On CNN:
I don’t really get an anti-war impression from what she says here. However, a lot of people are reading that into it. Some are trashing her for it, others using it as a rallying cry. She’s a prominent Democrat, so she’s gonna get it regardless of whether she meant anything by it or not. It is what it is. However, She then goes on to basically contradict that statement:
SEBELIUS: So we’re borrowing equipment from around, but National Guard are our first responders. They don’t have the equipment they need to come in. And it will just make it that much slower.
ROBERTS: Have you asked for help from other states?
SEBELIUS: We are reaching out to other states, and a lot of offers are coming in. What we are going to establish is sort of a virtual inventory, so that people can put on our inventory what they have. And as we need it, we’ll put it down.
If she needs firetrucks, Humvees wont’ solve that problem. Secondly, unless there’s looting and rioting going on, I really don’t see a need for the National Guard here at all. As hard as CNN tried to push her into making this a political football, I think she did OK in trying to be civil. What she did do IMO is illustrate, as what happened in Louisiana, that governors seem in general to be completely ignorant of what resources they have in the event of a catastrophe and who is responsible for providing those resources. And, in light of that ignorance of what they have available, every single time, blame it on “someone else”. It’s her job to know what resources she did have at her disposal. If she doesn’t have the National Guard at her ready disposal, then she should have the state police. If she needs a firetruck, she should know where to find a firetruck. The National Guard doesn’t normally have firetrucks.
UPDATE: The Next Day.
Her spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran, said the governor didn’t mean to imply that the state was ill-equipped to deal with this storm. Sebelius’ comments about National Guard equipment were, instead, meant as a warning about the state’s inability to handle additional disasters, such as another tornado or severe flooding, she said.
“We are doing absolutely fine right now,” Corcoran said. “What the governor is talking about is down the road.”
Sebelius has long spoken out about the fallout from sending National Guard units and equipment overseas. She says the war in Iraq is damaging domestic disaster readiness, because needed manpower is drained from states and the Pentagon is not replacing equipment at a fast enough rate.
Ohhh kayy.
I am getting sick and tired of politicians who use the devastation of others as opportunities to promote their own personal political philosphies.
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Moonage Political Webdream » Blog Archive » Bushism of the day: Obama style on 05.09.2007
[...] 10,000 people dead from a town of a town of 1,500 is a pretty amazing fact. The other amazing fact is that the National Guard only had 40 percent of its equipment to assist a town of 1,500. He acknowledged the obvious gaffe of 10,000 dead. He has not acknowledged that Governor Selenius has recanted the recovery slowdown as well. [...]