Tornado, Katrina, 9/11 all Bush’s Fault

Tornado, Katrina, 9/11 all Bush’s Fault

Bush Derangement Syndrome knows no end. Democrats are blaming Bush at rates of speed that parallel a defensive back’s 40-yard dash. After 9/11, they joined hands with Republicans singing patriotic songs then started blaming Bush for the terrorist attacks after several quick months. Katrina didn’t enjoy such a luxery. Blame began after a couple of weeks. The Greensboro, KS, tornado didn’t make it a week before Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has stooped to blaming Bush after just four days.

With President Bush set to travel to now-razed Greensburg, Kan., on Wednesday to view the destruction wrought by Friday’s 205 mph twister, Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said she planned to talk with him about her contention that National Guard deployments to Iraq hampered the disaster response.

“I don’t think there is any question if you are missing trucks, Humvees and helicopters that the response is going to be slower,” she said Monday. “The real victims here will be the residents of Greensburg, because the recovery will be at a slower pace.”

Sebelius said that with other states facing similar limitations, “stuff that we would have borrowed is gone.”

These speedy, knee-jerk reactions by Democrats only continue to embarrass the party. How so? The “missing” equipment Sebelius is whining about isn’t missing.

Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback disputed claims by Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius that a deadly Kansas tornado exposed holes in National Guard readiness caused by the Iraq war.

Sebelius said Monday that Kansas is missing about half its National Guard trucks and many well-trained personnel that could have helped respond to last weekend’s tornado in Greensburg, Kan. The twister killed at least 10 people and razed the farming town.

“The issue for the National Guard is the same wherever you go in the country. Stuff that we would have borrowed is gone. It’s gone across the country,” she said Monday.

Brownback said Tuesday that local officials and the Kansas National Guard commander all told him they have the resources needed to respond.

“That’s what really got me, is her saying that,” Brownback said in an interview.

“So I asked, privately and publicly, the adjutant general, do you have the equipment you need?” he said. “Because if you don’t, we’re going to hit Fort Riley and McConnell (Air Force Base) and other places to make sure we have all the equipment we need to respond to disasters. Everybody there said no, we have the equipment we needed.”

He added: “I think what we need to do is to focus on what we need here now, and not draw a broader political question in. We’ve got a disaster, and we need to all pull together to get everything we need from the state and the federal for the local need.”