Chertoff Won’t Acknowledge Reality
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff today on NPR’s All Things Considered:
Robert Siegel: We are hearing from our reporter, he’s on another line right now, thousands of people at the convention center in New Orleans with no food, zero.
Chertoff: As I said, I’m telling you we are getting food and water to areas where people are staging. The one about an episode like this is if you talk to someone or you get a rumor or an anecdotal version of something I think it’s dangerous to extrapolate it all over the place.
[Snip]
Robert Siegel: But Mr. Secretary when you say we shouldn’t listen to rumors. These are things coming from reporters who have not only covered many many other hurricanes, they’ve covered wars and refugee camps. These aren’t rumors, they are saying there are thousands of people there.
Chertoff: I would be…I have not heard a report of thousands of people in the convention center who don’t have food and water.
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
34 Responses to “Chertoff Won’t Acknowledge Reality”
Register
RSSLogin
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog RollAbout Think ProgressContact Us
Donate
the man needs to turn on a tv.
September 1st, 2005 at 8:37 pmThey just lie about everything. votetoimpeach.org
September 1st, 2005 at 8:45 pmDon’t forget, Chertoff is a very evil bastard.
The Bush family rewarded him for his work on the Clinto impeachment hearings. He was the lead staffer.
The spineless democrats helped him get into the judiciary and this position where he has abused civil rights.
He is a nasty nasty man.
September 1st, 2005 at 8:51 pmWow. Lying boldface in front of facts… Isn’t that some sort of mental disorder?
September 1st, 2005 at 8:52 pmDoesn’t matter what the issue of the day is — it’s just more incompetence and denial from this administration. And to think that when this mess finally starts to get cleaned up, Bush will still carry, say, a 40% approval rating from tens of millions of sorry-ass right wingers.
September 1st, 2005 at 8:52 pmthe war on terror — has there ever been a more meaningless catchphrase? this hurricane did more damage than thousands of terrorists could ever do.
so we threw billions of dollars at homeland security and what we got was, apparently, pork. pet projects for pet districts.
it says right on the homeland security website, “The Bush Administration developed a comprehensive National Strategy for Homeland Security (including) emergency preparedness and response.”
we have refugees flowing into memphis by the thousands. um, where is that emergency preparedness and response?
god help us
September 1st, 2005 at 8:54 pmAmericablog just heard the FEMA Director say something similar to Paula Zahn about not knowing about the convention center until today. Link
September 1st, 2005 at 8:59 pmmcd, my suggestion to the refugees is that they migrate to Crawford where the Gold Star Moms will take care of them.
Seriously, I think decending on the ranch is the best way for the refugees to have their voices heard. While Cindy heads to D.C. for the impeachment events the refugees can do their part in Crawford and be taken care of by compassionate people.
Please promote my idea.
September 1st, 2005 at 9:02 pmChertoff said today that FEMA has responded perfectly.
September 1st, 2005 at 9:07 pmHOMELAND SECURITY IS A SHAM
September 1st, 2005 at 9:23 pmHOMELAND SECURITY IS A SHAM
HOMELAND SECURITY IS A SHAM
HOMELAND SECURITY IS A SHAM
HOMELAND SECURITY IS A SHAM
HOMELAND SECURITY IS A SHAM
These guys are asleep at the wheel.
September 1st, 2005 at 9:32 pmFire his ass!
September 1st, 2005 at 9:59 pmChertoff is another flunky who is a friend of Bush.
September 1st, 2005 at 10:07 pmBrown is a friend of Bush who golfs with him. Between the two of thm they haven’t a functioning brain cell. That explains why they are friends of Bush. But it does not excuse their gross mismanagement of this crisis.
Gross mismanagement or malfeasance - intentional negligence
THe three of them Bush, CHertoff & Brown should have their faces on a wanted poster
Wanted for criminally negligent homicide committed on the people of New Orleans
September 1st, 2005 at 10:10 pmNow we know who the real terrorists are. The face of terrorism is our own government ignoring the suffering and deaths of thousands while lining their pockets
September 1st, 2005 at 10:11 pmBald…….BAld………….BALD! You’re BALD ,no hair ,no brains, devils name, your title’s lame.
September 1st, 2005 at 10:15 pmSung to 2001 A Space Odyssey
Email Cindy Sheehan and ask her to invite the refugees to join her on her bus trip to D.C. or to camp in Crawford @meetwithcindy.org
September 1st, 2005 at 10:18 pmSomeone keep a talley of how much relief funds the Christian Conservative groups, Falwell, Robertson, Dobson, et.al. cough up. That might make an interesting story and actually measure their christian values for the next election. I’m sure that you will find that the progressives are much more compassionate.
September 1st, 2005 at 10:22 pmIncompetence beyond belief.
