# McClellan press briefing 9/6/05. Maybe the press has found their balls? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 7, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481 "2005-09-07T05:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/1 "2005-09-07T05:50:17Z")
[Oh, but what a delicious little gangbang **that** was.](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050906-5.html) The Bush Adminstration spin machine was in full effect, but as far as I’m aware, this was the first time reporters were actually calling it out with such force. The cowardly lapdogs seem to be getting it, finally. > [@](#): > > Q One last question. The person who says that he found out about the Convention Center seeing it on the media – that is to say the FEMA Director – is still in place. Is that satisfactory that somebody would have responded like that? > > MR. McCLELLAN: Again, this is getting into – we’re somewhat engaged in a blame game. We’ve got to – > > Q It’s not a blame game. That’s accountability – > > MR. McCLELLAN: Terry, we’ve got to – > > Q It’s accountability. > > MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. > > Q Is “Brownie” still doing a “heck of a job,” according to the President? > > MR. McCLELLAN: We’ve got to continue to do everything we can in support of those who are involved in the operational aspects of this response effort. And that’s what we’re going to do. There will be plenty of time – > > Q If he fails at it, he’s not going to be good at it going forward. That’s what Bob is saying. > > MR. McCLELLAN: There are people working round-the-clock with FEMA. The Secretary, the FEMA Director and many others who are working round-the-clock. And we’ve got to do everything we can in support of their efforts to make sure people are getting what they need. > > Q Does the President really believe we could respond to a terrorist attack with any – amount of weeks, months? > > MR. McCLELLAN: We’ve actually done a lot of exercises, David, to prepare for possible attacks, but – > > Q Do you think most Americans agree, based on – > > MR. McCLELLAN: But the most important thing we’ve got to do is focus on – > > Q You mean exercises for Hurricane Katrina. > > MR. McCLELLAN: We’ve got to focus on prevention, and that’s what we’re doing by staying on the offensive. > > Q Well, let’s talk about it. Are you saying the President is – are you saying that the President is confident that his administration is prepared to adequately, confidently secure the American people in the event of a terrorist attack of a level that we have not seen? And based on what does he have that confidence? > > MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, and that’s what he made clear earlier today, that obviously we want to look and learn lessons from a major catastrophe of this nature. > > Q Yes, but you’re telling us today there will be time for that somewhere down the road. Well, what if it happens tomorrow? > > MR. McCLELLAN: We can engage in this blame-gaming going on and I think that’s what you’re getting – > > Q No, no. That’s a talking point, Scott, and I think most people who are watching this – > > MR. McCLELLAN: No, that’s a fact. I mean, some are wanting to engage in that, and we’re going to remain focused – > > Q I’m asking a direct question. Is he confident – > > MR. McCLELLAN: We’re going to remain focused on the people. > > Q – that he can secure the American people in the event of a major terrorist attack? > > MR. McCLELLAN: We are securing the American people by staying on the offensive abroad and working to spread freedom and democracy in the Middle East. > > Q That’s a talking point. That’s a talking point. > > MR. McCLELLAN: No, that’s a fact. > > Go ahead. > > Q No, it’s not. And you think people who are watching this think that’s – from what does he derive that confidence, based on the response – Are we getting our press back? Is the “party of responsibility” finally going to take any? Will talking points finally be called out and nailed to the wall every time they’re used? Are we on the way to a fact-based community? I can only hope. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/2 "2005-09-07T06:05:49Z")
Oh, but that does my heart good. ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/3 "2005-09-07T06:11:29Z")
This reporter, he didn’t have an untimely accident, did he? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hook)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/4 "2005-09-07T06:24:50Z")
That was beautiful. Now, stay tuned for the “War on Journalism”. ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/5 "2005-09-07T06:26:39Z")
Read further on. It gets better… > [@](#): > > Q Scott, there’s words that James Lee Witt had said, that – people who had been there within three hours after everything broke loose. Why was Mr. Brown not on the ground? > > MR. McCLELLAN: He was, prior to the hurricane. > > Q Well, why didn’t he bring in the troops? Why didn’t he deploy all the necessary assistance that was needed? > > MR. McCLELLAN: There were – disaster medical assistance teams were deployed. Search and rescue teams were deployed ahead of the hurricane. > > Q But why didn’t he – but why weren’t teams deployed to the Convention Center? Why weren’t teams deployed to the Superdome? Why were people without water, without food? Why was there looting in New Orleans for survival? And you’re talking about zero tolerance. Why did these things happen over a period of days, and you start seeing Mr. Brown on the air talking about he didn’t know about the Convention Center and other things. Why? > > MR. McCLELLAN: Look, you’re getting into all the after-action analysis, and