# Did Bush fake a Katrina photo op? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 4, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006 "2005-09-04T04:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/41 "2005-09-04T16:01:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Did Bush fake a Katrina photo op? \*\<- in the form of a question \* > I expect nothing but a grunt from the pig that Bush is, but I **need to confirm this** before I go ballistic. > **If he really did this** , I cannot fathom how even his most ardent defenders will be able to stomach him. **Can anyone confirm or refute this?** (emphasis & italized statement mine) Dude, the OP is clearly asking for facts to confirm or deny, not “coming up with” an accusation. Oh, why am I bothering… On preview, **vibrotronica** beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/42 "2005-09-04T16:08:03Z")
Well, my husband, who is a moderate-to-conservative Republican and has been a fairly strong Bush supporter, in the past few days has gone from approving of him to calling him “stupid,” calling his appointments of people like Chertoff and Brown “cronyism at its worse,” and actually breaking down in tears on hearing and seeing the reports of the faked photos ops and rescue disruption Bush’s appearance in NOLA caused. He hates Mary Landrieu, but he believed her because while she’s an idiot, she also is from New Orleans and he honestly doesn’t think would lie about something like that. Especially when she broke down in tears herself. I’d say Bush is fast losing his last supporter base, and this kind of crap is just the icing on the cake. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/43 "2005-09-04T17:04:34Z")
I work in politics. I worked for John Kerry. If you don’t know what an advance team is, and what they do, I’ll tell you: they do this sort of thing all the time. They prepare events, they make them look nice, they crowd build a crowd to listen and show support, they time things to happen for the media. If this is really true, I very much doubt Bush himself knew it was happening. The VIP rarely knows how events are going to be set up, they are just told what’s going to happen and how they fit into the show. This doesn’t strain my credulity. I doubt it could really be quite as sinister as it seems: maybe just a few calls to temporarily divert ongoing operations to a different location. That’s still pretty tasteless, but not evil. So I don’t think it would be a smear on Bush’s character as much as a cry for help: in a time when he needs to be a thoughtful leader, he’s drowning in a sea of the same media-savvy micro-managers that have defined his Presidency. Can anyone really deny that the President’s people have put more time and effort into coordinating their media strategy than they have apparently put into plans to coordinate disaster relief over the last few years? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/44 "2005-09-04T17:04:46Z")
To get back to the OP: I believe you can divide **Hentor’s** questions into two(or three) distinct parts. The original point was about the criticism of Bush by Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. She’s even on tv this Sunday am threatening to punch him. But her criticism is mainly about the lack of work on the 17th Street levee, which she viewed with Bush on Friday (afternoon?). Then, on Saturday morning, she flew over the 17th STreet levy and saw only one construction vehicle, assuming that the multiple ones she saw on Friday were part of a photo-op. Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m part of the liberal cabal and hate Bush. But I don’t think her criticism holds water, at least not automatically. [Here’s](http://bbsnews.net/article.php/20050902124557420) a news story from Friday about what the Corps of Engineers with private contractors are trying to do. I think it’s more complicated that assuming that more equipment equals more solution. I’ll let a reader make up their own mind. As to the discussion of the article from the German News sites about food sites being set up and then dismantled when the Pres. left, you can discuss this separately. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/45 "2005-09-04T17:12:44Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > To get back to the OP: > > But I don’t think her criticism holds water > > . Niether did the levee. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/46 "2005-09-04T17:13:40Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > And I imagine that you’ve heard of exaggerating for comical effect? Just when I think the liberals cannot sink any lower in their mindless, irrational hatred for George Bush, someone comes up with ‘He staged a photo-op at the flood!’ ‘Exaggerating for comic effect’ or not, it’s still a Straw Man, and it still invalidates your position. By the way, you’ve just made another one. No one here just ‘came up’ with the charges quoted by the OP. The OP cited a statement by a Louisiana senator and by the German news organization ZDF stating that this may have been the case. If you can demonstrate factually that either of these sources are simply ‘expressing mindless, irrational hatred for George Bush’ please do so. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/47 "2005-09-04T17:18:50Z")
