If you want to get the rest of the news on the story that the MSM is pushing on the video of Bush's briefing on Katrina, read the backgrounder on Powerline explaining how the AP reporters are confusing the warning that Bush received that the levess might be "overtopped" vs. the idea of the levees being breached. It's a small difference that means a whole lot. Just picture a full bathtub and the difference between water overtopping the tub and the tub breaking and the whole contents of the tub coming out. As Mickey Kaus says,
Topping is different than breaching, no? When a levee's "topped," or "overtopped," some water sloshes over it and into the city. Then the storm passes and that's it. When a levee's "breached," there's a hole in the levee and Lake Pontchartrain pours in the gap and keeps pouring in until the city is completely flooded. What Bush said after the storm seems quite consistent with what Mayfield told him before the storm--i.e., he thought the levees might be topped by the storm surge but not that they'd be breached, with the catastrophe that resulted. ... P.S.: Is the despised, self-parodying MSM intentionally glossing over this important difference in order to exaggerate the anti-Bush shock value of the video?
Patterico has more analysis. Gee, isn't it about time for the White House to hire someone who can get this sort of information out immediately to the public instead of depending on bloggers to argue their case for them.
Meanwhile, today's story about this video passes on the bit that Governor Blanco assured the White House that the levees has not been breached. Gee, do you think that it might have been difficult for everyone to have gotten the complete story of what was happening?
If you want to get the rest of the news on the story that the MSM is pushing on the video of Bush's briefing on Katrina, read the backgrounder on Powerline explaining how the AP reporters are confusing the warning that Bush received that the levess might be "overtopped" vs. the idea of the levees being breached. It's a small difference that means a whole lot. Just picture a full bathtub and the difference between water overtopping the tub and the tub breaking and the whole contents of the tub coming out. As Mickey Kaus says,
Topping is different than breaching, no? When a levee's "topped," or "overtopped," some water sloshes over it and into the city. Then the storm passes and that's it. When a levee's "breached," there's a hole in the levee and Lake Pontchartrain pours in the gap and keeps pouring in until the city is completely flooded. What Bush said after the storm seems quite consistent with what Mayfield told him before the storm--i.e., he thought the levees might be topped by the storm surge but not that they'd be breached, with the catastrophe that resulted. ... P.S.: Is the despised, self-parodying MSM intentionally glossing over this important difference in order to exaggerate the anti-Bush shock value of the video?
Patterico has more analysis. Gee, isn't it about time for the White House to hire someone who can get this sort of information out immediately to the public instead of depending on bloggers to argue their case for them.
Meanwhile, today's story about this video passes on the bit that Governor Blanco assured the White House that the levees has not been breached. Gee, do you think that it might have been difficult for everyone to have gotten the complete story of what was happening?