I can’t tell you all the – > > Q And you’re saying there is not a blame game, but you open the door to the response – > > MR. McCLELLAN: I can’t tell you that everything you said is factually correct, and they’ve got – we’ve got to look at all the facts. We’ve got to determine what worked, what didn’t work, and apply – > > Q Well, what’s not working? What’s not working in your view right now? > > MR. McCLELLAN: – and apply lessons from that. > > Q What do you see that’s not working right now? What is not working? Because these people are dying from dysentery now – > > MR. McCLELLAN: Well, last week – > > Q – infection now; they’re displaced, homes are gone. Does anyone in this administration know anyone that’s down there – > > MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you need to talk to people on the ground – > > Q – beyond Trent Lott? > > MR. McCLELLAN: – people on the ground who have – > > Q Does anyone in this White House know anyone that’s there, beyond Trent Lott, that’s lost a home, that has lost family, that’s displaced? > > MR. McCLELLAN: The President visited with a number of those who have been affected by the hurricane. We went down to Mississippi and Louisiana on Friday. The President visited with a number of people in the Biloxi area who have lost everything they had. The President saw firsthand – > > Q Does anyone in this administration know anyone personally who’s been affected by the devastation? > > MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, the President has talked about those, and the President has visited with people who have lost everything they have. I know people that have been displaced, friends of mine. And it’s terrible when you go and see the devastation on the ground. We’ve seen the devastation on the ground. We’ve seen the homes that are no longer there. We’ve seen the flooding that has covered a large portion of New Orleans and that has taken lives. There are people who continue to suffer and we need to get them help. And that’s why our focus is on getting them help. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/6 "2005-09-07T07:01:19Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > [Oh, but what a delicious little gangbang **that** was.](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050906-5.html) The Bush Adminstration spin machine was in full effect, but as far as I’m aware, this was the first time reporters were actually calling it out with such force. The cowardly lapdogs seem to be getting it, finally. I think it’s [come close before.](http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/08/27/briefing/index.html) (Salon, click-through or subscription needed) I’m cautiously optimistic, in that light. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/7 "2005-09-07T07:01:59Z")
I feel a little sorry for McClellan, in the same way I felt sorry for the Iraqi information minister. They’re both being hammered and both have nothing to fall back on but the same recycled talking points. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/8 "2005-09-07T07:15:12Z")
Fuck, I want to buy the guy who kept telling McClellan to stop with the talking points a big brewsi. Anyone know who he is? ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/9 "2005-09-07T07:15:26Z")
> [@Mac Guffin](#): > > Read further on. It gets better… > > Heh. Please, oh PLEASE, tell me: **Which** journalist was it? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/10 "2005-09-07T07:37:50Z")
> [@](#): > > MR. McCLELLAN: We’ve got to focus on prevention, and that’s what we’re doing by staying on the offensive. > > Q Well, let’s talk about it. Are you saying the President is – are you saying that the President is confident that his administration is prepared to adequately, confidently secure the American people in the event of a terrorist attack of a level that we have not seen? And based on what does he have that confidence? […] > > MR. McCLELLAN: We are securing the American people by staying on the offensive abroad and working to spread freedom and democracy in the Middle East. Holy crap! Nevermind that it’s a “talking point.” It sounded an awful lot like he’s saying that they’re not worrying to much about _responding_ to a catastrophic terrorist attack, since they’ve got this swell “prevention” plan they’re working on – one that anyone with a lick of sense can see is practically purpose-built to foster _more_ terrorist attacks against the United States. :smack: Sleep tight, neighbours. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![The\_New\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@The\_New\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_New_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/11 "2005-09-07T08:04:55Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Holy crap! Nevermind that it’s a “talking point.” It sounded an awful lot like he’s saying that they’re not worrying to much about _responding_ to a catastrophic terrorist attack, since they’ve got this swell “prevention” plan they’re working on – one that anyone with a lick of sense can see is practically purpose-built to foster _more_ terrorist attacks against the United States. :smack: > > Sleep tight, neighbours. ☹ That’s for sure. They’re spreading _something_, but it’s not democracy. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/12 "2005-09-07T08:21:55Z")
