ABC Poll; Who Is to Blame for For Hurricane Response

Unfortunately in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina people have decided to play the blame game instead of concentrating on the matter at hand, evacuating the people from the hard hot Gulf coast regions and providing them with care. Of course we need a scape goat in all of this and by the looks of how the hurricane response was handled it appears that there is more than enough of blame to go around.

The MSM and curious enough the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans seem to be the loudest critics of the Federal Government and President George W. Bush. What a shock. I think Mayor Ray Nagin best look at his own actions. A really good look. Some how in all of this due to political partisanship, not only is President Bush responsible for the slow hurricane response many also are blaming him for the hurricane as well. Even some people in this country have decided to as well. Even though the focus should be on relief efforts, lets look at who the American people think is to blame.

In an ABC News Poll on Views of Hurricane Response it would appear that although Americans blame the Federal Government and even more so the local/State governments for their unpreparedness.

Americans are broadly critical of government preparedness in the Hurricane Katrina disaster — but far fewer take George W. Bush personally to task for the problems, and public anger about the response is less widespread than some critics would suggest.

The most critical views cross jurisdictions: Two-thirds in this ABC News/Washington Post poll say the federal government should have been better prepared to deal with a storm this size, and three-quarters say state and local governments in the affected areas likewise were insufficiently prepared.

Other evaluations are divided. Forty-six percent of Americans approve of Bush’s handling of the crisis, while 47 percent disapprove.

This poll seems like a far cry from the MSM news and pundit shows that only want to blame George W. Bush. Does anyone think that this partisan politics really has anything to do with the hurricane relief or just an chance to weaken a President for the upcoming Supreme Court nominations or posturing by all politician for the upcoming 2006 and 2008 elections?

The Moderate Voice has a great post on the poll and corresponding newspaper articles. However, I will say though that the arguments that “vital measures to protect New Orleans from catastrophic hurricane damage were scrapped by the Bush administration to pay for its wars on terror and in Iraq, despite official warnings of impending disaster are a non-starter. Not because I do not believe they were not necessary, but because there is only so much to go around to pay for programs. Where were previous Administrations? Also, the same people that are complaining about the lack of funding would be screaming at the top of their lungs if a terrorist attack had occurred on US soil after 9-11. Its a no win situation and the choices that leaders must make every day.

Update: The blame game continues from all sides when pretty much everyone can find their fair share of blame. In the Washington Post article, Officials Deal With Political Fallout by Pointing Fingers, more shifting of the blame and finger pointing. This is getting old.

Louisiana officials pushed back hard against the White House yesterday, sharply criticizing President Bush for offering a tentative and insufficient response to the obliteration of New Orleans and then trying to shift the blame to the state and local governments.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) accused Bush of failing to fund efforts to fortify the levee protecting New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina hit, and of failing to send troops, supplies and other assistance quickly enough in Katrina’s aftermath. “Would the president please stop taking photo-ops, and please come and see what I’m trying to show him?” Landrieu asked on ABC’s “This Week.” She threatened to “punch” Bush or anyone else who criticizes the response of the local sheriffs, one day after administration officials blamed state and local authorities for missteps in relief and rescue efforts.