As the dust settles, on an oddly busy White House Sunday:
The president went for a morning bike ride, part of his normal Sunday routine when in Washington.
He returned to the White House and spoke by telephone with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to check on preparations there for Hurricane Gustav.
Then--out of bike togs and wearing biz casual French blue shirt and dark slacks--Bush got a weather and preparedness update at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Administration.
Then, back to the White House.
He did not go to church, another of his regular Sunday activities when in Washington.
Along the way, he redrew his travel schedule for Monday, Labor Day:
No trip to St. Paul, Minn., to speak to the Republican National Convention. Nor will Vice President Dick Cheney speak to the delegates in person. Instead, the president will go to Texas to visit with storm evacuees and check on emergency preparation centers placed out of the storm area.
Citing the preparations going on along the Gulf Coast and in Washington, and the potential dangers residents in the storm's path were facing, the president said to reporters (and television cameras) in a corner of the FEMA operations center:
In light of these events, I will not be going to Minnesota for the Republican National Convention. I'm going to travel down to Texas tomorrow to visit with the Emergency Operations Center in Austin, where coordination among federal, state, and local government officials is occurring. I intend to go down to San Antonio where state and local officials are prepositioning relief materials for Texas and Louisiana, and I'll have a chance to visit with residents of both states who have been evacuated.
I will not be traveling to Louisiana tomorrow because I do not want my visit to impede in any way the response of our emergency personnel.
Throughout it all, White House officials kept up a steady flow of reports as the schedule shifted: First, relaying word that the president was unlikely to make the Minnesota trip, and then, after he spoke with Nagin, confirming that he had canceled the political mission.
As our cousins at The Swamp noted, it's all a "starkly different tableaux" than that presented in the wake of Hurricane Katrina three years ago along the Gulf Coast, when the president "made a low flight over New Orleans in Air Force One"--and took a major hit for the inadequacy of the initial federal response.
For the White House transcript of the president's remarks, click on Read Full Story...
-- James Gerstenzang
Photo: Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release August 31, 2008
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AFTER BRIEFING AT FEMA
FEMA Operations Center
Washington, D.C.
12:24 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: I'm here at the FEMA Headquarters where I just received a briefing, and I've also come to thank the people behind me for working the long hours that they're doing to make sure that we've got the preparations in place for Hurricane Gustav. There's been a lot of work done to get ready for the storm. Across the Gulf Coast there's governors and state officials and local leaders that are taking this storm very seriously and are preparing proactively.
Secretary Chertoff and FEMA Administrator Paulison report that the federal government has prepositioned teams of emergency managers, doctors, ambulances, search and rescue teams, aircraft and commodities throughout the region. There are millions of meals and millions of liters of water prestaged, as well as a lot of blankets and cots. In other words, there's a lot of preparations that have gone in in anticipation of this storm.
We're working with governors to identify and secure out-of-state shelter for people in the path of the storm. Several states, including Missouri, Texas, and New Mexico, are preparing to and have accepted a lot of evacuees. People are leaving those areas that are of concern and we're working hard to make sure that they have a place to go.
The Army Corps of Engineers informs me that while the levees are stronger than they've ever been, people across the Gulf Coast, especially in New Orleans, need to understand that in a storm of this size there is serious risk of significant flooding.
The message to the people of the Gulf Coast is, this storm is dangerous. There's a real possibility of flooding, storm surge, and high winds. Therefore, it is very important for you to follow the instructions and direction of state and local officials. Do not put yourself in harm's way, or make rescue workers take unnecessary risks. And know that the American people stand with you. We'll face this emergency together.
In the coming days I encourage people across our nation to help their neighbors in need. You can contribute to charities, such as the Red Cross. You can volunteer your time to help those in need. And, of course, you can pray for those who might be suffering.
In light of these events, I will not be going to Minnesota for the Republican National Convention. I'm going to travel down to Texas tomorrow to visit with the Emergency Operations Center in Austin, where coordination among federal, state, and local government officials is occurring. I intend to go down to San Antonio where state and local officials are prepositioning relief materials for Texas and Louisiana, and I'll have a chance to visit with residents of both states who have been evacuated.
I will not be traveling to Louisiana tomorrow because I do not want my visit to impede in any way the response of our emergency personnel. I've been talking to the governors, yesterday and today; I also spoke with Mayor Nagin of New Orleans to make sure that they're getting everything they need from the federal government to prepare for what all anticipate will be a difficult situation. I hope to be able to go to Louisiana as soon as conditions permit.
This nation has come to know the strong and resilient spirit of the people of the Gulf Coast. They've made it through great challenges in the past and they're going to make it through this one, as well. In the meantime, all those preparing for this storm are in our thoughts and our prayers from me and Laura and our whole nation.
Thank you very much.
END 12:28 P.M. EDT
Counting those days until the end of the Bush Administration is a waste. You should be counting the days until McCain kicks Obammy's @ss...
Posted by: Sick of MSM | August 31, 2008 at 08:56 PM