This type of ambush vaguely reminds me of some patient verbally getting into an argument with the receptionist at a doctor’s office over the doctor running late with his appointments. Yeah, you might feel good unleashing some fury on some poor helpless go-between, but it ain’t correcting any problems about a doctor keeping his schedule. I just hope this patient has enough bile worked up for his internist, x-ray tech, pharmacist, and surgeon…since the doctor may be waiting for their input as well. Eh, screw it. Line 'em all up and bitchslap them all…receptionist included if it makes you feel better. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/13 "2005-09-07T11:21:51Z")
Let’s not get too happy about this. The journalists and news outlets have always been whores to public opinion and this case is no different. People are angry about the response to Katrina so now you have every “journalist” rushing to be the first to claim their shiny crediblity and edginess merit badge to put on their khaki cargo vest. “Look at me. I’m hard nosed and edgy!!!” The standard for journalistic cajones was set when Murrow went after McCarthy. This ain’t even close. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/14 "2005-09-07T11:58:48Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Let’s not get too happy about this. The journalists and news outlets have always been whores to public opinion and this case is no different. People are angry about the response to Katrina so now you have every “journalist” rushing to be the first to claim their shiny crediblity and edginess merit badge to put on their khaki cargo vest. > > “Look at me. I’m hard nosed and edgy!!!” > > The standard for journalistic cajones was set when Murrow went after McCarthy. This ain’t even close. Even if the harder questions are being asked purely out of a desire on the reporter’s part to appear edgy and to validate his or her “street cred,” it’s a DAMN sight better than the softball questions they HAVE been asking to insure their continued access to the White House. ---
**Author:** ![PinkMarabou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PinkMarabou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkMarabou)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/15 "2005-09-07T12:07:41Z")
I’m quite impressed that the reporters are finally asking the harder questions. I just hope this continues. Although this isn’t the White House Press, I thought this was an interesting interview. This is the transcript from “Meet The Press” on Sunday. It’s Tim Russert and Michael Chertoff, Russert’s questions are italicized by me, bolding is also mine. > [@](#): > > MR. RUSSERT: _Mr. Secretary, **are you or anyone who reports to you contemplating resignation**?_ > > SEC’Y MICHAEL CHERTOFF: You know, Tim, what we’re contemplating now is the fact that we are very, very much in the middle of a crisis. There’s a bit of a sense that you get that some people think it’s now time to draw a sigh of relief and go back and do the after-action analysis, and there’ll be plenty of time for that. We obviously need to look very closely at things that worked well, and many things did work well, and some things that didn’t work well, and some things did not work well. > > But we have to remember that we have an enormous challenge ahead of us, and there’s not a lot of time to get ahead of it. We have basically moved the population of New Orleans to other parts of the country, or we’re in the process of doing so. We’ve got to feed them. We’ve got to shelter the people. We’ve got to get them housing. We’ve got to educate their children. We have to dewater the city. We have to clean up the environment. We’re going to have to rebuild. Those are enormous, enormous tasks, and we can’t afford to get those messed up. > > So what I’m focused on now and what I want my department–in fact, what the president has ordered all of us to be focused on now–is: What do we need to do in the next hours, in the next days, in the next weeks and the next months to make sure we are doing everything possible to give these people succor and to make their lives easier? > > MR. RUSSERT: \*Mr… \* > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: We will have time to go back and do an after-action report, but the time right now is to look at what the enormous tasks ahead are. > > MR. RUSSERT: _Well, many Americans believe now is the time for accountability. The Republican governor of Massachusetts said, **“We are an embarrassment to the world.” The Republican senator from Louisiana, David Vitter, said that you deserve a grade of F, flunk. How would you grade yourself**?_ > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: You know, Tim, again I’m going to–the process of grading myself and grading everybody else is one that we will examine over time. I will tell you that my focus now is on what is going to go forward. What would really be–require a grade of F would be to stop thinking about the crisis we have now so that we can start to go back and do the after-action analysis. There are some things that actually worked very well. There are some things that didn’t. We may have to break the model that we have used for dealing with catastrophes, at least in the case of ultra-catastrophes. > > And let me tell you, Tim, there is nobody who has ever seen or dealt with a catastrophe on this scale in this country. It has never happened before. So no matter what the planning was in advance, we were presented with an unprecedented situation. Obviously, we’re going to want to learn about that. I’ll tell you something I said when I–a month ago before this happened. I said that I thought that we need to build a preparedness capacity going forward that we have not yet succeeded in doing. That clearly remains the case, and we will in due course look at what we’ve done here and incorporate it into the planning. But first we are going to make sure we are attending to the crisis at hand. > > MR. RUSSERT: _ **So no heads will roll**?_ > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Tim, in due course, if people want to go and chop heads off, there’ll be an opportunity to do it. The question I would put to people is what do you want to have us spend our time on now? Do we want to make sure we are feeding, sheltering, housing and educating those who are distressed, or do we want to begin the process of finger-pointing? I know that as far as I’m concerned I have got to be focused on, and everybody else in this government, and the president has made this very clear, we have got to focus on moving forward to deal with some very real emergencies which are going to be happening in the next days and weeks because of the fact that we have to deal with an unprecedented movement of evacuees. > > MR. RUSSERT: \*Senator Vitter, the Republican from Louisiana, said the death toll could reach 10,000 because of the lack of response. Do you agree with that number? \* > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: You know, I understand first of all, Tim, that–and I’m clearly including myself among this group–many, many people are frustrated and very distressed by what happened here. Obviously, every minute matters in a situation like this. I think I said that we are racing the clock. But even with that sense of frustration and being upset, I don’t think that I’m in a position to start to speculate and guess about what the numbers will be. > > I will tell you one thing I know, that when we come to the point that we’ve completed the evacuation, we’re going to start dewatering the city–in fact, it’s under way now–we’re going to confront some very, very ugly pictures. Many people may have been trapped when that levee broke, and the lake basically became, you know, part of the city of New Orleans. People were trapped in their houses and couldn’t get out. Some of those people fortunately apparently were able to be safe and are coming out now. > > We rescued 10,000 people, the Coast Guard did. That’s three times as many as in any prior year. Think about that. That’s an–that is compressing in three days the rescue efforts of–three times the rescue efforts of any prior year. There were some extraordinary actions that were taken by people at all levels, including people at the Department of Homeland Security where the Coast Guard is. So we have worked very aggressively, but we got to tell you, we have to prepare the country for what may be some very, very difficult pictures in the weeks to come. > > MR. RUSSERT: _People were stunned by a comment the president of the United States made on Wednesday, Mr. Secretary. He said, “I don’t think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees.” **How could the president be so wrong, be so misinformed?** _ > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Well, I think if you look at what actually happened, I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, “New Orleans Dodged The Bullet,” because if you recall the storm moved to the east and then continued on and appeared to pass with considerable damage but nothing worse. It was on Tuesday that the levee–may have been overnight Monday to Tuesday–that the levee started to break. And it was midday Tuesday that I became aware of the fact that there was no possibility of plugging the gap and that essentially the lake was going to start to drain into the city. I think that second catastrophe really caught everybody by surprise. In fact, I think that’s one of the reasons people didn’t continue to leave after the hurricane had passed initially. So this was clearly an unprecedented catastrophe. And I think it caused a tremendous dislocation in the response effort and, in fact, in our ability to get materials to people. > > And one last point I’d make is this, Tim. We had actually prestaged a tremendous number of supplies, meals, shelter, water. We had prestaged, even before the hurricane, dozens of Coast Guard helicopters, which were obviously nearby but not in the area. So the difficulty wasn’t lack of supplies. The difficulty was that when the levee broke, it was very, very hard to get the supplies to the people. I-10 was submerged. There was only one significant road going all the way the way around. Much of the city was flooded. The only way to get to people and to get supplies was to have airdrops and helicopters. And frankly, it is very–and their first priority was rescuing people from rooftops. So we really had a tremendous strain on the capacity of–to be able to both rescue people and also to be able to get them supplies. > > MR. RUSSERT: _Mr. Secretary, you say prestaged. People were sent to the Convention Center. **There was no water, no food, no beds, no authorities there. There was no planning**._ > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: My understanding is, and again this is something that’s going to go back–we’re going to go back over after the fact is–the plan that the New Orleans officials and the state officials put together called for the Superdome to be the refuge of last resort. We became aware of the fact at some point that people began to go to the Convention Center on their own, spontaneously, in order to shelter there. And I think it’s for that reason that people found themselves without food and water and supplies. The challenge then became… > > MR. RUSSERT: \* Well, Mr. Secretary, you said–hold on. Mr. Secretary, there was no food or water at the Superdome, either. And I want to stay on this because…\*. > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Well, my understanding–well… > > MR. RUSSERT: \*I want to stay on this because this is very important. You