 seconds of a 45 minute speech in San Diego discussing Katrina and the rest comparing the debacle in Iraq to world war two.

There is evidence that the Iraq war has hurt rescue and relief efforts. As Bop News Reports:

This is the press release, while this is the reality.

FEMA's press release sounds OK, until you look at it more closely.

You have to read between the lines of this press release:

1. Staged/prestaged - that means not on the ground, but waiting to be deployed.


2. Bullet points with no action items such as "Voluntary agencies, important partners in disasters, are prepared to augment local government services with shelters, mobile feeding units, water and clean-up supplies." Mean nothing has actually been done.


3. Note what is missing - helicopters, national guard units to prevent looting, coast guard deployment, emergency power generation.


4. The number of trucks may sound impressive, but compare this with the roughly 2 million dislocated persons from this disaster, and it looks less impressive. Realize that flooding has made many road impassable.


5. Note, for example, no mention of The National Hydrological Center which is now tracking the flooding threat.

According to what I am hearing:

1. The major disaster declaration came late and slow.


2. There is a lack of air transport, particularly helicopters - one can guess where they are.


3. There is a shortage of military police and other law enforcement units - one can guess where they are.


4. There was a "let down effect" when New Orleans missed the worst of the wind damage.


5. The flooding is hampering efforts generally, roads are out, moving material by boat is hazardous, and phone service is down, making it difficult to coordinate.

And then we have this, Bush Slashed Hurricane Funding For New Orleans

In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal funding…The cuts mean major hurricane and flood protection projects will not be awarded to local engineering firms. Also, a study to determine ways to protect the region from a Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now.

[snip]

Landrieu said the Bush administration is not making Corps of Engineers funding a priority. “I think it’s extremely shortsighted,” Landrieu said. “When the Corps of Engineers’ budget is cut, Louisiana bleeds. These projects are literally life-and-death projects to the people of south Louisiana.”

The Gulf of Mexico may not be any better for Bush's approval ratings than the other gulf.