> [@Pochacco](#): > > Well, apparently [all helicopter flights were suspended](http://www.nola.com/weblogs/print.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/print076556.html) while Bush was in the area, hampering relief efforts. > > The claim is being made by the Chief of Staff of a U.S. Representative. > > So perhaps the other stories aren’t too big a stretch … . I call BS on this. When Bush gave his big "rah rah " speech in NO. He was outside. Helicopters were flying non-stop behind him. So many, in fact, that I thought it was staged to have as many helicopters in the air behind him, lending credibility that now that he was in charge, the aid would flow. Who was the guy, the Iraqi information officer, who stated that anyone who said US tanks were in Baghdad were liars, while in the background US tanks could be seen? Same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/48 "2005-09-04T17:19:39Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > ‘Exaggerating for comic effect’ or not, it’s still a Straw Man, and it still invalidates your position. > > By the way, you’ve just made another one. No one here just ‘came up’ with the charges quoted by the OP. The OP cited a statement by a Louisiana senator and by the German news organization ZDF stating that this may have been the case. If you can demonstrate factually that either of these sources are simply ‘expressing mindless, irrational hatred for George Bush’ please do so. The idea that someone could be so consumed with an irrational hatred for Bush that they would even _consider_ the fact that he would stage a photo-op in a ravaged flood region for some kind of vague political gain speaks volumes to me. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/49 "2005-09-04T17:28:34Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > The idea that someone could be so consumed with an irrational hatred for Bush that they would even _consider_ the fact that he would stage a photo-op in a ravaged flood region for some kind of vague political gain speaks volumes to me. The fact that someone is so consumed with an irrational love for Bush that they wouldn’t even _consider_ the evidence that he staged a photo-op in a flood-ravaged region for some kind of vague political gain speaks volumes to me about that person’s complete stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/50 "2005-09-04T17:29:57Z")
> [@Cerri](#): > > Well, if you want to get really technical, estate law wasn’t even his last job. He hasn’t done that since 1990ish. > > His last civilian job was as the Judges and Stewards Commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association. Basically, his job was to enforce rules at _horse shows_. And he didn’t even do that well. He was forced to resign from the IAHA in 2001, under mounting litigation. > > [http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/politics/12554958.htm](http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/politics/12554958.htm) > > [http://www.horsesass.org/](http://www.horsesass.org/) Go to the “BREAKING NEWS: Mike Brown still unqualified to run FEMA” section > > [FEMA Dir. Mike Brown fired from prior job at Horse Assoc.](http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/2/34622/68348) > > Nice, eh? I can see _clearly_ how enforcing rules at horse shows provides the training and experience to be head of our nation’s biggest disaster agency. > > Oh wait. No, I can’t, because that’s fucking retarded. To be fair, “Brownie” (as our adolescent president so affectionately calls him), was involved in emergency response for the mighty metropolis of Edmond, OK back in the mid-1970s, so clearly he is over-qualified to head a massive federal agency. Seriously, the fact that he is another in a long line of Bush incompetent cronies to receive high-paying federal posts in this administration should in itself be grounds for impeachment. (And by the way, “Brownie” was appointed to be the head of FEMA in 2003, two years AFTER 9-11.) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/51 "2005-09-04T17:31:30Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > The fact that someone is so consumed with an irrational love for Bush that they wouldn’t even _consider_ the evidence that he staged a photo-op in a flood-ravaged region for some kind of vague political gain speaks volumes to me about that person’s complete stupidity. “Love” _does_ equal “hate,” you know!!! ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/52 "2005-09-04T17:35:31Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > The fact that someone is so consumed with an irrational love for Bush that they wouldn’t even _consider_ the evidence that he staged a photo-op in a flood-ravaged region for some kind of vague political gain speaks volumes to me about that person’s complete stupidity. Well, I just told you that I’d heard that Bush had personally wrestled a wheelchair out from under some crippled child. Oh, and I forgot to add that he then instructed the Secret Service to shoot the kid. Do you believe that? Or is there a shred of doubt in your mind? You have to at least consider that it might be true, yes? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/53 "2005-09-04T17:37:43Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > The idea that someone could be so consumed with an irrational hatred for Bush that they would even _consider_ the fact that he would stage a photo-op in a ravaged flood region for some kind of vague political gain speaks volumes to me. If you go back and read the post by **Apos** , you’ll be reading one of the few articulate paragraphs in this thread. I worked for the State Department for 12 years and did my share of CODELs and presidential visits. What the visiting VIP sees in no way resembles reality. The advance party people set things up to show their boss to best advantage and to minimize his/her discomfort, regardless of how misguided it may be. I worked a visit by the CIA Director some years ago; we had to make sure that he never had to climb more than three stairs. That said, it’s up to the visitor to say ‘enough with the bullshit, I want to see it warts and all’. Few take that step, because at some point most politicians come to believe that they are the end instead of the means. Shameful as this scene-setting is, it’s not atypical. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/54 "2005-09-04T17:39:14Z")