said you were surprised by the levee being broken. **In 2002, The Times-Picayune did story after story–and this is eerie; this is what they wrote and how they predicted what was going to happen. It said, and I’ll read it very carefully: "…A major hurricane could decimate the region, but flooding from even a moderate storm could kill thousands. It’s just a matter of time. … The scene’s been played out for years in computer models or emergency operations simulations… New Orleans has hurricane levees that create a bowl with the bottom dipping lower than the bottom of Lake Pontchartrain. …the levees would trap any water that gets inside-- by breach, overtopping or torrential downpour–catastrophic storm. … The estimated 200,000 or more people left behind in an evacuation will be struggling to survive. Some will be housed at the Superdome, the designated shelter for people too sick or inform to leave the city. …But many will simply be on their own, in homes or looking for high ground. Thousands will drown while trapped in homes or cars by rising water. Other will be washed away or crushed by debris. Survivors will end up trapped on roofs, in buildings or on high ground surrounded by water, with no means of escape and little food or fresh water, perhaps for several days."** > > **That was four years ago. And last summer FEMA, who reports to you, and the LSU Hurricane Center, and local and state officials did a simulated Hurricane Pam in which the levees broke.** The levees broke, Mr. Secretary, and people–thousands… \* > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Actually, Tim, that… > > MR. RUSSERT: \ ***Thousands drowned.** \* > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Tim, I had… > > MR. RUSSERT: _ **There’s a CD which is in your department and the White House has it and the president, and you are saying, “We were surprised that the levees may not hold.” How could this be?** _ > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: No, Tim, I have to tell you, that’s not what I said. You have to listen to what I said. What I said was not that we didn’t anticipate that there’s a possibility the levees will break. What I said is in this storm, what happened is the storm passed and passed without the levees breaking on Monday. Tuesday morning, I opened newspapers and saw headlines that said “New Orleans Dodged The Bullet,” which surprised people. What surprised them was that the levee broke overnight and the next day and, in fact, collapsed. That was a surprise. > > As to the larger point, there’s no question that people have known for probably decades that New Orleans sits in a bowl surrounded by levees. This is a city built on the coast in an area that has hurricanes in it that is built below sea levels and that is a soup bowl. People have talked for years about, you know, whether it makes sense to have a city like that, how to build the levees. So, of course, that’s not a surprise. What caught people by surprise in this instance was the fact that there was a second wave, and that, as The Times-Picayune article makes very clear, creates an almost apocalyptic challenge for rescuers. > > The fact of the matter is, there’s only really one way to deal with that issue, and that is to get people out first. Once that bowl breaks and that soup bowl fills with water, it is unquestionably the case, as we saw vividly demonstrated, that it’s going to be almost impossible to get people out. So there is really only one way to deal with it, and that is to evacuate people in advance. > > Michael Brown got on TV in Saturday and he said to people in New Orleans, “Take this seriously. There is a storm coming.” On Friday there was discussion about the fact that even though this storm could fall anywhere along the Gulf, people had to be carefully monitoring it. We were watching it on Saturday and Sunday. The president was on a videoconference on Sunday telling us we’ve got to do everything possible to be prepared. But you know, Tim, at the end of the day, this is the ground truth: The only way to avoid a catastrophic problem in that soup bowl is to have people leave before the hurricane hits. Those who got out are fine. Those who stayed in faced one of the most horrible experiences in their life. > > MR. RUSSERT: \*But that’s the point. Those who got out were people with SUVs and automobiles and air fares who could get out. Those who could not get out were the poor who rely on public buses to get out. **Your Web site says that your department assumes primary responsibility for a national disaster. If you knew a hurricane 3 storm was coming, why weren’t buses, trains, planes, cruise ships, trucks provided on Friday, Saturday, Sunday to evacuate people before the storm?** \* > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Tim, the way that emergency operations act under the law is the responsibility and the power, the authority, to order an evacuation rests with state and local officials. The federal government comes in and supports those officials. That’s why Mike Brown got on TV on Saturday and he told people to start to get out of there. > > Now, ultimately the resources that will get people who don’t have cars and don’t have the ability to remove themselves has to rest with the kinds of assets a city has–the city’s buses, the city’s transportation. You know, there will be plenty of time to go back over what the preparation has been with respect to infrastructure in New Orleans, with respect to transportation, with respect to evacuation. To confront a situation that, as you point out, people have been aware of for decades–this is not something that just came on the horizon recently. > > But I want to