Obama aiding Haiti for political gain? So says Rush

[Mark F]

Just saw on The Ed Show on MSNBC (have no idea who "Ed" is) a clip of Rush LImbaugh saying that Obama is using the tragedy in Haiti for political gain, to enhance his image as a humanitarian, etc. Then he went on to say "this is the guy who took 3 days to respond to the Xmas day bomber". How convienent the right forgets that Bush took six days to responnd to the shoe bomber. Obama responds in less than 24 hours to Haiti. He went on to mention dark skinned and light skinned people. Not sure what Rush's point about that all was. But I digress.

Let's see: The Xmas day bomber incident, nobody was injuried or killed. In Haiti, possibly 100,000 human beings are already dead, estimates say several hundreds of thousands may have been been killed. In a disaster such as this, immediate response is crucial. Safe water, shelter, things of that nature are a matter of life or death. Yet Rush has the nerve to say Obama is doing this to promote his image as a humanitarian? I wonder what Rush's response was to the 2004 tsunami/earthquake and the response of Bush. Did Rush say Bush was using the deaths of over 200,000 human beings for political gain? I doubt it. I'm sick and f'ing tired of the double standards from the right.

Also, while I'm venting...WTF was Rudy G talking about when he said there was no domestic terrorism after 9/11? Can the right be so f'ing blind and stupid?

[Whiny Old Bastard]

That's right, because if Bush was still President and four days after the earthquake virtually no aid had reached the people, you guys would be screaming for his head on a platter.
Why not now? There is the double standard.

[Whiny Old Bastard]

Well Dear, I suppose that you don't remember that three days into Katrina disaster people were ready to lynch Bush, because they felt that help was too slow....remember that?

Now almost six days after the quake, food, water, and other aid is still not getting to the people. People are dying in the streets. Yet no one is calling for Obamas head on a platter like they did with Bush.

By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU, Associated Press Writer Alfred De Montesquiou, Associated Press Writer – 20 mins ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The old lady crawls in the dirt, wailing for her pills. The elderly man lies motionless as rats pick at his overflowing diaper.

There is no food, water or medicine for the 85 surviving residents of the Port-au-Prince Municipal Nursing Home, barely a mile (1 1/2 kilometers) from the airport where a massive international aid effort is taking shape.

"Help us, help us," 69-year-old Mari-Ange Levee begged Sunday, lying on the ground with a broken leg and ribs. A cluster of flies swarmed the open fracture in her skull.

One man had already died, and administrator Jean Emmanuel said more would follow soon unless water and food arrive immediately.

he Geneva-based aid group Doctors Without Borders put it bluntly: "There is little sign of significant aid distribution."

The "major difficulty," it said, was the bottleneck at the airport, under U.S. military control. It said a flight carrying its own inflatable hospital was denied landing clearance and was being trucked overland from Santo Domingo, almost 200 miles away in the Dominican Republic, delaying its arrival by 24 hours.

French, Brazilian and other officials had earlier complained about the U.S.-run airport's refusal to allow their supply planes to land. A World Food Program official told The New York Times that the Americans' priorities were out of sync, allowing too many U.S. military flights and too few aid deliveries.

The U.S. has completely taken over Port-au-Prince airspace and incoming flights have to register with Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, said Chief Master Sgt. Ty Foster, Air Force spokesman here.

[Whiny Old Bastard]

Can say with a straight face that if this was Bush, that you wouldn't be raising hell about it?

Did you even read what I posted?
"barely a mile (1 1/2 kilometers) from the airport"

A mile from the airport, over dry land, not 10 feet of water, 6 days later, elderly nursing home residents are laying in the road dying without food or water, rats nibbling at their Depends.
Sorry, I don't see the "HUGE FUCKING DIFFERENCE" that you do.
BTY it is not the other side of the world, it's only 680 miles from our shore.

[Mark F]

The response to Haiti is a world-wide effort. The Bush administration couldn't even coordinate events within its own borders. Brown was appointed head of FEMA, who was a rules interpetator for the American Quarter Horse Association (or some similar group) before taking over FEMA. His response to Katrina? When LA officials tried to reach him, pleading we're desperate, people are dying, Brown's assistant told the LA officals "Mr. Brown is out to dinner, he can't be disturbed now." Makes you proud doesn't it?

We are talking about a disaster in Haiti, not something that happened in the US. How do you know that this 1 mile from the airport isn't impassable, or jammed up with traffic, debris, etc? The article you cite even says the biggest logjam is at the airport. If the supplies and workers are stuck at the airport, it doesn't really matter if they are a mile from the airport or 1,000,000 miles.

[Mark F]

That's right, because if Bush was still President and four days after the earthquake virtually no aid had reached the people, you guys would be screaming for his head on a platter.
Why not now? There is the double standard.

The Bush response to Katrina spoke more about Bush than any screaming could ever hope to accomplish.

[cynthia Hunter]

people have always questioned Bush.

[cynthia Hunter]

the same goes for Obama. I always question those in auithorty

[Whiny Old Bastard]

You really should hush. You just make yourself look silly.

[Whiny Old Bastard]

I rest my case.

[Whiny Old Bastard]

Official: U.S. Air Force C-17 does first air drop of supplies into Haiti: 14,500 meals ready to eat, 15,000 liters water -- NBC News
WooooHoooo you go big O. There's some rapid response for ya, only took a week.

[Whiny Old Bastard]

If you would litter your posts with LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLs and HAHAHAHAHAHAs you would sound just like jacquin.

[Whiny Old Bastard]

And who is Gates boss? give it a rest dear.