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Nshima & Curry

Melvin's  Blog

Nshima & Curry

RACING TO HELP KATRINA VICTIMS

It's a warm Texas morning and President Bush calls a press
conference to address growing concerns about Hurricane
Katrina.

Bush: "Thank you all for coming here today. Let me just say
that my administration is ready to swing into action
whenever New Orleans needs our help. I've asked the mayor to
call me as soon as Hurricane Katrina hits the shore, even if
I'm still on vacation."

Wolf Blitzer, CNN: "Mr. President, haven't you been watching
the news? Katrina hit New Orleans five days ago. The city is
flooded. Many people are homeless, desperate for food and
water. They're wondering why it's taking so long for the
government to send help."

Bush: "Hold on a minute, Wolf. I'll be right back."

The president returns after 10 minutes to address reporters
again.

Bush: "Thank you all for coming here today. Let me just say
that my administration is responding quickly to the tragic
situation in New Orleans and other parts of Mississippi. We
are calling this Operation Freedom From Water. I have
dispatched 10,000 National Guard troops to the affected
areas and they will arrive there as soon as they're done in
Iraq. We are also airlifting emergency supplies to New
Orleans, including food, water and American flags. I have
asked Congress to approve $10.5 billion in disaster aid,
while Vice President Cheney, acting with great urgency, has
awarded the first rebuilding contract to Halliburton."

Terry Moran, ABC: "Mr. President, thousands of people are
stranded in New Orleans, still waiting for help. Some are
wondering if America will help them or if they need to turn
to Mexico. Many are saying that the government has let them
down, that they're being treated like animals, not human
beings. What do you say to them?"

Bush: "Terry, this is America. We don't treat human beings
like animals. We treat animals like human beings. You may
not know this, but we've evacuated thousands of dogs and
cats. A number of Chihuahuas, too."

Moran: "But what about the people, Mr. President?"

Bush: "We care about the people, too. That's why we asked
everyone to evacuate before Katrina arrived. We asked them
to load their cars and drive out of the city. Well, I've
just been informed that some folks do not own cars. They
rely on something called 'public transportation.' I've asked
the Secretary of Transportation to look into it and see if
we can 'public transportation' these people out of New
Orleans and other parts of Mississippi."

Judy Keen, USA Today: "Mr. President, some of the
hardest-hit people are saying that race was a factor in the
government's response to the tragedy. Was race a factor?"

Bush: "Let me be frank with you, Judy: Race is always a
factor in responding to disasters. If we don't race, how can
we help people in time? We must race."

John Roberts, CBS: "Mr. President, some experts are saying
that your single-minded focus on fighting terrorism has
compromised the country's ability to handle natural
disasters. They say it made us more vulnerable to Hurricane
Katrina."

Bush: "Well, it made us less vulnerable to Hurricane Saddam.
And what about Hurricane Osama? I consider them natural
disasters, too, because it's in their nature to wish
disaster upon us. We should be naming hurricanes after
evildoers like them. If we did that, people would evacuate
faster. Do you think anyone would stick around to see if
they can survive Hurricane Hitler?"

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