Bush Officials Spreading Lie About Governor Who Blew Whistle On National Guard Shortages
Bush Officials Spreading Lie About Governor Who Blew Whistle On National Guard Shortages
Earlier this month, after a tornado destroyed 95 percent of Greensburg, Kansas, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS) spoke out about how the war in Iraq had severely drained the state’s National Guard, slowing recovery efforts for disaster victims.
Now the Bush administration is exacting revenge:
Bush administration officials, stung by complaints from Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius that National Guard heavy equipment needed by tornado-stricken Greensburg, Kan., is in Iraq, are putting out word that she was two days late at the disaster scene because she was attending a jazz festival in New Orleans.
But according to a report in today’s Wichita Eagle, the Bush rumor is completely false:
Yes, Sebelius was in New Orleans with her family when the tornado hit that Friday evening. But she was notified that night about the tornado, and she and her staff in Kansas immediately began trying to assess the damage. When the scope of the disaster became clear, they began making arrangements for her return.
Sebelius didn’t attend any of the jazz festival and left her family in New Orleans, flying back Saturday afternoon using a plane arranged by Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco.
Earlier, the White House had floated the line that Sebelius was responsible for the Guard shortages, saying it was “not aware of any prior complaints” by the governor about the lack of equipment. But reports soon surfaced showing Sebelius made at least five separate requests for equipment, beginning in Dec. 2005. Apparently it’s back to the drawing board for the Bush spin team.
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“No, no, no- it’s YOUR fault.”
May 31st, 2007 at 11:32 amNo one could have anticipated a tornado in Kansas
May 31st, 2007 at 11:35 amTypical Repuklican bullshit : Lie and distort.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:37 amNothing like projecting your (the Administration’s) own failings on somebody who has to deal with the shortages caused by your failings.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:37 amGeorge Bush, lest we forget, was busy playing the gee-tar and attending BFF McCain’s birthday to attend to Katrina.
Condi Rice was too busy buying fabulous shoes and attending Broadway plays to attend to Katrina.
And Dick Cheney was too busy being a douchebag.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:37 amThe fear and smear party in action.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:38 amit’s a response straight out of the karl rove playbook, the same tactic taken with joseph wilson and valerie plame… once you recognize the pattern, it’s easy to see who’s behind it…
And, yes, I DO take it personally
May 31st, 2007 at 11:38 amThe Bush administration will go down in history as being the best adminstration for blaming others for its incompetence. The unmittigated gall for this government of smearing a governor in her state’s time of need. You can be sure this would never had happened if the Kansas governor had been a republican!
May 31st, 2007 at 11:38 amThe Bush White House is run by a bunch of seventh graders.
That would explain their few remaining supporters. They’ve really sewn up the ignorant asshole vote.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:38 am.
Hey, look…Chimpy & Co. is lying…again…
I can’t even muster outrage anymore.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:39 amSo, I will be waiting to hear the news coverage on the MSM of this. I expect to hear Katie Couric start her report like this:
“It has been learned that the Bush administration is spreading lies about Kansas Governor Sebalius in order to hurt her politically…..”
May 31st, 2007 at 11:39 amnot that bringing out the truth will matter, to the faithful, she will have spent two days in New Orleans enjoying a Jazz Festival, and won’t have said anything about the equipment. Besides, what does it matter if she did? Bush basically ignored Katrina for several days, doesn’t that indicate it is okay for her to do the same?
May 31st, 2007 at 11:40 amAt least she was in New Orleans, which could not be said for Bush after Katrina.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:42 amBushCo: We will never be wrong! If you try to prove us wrong, we will destroy you.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:43 amDirty. Slandering. Bastards.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:44 amprofmarcus sez:
The original author of the “Karl Rove playbook”.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:45 amis this a surprise? politicians lie. period.
it’s been the nature of this business since …well, forever. No reason to think american politicians couldn’t be just as bad. These people are proof of that!
some further thoughts:
“Politicians Lie? Say it Ain’t So!”
