GovernmentExecutive.com

President Bush pledged today to "lead an investigation" into the response to Hurricane Katrina, but he said the administration wants to focus first on addressing the catastrophe itself.

Bush, who spoke to reporters at the White House following a meeting with his Cabinet, also suggested that the nomination of a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is not imminent, saying he wants the Senate to focus on confirming John Roberts as chief justice.

Bush's promise to investigate the response to the hurricane comes amid a clamor over who is to blame for the sluggish efforts to assist victims. He sought to add immediate accountability to the government's effort, announcing that he will dispatch Vice President Dick Cheney to the region Thursday to assess recovery efforts.

Cheney, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and others are being asked to remove "bureaucratic obstacles" that might be hampering the response. The president indicated the eventual investigation should be centered on the interaction between federal and local authorities.

"It's very important for us to understand the relationship between the federal government, the state government and the local government when it comes to a major catastrophe," Bush said. "We want to make sure that we can respond properly if there's a WMD attack or another major storm."

Nevertheless, the White House Tuesday was studiously avoiding being drawn into any short-term assessment. Bush objected to what he termed "a blame game," saying there "will be ample time for people to figure out what went right and what went wrong."

Bush did not directly answer a question about whether he intended to replace any administration figures leading the recovery effort. But he noted in answer to a separate question that, "if things went wrong, we'll correct them."

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan brushed aside questions about the government's performance. "Right now, this is a time to remain focused on the response and recovery efforts," he said.

Bush noted that a particular concern is ensuring that those affected by the disaster receive Social Security and other government benefits. In addition to his Cabinet session, Bush today held a meeting at the White House to discuss efforts to assist students and school districts hit by the hurricane. The president also spoke with leaders of faith-based and community-based volunteer programs.

COMMENTS

• It seems like every level of government made mistakes with Katrina. What I'm more interested in is why the Army Corps of Engineers didn't move faster to alert other agencies, federal and local, when the levees first failed on Monday night, August 29. In the following story, one Army Corps official says they expected the levees to be breached, while another says they didn't expect a breach: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/10/AR2005091001529_5.html Weird, huh? Lazlo Posted September 15, 2005 6:04 PM
• Yeah, because nobody understands the world and the way it works more than you. I understand force is necessary but unbelievable bungling and incompentency does not serve us in our war on terrorism. You're not unreasonable, just clueless. Face it, Bush doesn't get it and he is prepared. GovExec.com reader Posted September 15, 2005 10:04 AM
• "Enemy soldiers in a declared war..."? Are you for real? Soldiers belong to an army, and represent a nation. Who does Al Qaeda represent? Religious fanatics, extremists, and other assorted lunatics. These are not soldiers, and are not subject to the Geneva Convention, period! Who brought up the Japanese Americans interned during WW II? I was referring to the German spies and saboteurs who landed from U-boats on Long Island and in Florida, and were subsequently captured. They were brought before a military tribunal, convicted, and executed. FDR and the rest of America shed no tears for them, and they rightfully weren't afforded the rights of Americans under our Constitution. You can quote all the liberal philosophers you want, it doesn't change the facts. This world is not Utopia, and the sooner all you naive academics and former flower children come down from the ivory tower and into the real world, the better off you'll be. Real life is not always pleasant, and sometimes hard choices have to be made in order to survive. If you are ever on the receiving end of terrorism, such as on a plane being hijacked to be used as a flying bomb, try reasoning with the hijackers, and preach your message of peace, love and non-violence to them. They'll have a good laugh before they slit your throat, because to them, we are all infidels, regardless of what we say or do. Attempting to reason with those who are unreasonable is futile. In cases like this, sometimes the only thing that works is the use of force. Sorry that ugly reality has to intrude upon your fantasy world. Case closed. GovExec.com reader Posted September 14, 2005 3:36 PM