leave you with a very, very important marker which I’m going to put down now. At this particular moment, this is not over. There is a tremendous challenge. Whatever the criticisms and the after-action report may be about what was right and what was wrong looking back, what would be a horrible tragedy would be to distract ourselves from avoiding further problems because we’re spending time talking about problems that have already occurred. > > MR. RUSSERT: \* The… \* > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: We are going to have to feed–wait a second. We’re going to have to feed, clothe, house and educate a city of people scattered across the country. We’re going to have to do it in a way that doesn’t disrupt the rest of the country. We’re going to have to continue the work to restore our infrastructure. We’re going to have to clean probably the greatest environmental mess we’ve ever seen in this country. And we’re going to have to make important decisions about this in the next days and weeks and months. And I’ve got to tell you that for my money what I’m going to spend my time on is focusing on making sure we are getting on top of emergencies that are still under way. > > MR. RUSSERT: \* This is hurricane season. Are you prepared for another hurricane in that region or, God forbid, a nuclear or biological attack, which we’re told could happen at any time? \* > > SEC’Y CHERTOFF: I’m going to tell you, Tim, you’ve put your finger on something which I said the day after this hurricane hit. As catastrophic as this is, we are still in hurricane season. And as much as we are working on desperately getting people out now, we’ve got to make sure we are holding in reserve and we are preparing for what could come next, whether it be a hurricane, whether it be a disease. I mean, we are challenged to make sure that at a moment when we have a current catastrophe and we have to be vigilant about other catastrophes that we do not lose focus and spend time dwelling on the past. I promise you we will go back and review the lessons that we have to learn, what went right and what went wrong. But I will tell you now we will be making a huge mistake if we spend the time in the immediate future looking back instead of dealing with, as you point out, what’s going on now and what may yet come. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/16 "2005-09-07T12:21:57Z")
> [@Yeticus Rex](#): > > This type of ambush vaguely reminds me… Ambush? It was a press conference, not a Michael Moore “grab 'em on the street” Q&A (or Q&ignore, as is generally warranted)! I agree – bitchslap 'em all. From the top on down… ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/17 "2005-09-07T13:26:46Z")
> [@Hamadryad](#): > > Even if the harder questions are being asked purely out of a desire on the reporter’s part to appear edgy and to validate his or her “street cred,” it’s a DAMN sight better than the softball questions they HAVE been asking to insure their continued access to the White House. I don’t think so. If they keep asking tough questions about the accountability of this thing after the public has lost interest, then I’ll acknowledge them as _having done their jobs_. I’d bet money that in under a month we’ll be back to looking for the missing white women. This will only last for as long as the majority remains angry. 5…4…3… ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/18 "2005-09-07T13:40:49Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > I don’t think so. If they keep asking tough questions about the accountability of this thing after the public has lost interest, then I’ll acknowledge them as _having done their jobs_. I’d bet money that in under a month we’ll be back to looking for the missing white women. This will only last for as long as the majority remains angry. 5…4…3… And yet the Katrina story will remain newsoerthy for months to come – oh, not in the headline-grabbing sense, but the recovery efforts will go on and on. States that took in evacuees will have to grapple with what to do with them. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/19 "2005-09-07T13:49:16Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > Fuck, I want to buy the guy who kept telling McClellan to stop with the talking points a big brewsi. Anyone know who he is? I believe his name was Q. > [@Large Marge](#): > > Please, oh PLEASE, tell me: Which journalist was it? I think _his_ name was Q, too. ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481/20 "2005-09-07T14:05:38Z")
> [@Yeticus Rex](#): > > This type of ambush vaguely reminds me of some patient verbally getting into an argument with the receptionist at a doctor’s office over the doctor running late with his appointments. Yeah, you might feel good unleashing some fury on some poor helpless go-between, but it ain’t correcting any problems about a doctor keeping his schedule. > > I just hope this patient has enough bile worked up for his internist, x-ray tech, pharmacist, and surgeon…since the doctor may be waiting for their input as well. > > Eh, screw it. Line 'em all up and bitchslap them all…receptionist included if it makes you feel better. Scott McClellan is hardly the receptionist at a doctor’s office. He’s the primary spokesman and press liaison for the Bush Administration. As such, you’d expect he would be prepared to discuss the administration’s actions and plans with some authority. “Helpless go-between?” Try “voice of the White House”. If he appears helpless, it’s because the administration is hapless. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcclellan-press-briefing-9-6-05-maybe-the-press-has-found-their-balls/320481.md?page=2)