May 31st, 2007 at 11:50 amhttp://www.populistamerica.com/politicians_lie___say_it_ain_t_so
The difference between Dems and GOP is GOP lack all credibility to challenge their party with any wrongdoing. Debacle after debacle you hear crickets, excuses, or changing the subject.
Recent capitulation funding done by Dems in Congress/Senate was lambasted by Progressives and Liberal blogers because it was wrong.
GOP water carriers and brownshirt trolls here NEVER have the scruples or conviction to challenge their authoritarian masters.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:51 amThe lies just fall flat on their face now. It’s like nobody at the Whitehouse has any creativity anymore.
Goebbels would not be proud.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:51 amOk Here’s the problem:
Pathological Liars.
HOW do you force them to face the lies?
Any Trained Psychologists got any tips?
May 31st, 2007 at 11:51 amLOOK OUT!!! Here comes the “Liberal Media” honey. You should have never said what you did, din’t you learn anything from Katrina and blaming bush??
May 31st, 2007 at 11:52 amWHAT!!! No trolls out today? Must not be a topic on PudgeBoy Rover’s talking Point list. HMMMMM!
May 31st, 2007 at 11:56 amI waste a lot of my time doing mental comparisions of how the beltway whores treat the mendacity of chimpie’s team and how they would have reacted if this had happened during the Clinton Adminstration. Sweet Jesus! I can just see it now. MSRNC going 24/7 in its latest expose of the Clintons. Of course, Faux would be organizing a lynch party, hoping for a noon Friday affair in the White House Rose Garden. If it weren’t for the blogs, the general public would not even know anything bad at all about a popular wartime prezinent.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:56 amWHAT!!! No trolls on this one? Maybe it isn’t on the PudgeBoy Rover’s approved talking points list. HMMMM!!
May 31st, 2007 at 11:58 amCome on, trolls. Bring out your strawmen!
May 31st, 2007 at 12:00 pmNon-story. Sebelius long ago backed away from her groundless accusation and sorry attempt to pass the buck:
Associated Press
May 8, 2007
‘Snow recounted a phone conversation on Tuesday between Sebelius and Bush’s White House-based homeland security adviser, Fran Townsend, in which the governor said she was pleased with the federal performance on the tornado and had everything she needed.
About the same time, Sebelius was doing her own backpedal from across the country.
Her spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran, said the governor didn’t mean to imply that the state was ill-equipped to deal with this storm. Sebelius’ comments about National Guard equipment were, instead, meant as a warning about the state’s inability to handle additional disasters, such as another tornado or severe flooding, she said.
“We are doing absolutely fine right now,” Corcoran said. “What the governor is talking about is down the road.”‘
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=116&sid=1135490
May 31st, 2007 at 12:00 pm#19 Talk therapy is not effective with sociapaths or habitual liars. Direct interventions or confrontations often trigger aggressive behavior to protect their ID. Denial, minimization, and reaction formation are hallmark behaviors when confronted with their delusions. Sadly incarceration is the most effective action so they can not do harm to self or otherss.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:00 pmWHAT!!! No trolls on this one? Maybe it isn’t on the PudgeBoy Rover’s approved talking points list. HMMMM!!
Comment by upside00
They’reon the Gitmo prisoner commits suicide thread from last night — being bloodthirsty.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:04 pmSend in the Trolls…….Where are the Tolls……There must be…Trolls!
May 31st, 2007 at 12:04 pm(With aplogies to Stephen Sondhiem)
Exley, appears you prove #17 100% accurate. When did YOUR last moral fiber die? When did you personally find it too painful to brag about the Failed administration?
May 31st, 2007 at 12:05 pmI have no doubt that this report is true, but how can I point this out to wingnut acquaintances?
May 31st, 2007 at 12:07 pmHere’s the problem with this story: If it’s known that “administration officials” have spread the lies, who are the “officials?” If no one knows, how is it possible to defend this story as anything but bullsh*t?
I’m a TP fan and supporter. I like to hear what’s going on…even the rumors, but I’m disappointed when the documentation for a story is traced back to something Robert Novak said.