**SOURCES SAY BUSH ORDERED SHOOTING OF CRIPPLED CHILD.** Like that, **Stephe96?** ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/55 "2005-09-04T17:40:34Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > That story about the big honcho over at FEMA being some lawyer who had no experiience in public health, or logistics…that’s not true either? Sure hope not. 'Bout two inches from going totally postal, right now. Absolutely true. A crony appointment, rather than a job search for someone qualified. Then Bush demoted the position and cut the funding for natural disaster preparation. Brown’s claim to fame is that he judges Arabian horse competitions. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/56 "2005-09-04T17:43:09Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Well, I just told you that I’d heard that Bush had personally wrestled a wheelchair out from under some crippled child. Oh, and I forgot to add that he then instructed the Secret Service to shoot the kid. > > Do you believe that? Or is there a shred of doubt in your mind? You have to at least consider that it might be true, yes? I’d ask you for the evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/57 "2005-09-04T17:45:05Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > If you go back and read the post by **Apos** , you’ll be reading one of the few articulate paragraphs in this thread. I worked for the State Department for 12 years and did my share of CODELs and presidential visits. What the visiting VIP sees in no way resembles reality. The advance party people set things up to show their boss to best advantage and to minimize his/her discomfort, regardless of how misguided it may be. I worked a visit by the CIA Director some years ago; we had to make sure that he never had to climb more than three stairs. That said, it’s up to the visitor to say ‘enough with the bullshit, I want to see it warts and all’. Few take that step, because at some point most politicians come to believe that they are the end instead of the means. Shameful as this scene-setting is, it’s not atypical. This is pretty much what I’ve been saying. All presidential visits are, to some extent, an arranged photo-op. They sort of have to be since they have to accomodate the WH press corps. And of course the Secret Service is there ahead of time “arranging” various aspects of the visit for security purposes. So somebody saw a piece of rescue equipment being moved before and after Bush’s visit and immediately thinks, “Staged?” Well, I suppose it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/58 "2005-09-04T17:45:25Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Well, I just told you that I’d heard that Bush had personally wrestled a wheelchair out from under some crippled child. Oh, and I forgot to add that he then instructed the Secret Service to shoot the kid. > > Do you believe that? Or is there a shred of doubt in your mind? You have to at least consider that it might be true, yes? If I had multiple sources, including a Republican US senator and two different international presses, I’d be boggling (as I am now) but find it difficult to deny (as I am now). What the fuck is wrong with you? People are _dying_ and you’re trying to defend the man who’s harming them? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/59 "2005-09-04T17:45:54Z")
> [@](#): > > The idea that someone could be so consumed with an irrational hatred for Bush that they would even consider the fact that he would stage a photo-op in a ravaged flood region for some kind of vague political gain speaks volumes to me. Well, I can only say then that you have a remarkably closed mind, and your illogical rebuttals speak volumes to me. Did this administration, or did it not, pose a multi-million-dollar staged event in which Bush was flown, unnecessarily by military jet, onto an aircraft carrier a few miles off the US coast, just so he could make a speech (with a huge banner behind him stating, erroneously, ‘mission accomplished’) announcing victory in Iraq? With that in mind, why do you find it so outlandish that someone in his staff may have decided to do a similar sort of stage-managing during Bush’s visit to the Gulf Coast? BTW, in my first post to this thread, I proposed a possible explanation for the Senator having made a mistake in her assessment. **Samclem** later made a more detailed argument in the same vein. Guess you missed those. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006/60 "2005-09-04T17:46:17Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I’d ask you for the evidence. You mean you’d doubt it? Good. There are some things that are so stupid even you wouldn’t believe them. Same goes for the staged photo-op story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-fake-a-katrina-photo-op/320006.md?page=4)