September 1st, 2005 at 11:41 pmThis is no tiny outrage. Look at the context here: this is an instance, an emergency, where communications are down. There is no cell. No phone. Nothing but satellite phone will work. NPR, a notable source, that equipts its reporters with satellite phones for wars, hurricanes, disasters, etc. is generally considered to be top-flight news journalism by the mainstream reasonable public. Chertoff summarily dismisses the NPR report of the Convention Center situation as “rumor” at a time of dire emergency. Either Chertof is incompetent and doesn’t see he has a communications asset in the field or his is so blindly biased to think that all media is liberal jibberish and none of it can be trusted. Or of course, both. Either way, I don’t want this schlep leading a pack of shetland ponies to the glue factory. He should be fired, but in this administration will likely be promoted. Bravo for scooping this, btw. I was outraged the minute I heard it and wanted somewhere to vent. Thank you.
September 2nd, 2005 at 1:29 amGood ole Homeland Security…
They can’t get it right in Iraq. They can’t get it right over here.
What’s it going to take for people to wake up?
September 2nd, 2005 at 5:24 amWhen I heard Mr. Chertoff’s responses, I found myself yelling at him through my car radio. I could understand if he was discrediting a report from Al Jezeer. . . but a report from an NPR reporter?
Incredible. Unacceptable. Nationally embarrassing.
Sheree
September 2nd, 2005 at 8:09 amI heard this interview too, and I literally stood open-mouthed at my radio, dumbstruck. I’ve been reading about conditions at the convention center for two days.
More than anything I’ve seen yet, this interview demonstrates what a clusterf*** this administration is.
Chertoff should be fired IMMEDIATELY.
September 2nd, 2005 at 9:38 amI too started screaming at the car radio during the Chertoff interview. I couldn’t believe it. The only good thing is that I think the Bush Administration’s complete incompetence can’t be hidden from the public any more.
September 2nd, 2005 at 10:12 amTypical liberal media, only reporting the bad news. Why don’t they report the progress we’re making in NO? Clearly, liberals want hurricanes.
Check out redstate.org, they’re very upset about this tragic criticism of the President.
September 2nd, 2005 at 10:36 amI believe Chertoff hadn’t heard of the people in the Convention Center. He, like Bush and the rest of the Bush team and apologists, just don’t care. Why don’t they care? Because they don’t think the federal government should be involved in stuff like this. It should be left to local governments. In short, their moral sense of America, of national unity, is bankrupt.
September 2nd, 2005 at 1:19 pmI listened to the interview, twice, since NPR knowing they had a real piece on their hands, played it twice in a row. I was more flabbergasted at his repeated discussions of food getting to the staging areas and people needing to get to the staging areas. I’ll give him one thing - he appears to have read some sort of plan, and that is about it. He seems frustrated that the victims aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing according to the plan. First, they were supposed to evacuate, which they didn’t do. Next, they are supposed to make their way in an orderly fashion to food, water and transportation at the staging areas, which they are not doing either. Who do these victims think they are? As Chertoff said in an attempt to seem like things were good, they’ve got plenty of food and water, people just need to get to the staging areas. Talk about poor planning, no grasp of reality and incompetence. Add bad intel and you’ve got Iraq.
September 2nd, 2005 at 3:05 pmBrown’s last job was running the Arabian Horse Association. He was fired after he mismanaged finances so badly they had to disband and merge with another association. Chertoff was a GOP operative rewarded for his attack work on Clinton - also disorganized and unsucessful.
September 2nd, 2005 at 6:22 pmI have difficulty saying Chertoff. Can we just go with Mr. Cadaver?
September 2nd, 2005 at 8:01 pmIts simple, Chertoff must resign, or be fired immediately. This is the man in charge of HOMELAND SECURITY,for God’s sake. What happens if we are hit by more terrorist attacks, perhaps even nuclear weapons…”well, there’s a rumor that thousands of people have died due to terrorist attacks, but we won’t move until we get that rumor clarified”. Wouldn’t normal, compassinate human emotion dictate that you send everything you can, even if it is a rumor. If the aid got there and wasn’t needed it could be diverted to other places it was needed. I cannot wrap my mind around the indifference shown by this administration to true human suffering. To my conservative friends and family I need to ask: “Is this your idea of compassionate conservatism?”
September 3rd, 2005 at 7:15 amoh the tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive
September 4th, 2005 at 7:48 pmNew Orleans, compassionate conservatism at its best
September 5th, 2005 at 5:11 pm1) WHY DON’T THEY JUST MOVE ALL THE KATRINA VICTUMS TO ALL THE NEARBY CLOSED MILITARY BASES.
September 10th, 2005 at 5:28 pm2) TAKE ALL THE ABLE-BODIED KATRINA HOMELESS MEN AND FORM TEAMS TO CLEAN UP ALL THE BROKEN STRUCTURES IN ALL THE 4 STATES. GIVE THEM “CHITS” FOR WAGES TO BE APPLIED TO A NEW HOUSE.
3) AFTER CLEAN UP, USE THESE TEAMS TO BUILD HOMES FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHER KATRINA VICTUMS.
PLEASE WOULD SOMEBODY HIT THIS GUY WITH A STICK. THE WHOLE BUSH ADMISISTRATION HAS LESS FUNCTIONING BRAIN CELLS THAN A PIECE OF LINT. HOW IS IT THAT THE REPUBLICANS CONTROL THE GOVERNMENT?? YOU WOULD HAVE TO POINT A GUN AT MY HEAD TO GET ME TO WOTE FOR THIS.
October 24th, 2005 at 8:06 pm