Hey, look…Chimpy & Co. is lying…again…
I can’t even muster outrage anymore.
Comment by TripMaster Monkey
Sad huh?
Will someone please help Nancy Pelosi find a f*cking table???????!!
May 31st, 2007 at 12:08 pmShe seems to have a Table-is-missing disorder, that may be caused by too many corporate donations in her bank account.
They’reon the Gitmo prisoner commits suicide thread from last night — being bloodthirsty.
Comment by Zooey
Yeah, showing how truely evil they really are.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:11 pmDisgusting, slimeballs….
Exley sez:
BULLSHIT it’s a “non-story”, Exley. Your point about Sebilius retracting her statement is irrelevant. The issue here is that the Chimpy administration circulated a blatant lie regarding Sebilius in an attempt to discredit her.
Your point regarding Sebilius’ retraction only underscores the contemptible pettiness of the Chimpy Regime. Thanks for your input.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:14 pmNo, once it’s out of the breaking news cycle Rove & Co. spin/slander (splander?) may be questioned but it will never be heard.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:18 pmI’d love to see an Obama/Sebelius ticket in 2008. She’s one of the best governors and she has real class.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:21 pmWayne~~ Liked the table comment, and I assume you are referring to her “impeachment is not on the table” remark… Maybe it is not on the table yet, because it is the main course and we are just finishing the appeteasers (investigations, subpoenas, Libby sentencing, etc.).
May 31st, 2007 at 12:22 pmExley sez:
Non-story. Sebelius long ago backed away from her groundless accusation and sorry attempt to pass the buck:
BULLSHIT
Comment by TripMaster Monkey
Exley also argued that the bills that killed habeus corpus and posse comatatus were non-stories as well.
Exley knows Bushco has treated our soldiers like crap, yet still carries water.
Sad note I must add.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:28 pm2 of the soldiers that died yesterday were from Austin, one from Hutto just graduated HS last year.
My son called last night to let me know he was ok. He escaped unharmed from the roadside bomb that hit the truck he was in. Was kind of rattled though.
anyone have a link to a definitive list of everyone BushCo has slimed when they dared to say the emperor has no clothes, even in the least offensive manner?
May 31st, 2007 at 12:33 pmExley,
Sebilus could have retracted her statement, not because it is or isn’t true, but because she was pressured by the White House to do so. I wish I had some proof of that however.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:34 pmExley, please see #33. I was about to ask the same thing.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:36 pmComment by ron — May 31, 2007 @ 12:33 pm
It might be easier and less time-consuming to compile a list of people Chimpy & Co. hasn’t slimed, ron.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:38 pmThe tornado hit’s Friday night, she gets to Kansas Saturday night. One day. She has the benefit of seeing the disasterous political consequences of not being on the scene promply, after what happened to Bush following Katrina.
Katrina hit on Monday, Aug 29th. The President was circling overhead New Orleans on Wensday, Aug 31st. Circling because there was no place to land. Two days.
The left wants to paint Bush as absolutely asleep at the wheel or uncompassionate of the plight of those in New Orleans. The difference in response was one day. And Bush didn’t have the benefit of witnessing the consequences of a slow response.
Isn’t progressive fingerpointing towards the Katrina response a little over the top? Isn’t the intense scrutiny politically motivated?
Just like with the response to 9/11 and Saddam’s refusal to comply with U.N. resolutions and the widespead belief (at the time) that Saddam had WMD and was a threat, most here want to suggest their excellent hindsight passes for reason. You’re monday morning quarterbacking doesn’t impress me.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:45 pmIs Exley the President Clinton troll of the day?
Are people trying to make these obfuscationists go away, or do people like to rehash, again and again, the idle chatter that they throw out to stifle discussion?
I sent a note to the site managers here, and haven’t heard back…
May 31st, 2007 at 12:45 pm
“Bush Official” said….WHO is the Bush Official is what I want to know….name names….. we would be subjected to a lot less lies and BS if the press will start naming names…the other one that gets me is “the WHite House said”…The While House is a building and buildings don’t talk. What ever happened to investigative reporting… Naming names would force accountability and expose lies, liars and BS..
