Remember this, during the GOP convention, when Hurrican Gustav was going to possibly spoil the show:
“You’re seeing Republican governors and… uh… I think in Republican states, taking care of the citizens. That’s what… That’s what we do.” – Governor Rick Perry
Well, the convention is over and the cameras are gone, so we are back to business as usual:
It didn’t take long for the finger-pointing to begin.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency came under fire Sunday as emergency workers were left undernourished and dozens of trucks of water and food had yet to be set up at distribution centers around Houston and surrounding communities.
And no sooner had the agency — widely condemned for its glacial response to suffering after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — drawn sharp criticism as its leaders and spokesmen began to say it was someone else’s fault.
Earlier in the day, a FEMA spokesman said delays in setting up staging points to hand out needed provisions had been caused by blocked roads.
By the evening, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said it was the fault of state officials who handed his department the “unexpected challenge” of having to prepare distribution points in addition to delivering supplies.
Let me be the first to say you are doing a heckuva job, Rick Perry.