The federal government’s preparations in advance of Hurricane Rita making landfall are broad and impressive. Yesterday, it seemed like the entire federal apparatus was operating like a finely-tuned machine — emergency supplies were pre-positioned, evacuation orders were issued, FEMA generators and tarps are already in Texas, military troops and supplies have already been strategically placed in key areas for immediate deployment, and communication between agencies and levels of government has been constant. This is how a powerful and efficient government is supposed to prepare for a potentially devastating storm.
And while I couldn’t be more pleased by the preparation, I couldn’t help but find it comical to see the White House’s political spin/defense when the readiness for Rita is compared to the readiness for Katrina.
Yesterday, for example, Scott McClellan was almost bragging when he touted the extraordinary lengths the administration was going to in advance of this hurricane. He couldn’t, however, admit that this effort is stronger or more impressive than preparations in advance of Katrina, because that would be an admission of a tragic mistake.
Instead, McClellan had to dance along a perilous tight rope — the administration, he said, is really great at this hurricane-preparation stuff now, but that doesn’t mean the administration wasn’t equally great before too.
Q: Well, Scott, continuing with what Steve said, how is what you’re doing for Rita different from what you did from Katrina?
McClellan: Sure. A couple of things — one, the President is focused on making sure we have the strongest possible coordination with state and local governments in the path of Hurricane Rita. We hope Rita is not devastating, but we must be prepared for the worst. Coordination at all levels needs to be seamless, or as seamless as possible, and that’s what we’re working to do. […]
Q: So that’s — you think that that’s going to be an improvement over what was done in Katrina?
McClellan: Well, again, in terms of Katrina, we’re still focused on the immediate needs of the people in the region and working to make sure that they are getting back up on their feet, that we’re moving forward on the recovery, that we’re moving forward on the rebuilding to help people rebuild their lives and rebuild their communities. We are determined to learn the lessons of Katrina, and that’s why we have been assessing what’s been working and what hasn’t been working and taking steps to address those issues. That’s why we’re also working closely with Congress, and the President is committed to making sure that there’s a thorough investigation so that we can learn those lessons.
Q: Well, can you distinguish what you’re doing differently?
McClellan: Yes, I just talked to you about where the President’s focus is and what we are doing. We want to make sure that we’re —
Q: And these are things you didn’t do in Katrina?
McClellan: We want to make sure that we are better prepared and better positioned to respond to Hurricane Rita and that’s what we’re doing. That’s why I outlined the several steps that we are taking. And that’s why I just told you that the President is focused on making sure that we have the strongest possible coordination with state and local officials, and that we have —
Q: Which you didn’t have before, right?
McClellan: — as seamless as possible coordination with state and local officials.
Q: In other words, better than the last time?
McClellan: I think I just answered that question, Bill.
Q: No, not really.
The poor guy knew the answer, and knew that we knew the answer, but he just couldn’t go there. He’d have to admit that the administration’s preparations and immediate response to Katrina was abysmal. Because that’s politically impossible, McClellan has to highlight the extraordinary proficiency of the ongoing efforts without comparing them in any way to the ineptitude of the previous efforts.
It must be tough to be Bush’s press secretary, don’t you think?