Donna Brazile, George W. Bush, and the truth about Hurricane Katrina
Photo: AP
Donna Brazile wrote a column praising President Bush
for his handling of Hurricane Katrina. The 2005 hurricane devastated New
Orleans. It also ruined Bush’s second term by obliterating the
rationale for his original candidacy: competence.
The Bush team told the world that the adults were back
in charge, and the narrative out of Katrina was that Bush had failed to
lead. The worst accusation came from rapper Kanye West, who claimed that
Bush left people to die in New Orleans because he did not care about
black people.
The man who promised to “restore honor and dignity to
the White House” was now a bumbling, racist, Southern dumb hick, the
very caricature his leftist critics always wanted him to be.
The problem is this was never true.
West has since apologized for his remarks about Bush.
Donna Brazile is no ordinary woman. She is a partisan
Democrat and proud of it. As Al Gore’s 2000 campaign manager, over a
period of two years, her life was dedicated to keeping Bush out of the
White House.
She currently is a commentator on CNN, a network every
bit as liberal as MSNBC without admitting it. Brazile also happens to be
a black woman who grew up in the South. New Orleans was not just a
symbol. It was her home.
So her words about how Bush really handled Hurricane Katrina should be read over and over until those images are seared into every human mind.
“Every member of my family was displaced by Katrina.
Last year, I lost both my father and sister. But I had them with me that
much longer because they were rescued from the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina.
“Bush understood the need for civility. I joined him
despite my frustration because the need was too great for
finger-pointing and blame-making. He flew to New Orleans and addressed
the nation.
“George W. Bush was good as his word. He visited the
Gulf states 17 times; went 13 times to New Orleans. Laura Bush made 24
trips. Bush saw that $126 billion in aid was sent to the Gulf’s
residents, as some members of his own party in Congress balked.”
“Bush put a special emphasis on rebuilding schools and
universities. He didn’t forget African-Americans: Bush provided $400
million to the historically black colleges, now integrated, that remain a
pride, and magnet for African-American students. Laura Bush, a
librarian, saw to it that thousands of books ruined by the floods were
replaced.”
“Our recovery can be credited to the civility and tireless efforts of President Bush and other Americans…”
Once again, a myth concocted by liberals to destroy
Bush personally and drag down his presidency has been proven false. He
did and does care about people. People of all races. The dignity of
every human being a a creature of God matters to him. He did get the job
done during Katrina.
Capable Mississippi Republican leaders cooperated with
him while incompetent Democratic Louisiana leaders fought him every step
of the way and let the Big Easy get washed away.
The Bush White House was guilty of lousy public
relations, because Bush believed deeds mattered more than words. He
still believes this, and refuses to defend himself against scurrilous
attacks.
Brazile should have spoken up sooner. I interviewed her at the 2008 GOP Convention in Minneapolis, and she volunteered that Trent Lott “saved her family.”
She did not mention Bush. She was as gracious as can be, but she had elections to win.
I delayed publishing my interview with her until after
the 2008 election specifically to avoid praising a high-ranking liberal
Democrat during the campaign. So throwing stones at her from my glass
house is not going to happen.
Late is better than never, and conservatives should be
grateful to Ms. Brazile for (belatedly) allowing integrity and the truth
to supersede partisanship.
It it is too late to undo the poison inflicted on a
good, decent man trying to lead the War on Terror. It is not too late to
make sure that the history books view this man with the kindness and
praise he deserves.
READ MORE: The Tygrrrr Express by Eric GolubRead more: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/tygrrrr-express/2013/apr/26/donna-brazile-george-w-bush-and-truth-about-hurric/#ixzz2RqzUlYTX
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