Bush Lied When Saying No One Anticipated Levees Breach

[JABBS]

Four days after Hurricane Katrina hit, President Bush said, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees" that gushed deadly flood waters into New Orleans.

But six days of footage and transcripts obtained by the Associated Press show in excruciating detail that federal officials anticipated the tragedy that unfolded in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, and made those concerns clear to President Bush and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff during an Aug. 29 government-wide briefing.

Bush didn't ask a single question during the final government-wide briefing the day before Katrina struck on Aug. 29 but assured soon-to-be-battered state officials: "We are fully prepared."

Federal disaster officials warned Bush and Chertoff before Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees, risk lives in New Orleans' Superdome and overwhelm rescuers, according to confidential video footage of the briefings.

Now we know why Bush said "I take responsibility" for failures in dealing with the storm.

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This item first appeared at JABBS.