Rove Spinning Media Lies On Disaster

While bloated corpses are still floating down the streets of New Orleans, Karl Rove is already spinning media lies to throw blame onto the Democrats. But fortunately, Josh Marshall is on the case...

A Washington Post article appeared earlier today (authors: Manuel Roig-Franzia and Spencer Hsu) quoting an unidentified "senior Bush official" saying the White House had been powerless to move because Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco (a Democrat) did not declare a state of emergency till at least the third of September:

As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.

Now this week's Newsweek contains the same false claim.

As Marshall has already pointed out, even if this claim were true, it would still not excuse Bush Jnr for his failure to respond ASAP (Bush's father took immediate federal control during the LA riots, another bloody disgrace).

But it is most evidently NOT TRUE! Marshall links to the actual declaration of a state of emergency dated August 26th, 2005, available on the state of Louisiana website. Blanco's team followed this up with a letter [PDF] to Bush on August 28th (the eve the hurricane struck) with a detailed request for assistance.

So the Louisiana governor did exactly the right thing, declaring an emergency as soon as it was apparent the area would be hit by the hurricane (Bush was still strumming guitar in Crawford) and requesting federal aid BEFORE it was too late. If the un-named White House official who made these claims believes they are true, that means the White House spent nearly a week idly waiting for a declaration that had already been made. If the official does not believe his/her own claims, this is just about treasonous libel.

This story is yet another case of a complicit, lazy media once again (remember WMDs etc) spinning White House lies without bothering to check for FACTS. The Post has issued an apology, but the rumour is already alive and spinning. Millions of Newsweek magazines are already being sold around the globe, yet still no apology.

Both the Post and Newsweek should immediately identify the un-named White House official who spun them these lies.

If it's Karl Rove, he should be frog-marched out of the White House, straight to a penitentiary.

This sucks. So don't let them get away with it! Write to the Post and Newsweek to complain and demand they reveal their source.

Here's a form letter (for the Post) if you are too lazy or tired to write your own:

PLEASE REVEAL THE NAME OF THE UNNAMED "SENIOR WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL" WHO TOLD YOUR REPORTERS (Manuel Roig-Franzia and Spencer Hsu: "Many Evacuated, but Thousands Still Waiting", September 4) THAT LOUISIANA GOVERNOR BLANCO HAD NOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY TILL AT LEAST SEPT 3.

THIS IS JUDITH MILLER ALL OVER AGAIN! THIS IS WMD LIES ALL OVER AGAIN!

YOU OWE US THE TRUTH!!!