May 31st, 2007 at 12:46 pmCaptainMantastic sez:
CM, I only grabbed the first and last sentences of your post because the entire thing was off-topic.
The topic at hand is that the Chimpy administration circulated a blatant lie regarding Sebilius in an attempt to discredit her. Try to keep up.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:50 pmHo hum. More of the same, tired denials from Chimpy and Company.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:54 pmBTW, #44 has got it right. Demand accountability.
So, this proves that politicians on both sides of the fence lie. What’s new?
May 31st, 2007 at 1:00 pmExley’s “non story” remark is the real non-story. Go back and read the whole story Exley provided the url for. It will show that Tony Snow and BushCo are still the real culprits. Don’t let the trolls distract you so easily.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:01 pmit may be back to the drawing board but by tonight the wingnut wurlitzer will have made this an article of faith amongst the true believers.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:13 pmAt least, Governor Sebelius didn’t wait “seven minutes” to take action, per her duty as governor of Kansas.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:14 pmBubbleboy lies so much (as in always) that no one is surprised by it anymore.
Just chaulk it up as lie #1,456,301
Hating liars daily
May 31st, 2007 at 1:16 pmMy son called last night to let me know he was ok. He escaped unharmed from the roadside bomb that hit the truck he was in. Was kind of rattled though.
Comment by Wayne
Thank goodness, Wayne. I wish we could get them home….
May 31st, 2007 at 1:24 pmThe left wants to paint Bush as absolutely asleep at the wheel or uncompassionate of the plight of those in New Orleans. The difference in response was one day. And Bush didn’t have the benefit of witnessing the consequences of a slow response.
Comment by CaptainMantastic — May 31, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Even though your comments are off-topic, I have this to say:
Well, isn’t he? Just look at Mike “Brownie” Brown, someone appointed to a position with FEMA that had no fking experience whatsoever in emergency management. We also later learned he was apparently quite concerned with the way he looked in front of a camera (obviously an important topic to ponder while others’ lives are being lost) and who at one point was too busy to involve himself in the situation because he couldn’t be interrupted from feeding his face.
Apparently the administration is licking its wounds from the heat it took when Bush was too busy eating birthday cake and fantasizing about being a country singer while the worst hurricane to hit the southern coast bore down on us. A storm that, contrary to the Bush administration’s claims that “we couldn’t have anticipated…”, was in fact anticipated by every other scientist and meteorologist but for some odd reason ignored by Bush and Co. even after they were warned in advance of it’s destructive potential.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:25 pm#42, you’re right, progressives are totally overreacting to the loss of an entire American city, due to the incompetence and failure to heed warnings of an arrogant douchebag and his political machine. No one could have foreseen that the levees might break, and no one in the Army Corps was calling for increases in funding for those levees. There was no need for national guard there ASAP.
Also, President Bush was also spot on when it came to ignoring those warnings about 9/11, and then smearing those who intimated that he had received such warnings. He was also right to ignore all those liberal experts who said that an occupation of Iraq would be extremely difficult, would require many more troops than he was committing, and would likely create and engender terrorists, especially given that we had not finished the job in Afghanistan.
You are absolutely right about everything today, just as you have been dead on about everything over the last 7 years. Douche.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:31 pmKatrina hit on Monday, Aug 29th. The President was circling overhead New Orleans on Wensday, Aug 31st. Circling because there was no place to land. Two days.
Comment by CaptainMantastic — May 31, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
The President has helicopters and boats at his disposal, does he not?
Your attempt at explanation is pathetic.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:39 pmThe left wants to paint Bush as absolutely asleep at the wheel or uncompassionate of the plight of those in New Orleans. The difference in response was one day. And Bush didn’t have the benefit of witnessing the consequences of a slow response.
Comment by CaptainMantastic — May 31, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
The President had 5 days foreknowledge that Hurricane Katrina would make landfall in the United States, did he not?
The difference in response, therefore, is SIX DAYS!
