There is a lot of back and forth coming from Democrats and Republicans regarding the government response to Hurricane Katrina. We on the Left make our claims, those on the Right make theirs. And then we squabble. Of course, the answers will require an investigation. An INDEPENDENT investigation. So I see it as very telling that Republicans are fighting an independent investigation tooth and nail. Anything but that say Republicans. I think the bottom line is clear -- if Republicans block an independent investigation, it is because they know the truth damns them.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement on the floor of the Senate:
Mr. President, there are many things we don't yet know about the government's response to Katrina, but two things are clear to us all: the federal government's response was unacceptable and the victims and all Americans deserve to know why. Following 9/11, preparedness for national emergencies was supposed to be a priority for this government. Americans were made to believe the government was doing everything it could to prepare for terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and other national crises.
Katrina makes it clear this government has failed.
We must find out why immediately to make sure the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina never happens again. When we faced a similar situation after September 11, Democrats and Republicans came together and established an independent, blue-ribbon Commission.
Republicans now apparently want a different approach. Yesterday, the Republicans unveiled their proposal to investigate the events of last week. They called it a "bipartisan commission."
Although I have no details on this proposal, what little I do know raises serious concerns about whether their proposal will provide Americans the answers they deserve.
One, it's not bi-partisan. An investigation of the Republican Administration by a Republican-controlled Congress is like having a pitcher call his own balls and strikes.
. . . Finally, we have seen what happens when this administration - or any administration - investigates itself. The American people will not get the real answers they deserve.
Republicans fear the truth. Because it is damning of them.