The White House promised more than one thorough investigation into its actions between 2003 and 2005. The CIA agent name leak internal investigation never occurred. The Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned report was a whitewash. President Bush's open and transparent government repeatedly resisted requests to review White House e-mails related to both topics.
Congress wanted to see communications regarding Hurricane Katrina. The White House's excuse for not providing such information, "providing the documents was impractical because it would require reviewing more than 71 million e-mail messages." So Congress requested just those between Homeland Security Adviser Frances Townsend and Chief of Staff Andy Card. The White House rejected that, suggesting it would "impinge on the separation of powers of the legislative and executive branches."
It turns out all those e-mails might not be available, given that 5 to 10 million e-mails between March 2003 and October 2005 are potentially lost. So what communications did Frances Townsend get or send during the critical gap between Katrina's landfall in late August and the end of October? Many people and organizations had a crucial interest in coming out of the Fran led investigation untarnished.
Reading Mrs. Townsend's report, two hospital companies have to be grateful for their omission. Tenet and LifeCare Hospitals shared the same building, Memorial Hospital. LifeCare had the largest patient death toll of any hospital post landfall, losing 24 patients. Fran's report makes no mention of Memorial Hospital, Tenet Healthcare or LifeCare Hospitals. Tenet and LifeCare upped their lobbying budgets substantially for 2005 and 2006. Between the two companies they spent $1.8 million on lobbying services.
The White House Lessons Learned report is not a credible investigation. It doesn't say who was responsible for what, assess how they performed and put in place specific plans to address identified problems. It tells a few hero stories and calls the event "an unprecedented disaster". So who benefits from this shoddy investigative work?
Obviously the White House wants to heal from the bone bruising it took over George W.'s response. Writing an incomplete report hardly helps their case. However, a neighbor just down Pennsylvania Avenue is grateful for Fran's sloppy work. The Carlyle Group closed on its purchase of LifeCare just weeks before Katrina sideswiped New Orleans. Even with their incredible political connections, LifeCare patients steamed in a toxic gumbo for up 5 days before rescue. It helps Carlyle to have the feds silent on evacuation performance as they face up to 24 wrongful death civil cases.
Carlyle tried to paint a Memorial physician as responsible for numerous patient deaths, but a grand jury didn't buy it. When their Hazelwooding attempt failed, LifeCare attorneys went after the federal government itself. They claim as soon as FEMA evacuation teams set up in the New Orleans area, patients became "wards of the federal government." How's that for gratitude? In the end, LifeCare CEO Earl Reed joined FEMA's Michael Brown by going on to bigger and better things. Someone had to take the fall and it wasn't going to be George W., Frances, or any Carlyle bigwigs.
Fran continued to watch President Bush's back until January 4th, 2008 when she too joined the private sector. Her gushing closing compliment to George W. had been rehearsed months before in Saudi Arabia. "There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk on higher ground in that lifetime." Unfortunately only 12% of Saudis view "such a man" as Bush positively. Both Fran and Karen Hughes failed to sway their target audience in the deeply skeptical Middle East.
But in testimony to Mrs. Townsend's domestic influence, most of the big White House power players turned out for her going away party. The coverage indicated Fran hired Williams & Connolly to advise her next career moves, specifically Bob Barnett. Mr. Barnett's bio shows a number of A list clients, including senior members of The Carlyle Group. Funny, Fran leaves their LifeCare affiliate out of a critical government report and hires an attorney who serviced a number of Carlyle's senior managers.
When Frances submitted her resignation letter, she stated she wanted to work doing "global risk management for a large bank or financial services firm". It seems she already helped Carlyle manage their risk exposure. Might they be her future employer? Time will tell, but don't expect honesty and truth from the remaining Bush players. They're off writing their own reality.
Congress wanted to see communications regarding Hurricane Katrina. The White House's excuse for not providing such information, "providing the documents was impractical because it would require reviewing more than 71 million e-mail messages." So Congress requested just those between Homeland Security Adviser Frances Townsend and Chief of Staff Andy Card. The White House rejected that, suggesting it would "impinge on the separation of powers of the legislative and executive branches."
It turns out all those e-mails might not be available, given that 5 to 10 million e-mails between March 2003 and October 2005 are potentially lost. So what communications did Frances Townsend get or send during the critical gap between Katrina's landfall in late August and the end of October? Many people and organizations had a crucial interest in coming out of the Fran led investigation untarnished.
Reading Mrs. Townsend's report, two hospital companies have to be grateful for their omission. Tenet and LifeCare Hospitals shared the same building, Memorial Hospital. LifeCare had the largest patient death toll of any hospital post landfall, losing 24 patients. Fran's report makes no mention of Memorial Hospital, Tenet Healthcare or LifeCare Hospitals. Tenet and LifeCare upped their lobbying budgets substantially for 2005 and 2006. Between the two companies they spent $1.8 million on lobbying services.
The White House Lessons Learned report is not a credible investigation. It doesn't say who was responsible for what, assess how they performed and put in place specific plans to address identified problems. It tells a few hero stories and calls the event "an unprecedented disaster". So who benefits from this shoddy investigative work?
Obviously the White House wants to heal from the bone bruising it took over George W.'s response. Writing an incomplete report hardly helps their case. However, a neighbor just down Pennsylvania Avenue is grateful for Fran's sloppy work. The Carlyle Group closed on its purchase of LifeCare just weeks before Katrina sideswiped New Orleans. Even with their incredible political connections, LifeCare patients steamed in a toxic gumbo for up 5 days before rescue. It helps Carlyle to have the feds silent on evacuation performance as they face up to 24 wrongful death civil cases.
Carlyle tried to paint a Memorial physician as responsible for numerous patient deaths, but a grand jury didn't buy it. When their Hazelwooding attempt failed, LifeCare attorneys went after the federal government itself. They claim as soon as FEMA evacuation teams set up in the New Orleans area, patients became "wards of the federal government." How's that for gratitude? In the end, LifeCare CEO Earl Reed joined FEMA's Michael Brown by going on to bigger and better things. Someone had to take the fall and it wasn't going to be George W., Frances, or any Carlyle bigwigs.
Fran continued to watch President Bush's back until January 4th, 2008 when she too joined the private sector. Her gushing closing compliment to George W. had been rehearsed months before in Saudi Arabia. "There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk on higher ground in that lifetime." Unfortunately only 12% of Saudis view "such a man" as Bush positively. Both Fran and Karen Hughes failed to sway their target audience in the deeply skeptical Middle East.
But in testimony to Mrs. Townsend's domestic influence, most of the big White House power players turned out for her going away party. The coverage indicated Fran hired Williams & Connolly to advise her next career moves, specifically Bob Barnett. Mr. Barnett's bio shows a number of A list clients, including senior members of The Carlyle Group. Funny, Fran leaves their LifeCare affiliate out of a critical government report and hires an attorney who serviced a number of Carlyle's senior managers.
When Frances submitted her resignation letter, she stated she wanted to work doing "global risk management for a large bank or financial services firm". It seems she already helped Carlyle manage their risk exposure. Might they be her future employer? Time will tell, but don't expect honesty and truth from the remaining Bush players. They're off writing their own reality.