May 31st, 2007 at 1:43 pm“Administration official” is always the same slimy, no good, shortdicked guy… Karl Rove.
Why don’t they just say that?
May 31st, 2007 at 1:46 pmToo late BushCo., you didn’t get the 1st spin and only you know just how important that is in the age of the short attention span.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:52 pmWC-
Chimpy doesn’t listen to no stinking scientists! If it ain’t in the Bible, it ain’t true!
May 31st, 2007 at 1:55 pmFear and smear doesn’t work as well as it used to.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:58 pmEspecially when your lies get called out.
RatFu(kingLyingBastards!
The President has helicopters and boats at his disposal, does he not?
Your attempt at explanation is pathetic.
Comment by Bienville — May 31, 2007 @ 1:39 pm
He also had the power (no pun intended) to bring electricity to a location in N.O. for the all-important speech to the country (remember the plain blue shirt he wore that let the common folk know he was “one of us”?) telling us how concerned he was, and then took that electricity away when he was done spouting his concerns.
May 31st, 2007 at 2:17 pmThe State response in Greensburg was excellent, no matter where any one official was. I was there by 1 AM, and I was beaten handily to the scene by every sort of emergency worker you can imagine, from everywhere.
May 31st, 2007 at 2:20 pmSpeaking of being unprepared, anyone catch this about the recent TB scare? From an interview on Countdown via crooksandliars.com:
Stewart: “So, in your opinion, what could or should the government have done differently without running afoul of civil right’s concerns?”
Maddow: “The first thing the goverment should have done is have a plan. The single scariest thing about this entire response and everything we’ve learned in the last two days was the statement by the head of the CDC, Julie Gerberding, when she actually said, we just kind of had to make up the plan as we went along.”
May 31st, 2007 at 2:27 pmTypical Bushco lies and punishment. Looks like the work of the Karl Rove smear machine again.
May 31st, 2007 at 3:17 pmComment by WC — May 31, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
Yes, he did. Thank you.
Somehow, all the while, every TV reporter could get into the City. The newspaper staff could get out. WalMart and Harry Connick, Jr. could bring tractor-trailers into the City. Continuous live TV coverage was broadcast day after day.
But, somehow, the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth could not find a way into the City. I was here in Florida after the 2004 storms. He was on the roadside with his brother, Pumpkin-Head, handing bottles of water to storm victims.
May 31st, 2007 at 3:31 pmironic, since we all remember GWB happily strumming his guitar while New Orleans drowned
May 31st, 2007 at 4:10 pmthe healing power of music..
Unknown to most, Bush has taken control of the National Guard out of the states’ hands where it had been till now. A coalition of Governors led by Bond and others are trying to regain control of the national guard and take it back from federal control and put it back under state rule where it belongs. Then at least the states would have some say over how much of their men and equipment they would turn over to Federal control depending on the individual state’s needs.
May 31st, 2007 at 7:17 pmI’m a former Greensburg resident. I’ve visited three times since to help my parents. There is a lot of work being done by Kansans in other govt agencies as a result of Iraq. Much is being done.
But I agree that the smear machine is what it is–their God given right to lie. It doesn’t square with WWJD? but they don’t care. They never did.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:54 pmCan we please get this juvenile, SOB out of office,
June 1st, 2007 at 10:32 amThe problem stems from reading this news on a less than mainstream source. Their is a very dedicated owner and CEO at Fox to the neo-conservative movement, but even other major networks are not just cowed to pressure, but very PRO business. I do believe that Bill Clinton beat Bob Dole in his first term because Bill was very pro business, and Dole was very unpredictable (To us: Like a bitter grandfather in and out of senility. To business: Would what is their import make his agenda?)
June 1st, 2007 at 2:28 pmAgain and Again the Bush team has coasted with only Jon Stewart able to air the contradictory evidence. Even lawmakers say “This Administrion” instead of “George Bush”. Believe me, I have met many stupid people who could not tell you the people of “This administration”. Bush will insist progress is being made in Iraq until Jan ‘08 – then he can say that when he left, things were fine.