I ain't defending Bush but he did not create the intelligence mess we have. He inherited it.

He did not want a department of Homeland Security but the Dems wanted it so he gave in. Then the dems wanted FEMA to be in DHS. Bush did not want the but he gave in to the Dems again.

Now every shortcoming is his fault like he created it. Damned if he does and damned if he don't.

The only thing I see he did wrong with FEMA is appoint a totally imcompetent asshole to run it.

If you watch a certain National Geographic Channel documentary on Katrina, they reveal that Nagin, Blanco and Bush met on his plane in N.O. on Friday of the great disaster week. Bush asked the Gov if she wanted the Feds to take over the National Guard. She said no or not yet or something to the effect that the fed could not take it over.

"Normally, the Guard is under the control of the state governor, but the Feds can take over�if the governor asks them to. Nagin suggested that Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, the Pentagon's on-scene commander, be put in charge. According to Senator Vitter, Bush turned to Governor Blanco and said, "Well, what do you think of that, Governor?" Blanco told Bush, "I'd rather talk to you about that privately." To which Nagin responded, "Well, why don't you do that now?"
The meeting broke up. Bush and Blanco disappeared to talk. More than a week later, there was still no agreement. Blanco didn't want to give up her authority, and Bush didn't press."

Now where is Bush's screw up in that affair? Maybe he should have knocked her in the head or arrested her for stupidity and taken over right then.

Also I know from people that live on NO that the entire local government down there is corrupt. You have to make payoffs to open and operate any kind of business there. I heard a tale of one couple that wanted to open a Curves there and refused to make the payoffs. They lost their ass cause they never were able to open.

Now I hear that the levees that broke did not go as deep as specified. It is suspected that the contractor was allowed make payoffs and shortcut the specs.