Date:12/09/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/09/12/stories/2005091204631400.htm

International

Besieged Bush evokes 9/11 spirit

Richard Luscombe and
Jamie Doward

President uses anniversary of the terror attacks to shore up waning public support

MIAMI/ BATON ROUGE: Stung by fierce criticism of his slow response to Hurricane Katrina, U.S. President George Bush has been using Sunday's fourth anniversary of the attacks on the U.S. to try to shore up his crumbling public support.

In his weekly radio address to the nation, Mr. Bush compared the aftermath of the storm to the U.S.-led war on terror. "America is confronting another disaster that has caused destruction and loss of life," he said. "This time the devastation resulted not from the malice of evil men, but from the fury of water and wind. America will overcome this ordeal, and we will be stronger for it." It was another attempt by the White House to regain the trust of the American public following the release of a poll on Saturday that put the President's approval rating below 40 per cent for the first time.

Focus of anger

On Friday, he recalled to Washington the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael Brown, a man who has been a lightning rod for anger over the Government's perceived botched response.

It was not the sacking that political opponents had demanded, but was still an unusual step for Mr. Bush, who rarely fires or demotes anyone he considers loyal and who told Mr. Brown publicly only a week ago that he was doing "a heck of a job". The President also won congressional backing for more federal funds for the victims of the catastrophe, lifting the Government's aid package to $61 billions so far with the promise of more to come.

The administration's more aggressive mood comes at a significant time in the disaster's aftermath, with the rescue operation gradually giving way to longer-term recovery and rebuilding efforts. With most of those who were trapped in New Orleans' floodwaters now released, there are hopes that the final body count will be far lower than first feared.

"Some of the catastrophic deaths some people have predicted may not have occurred," said Colonel Terry Ebbert, the city's head of Homeland Security. The official death toll so far stands at 118 and will climb significantly once search and rescue teams have finished evacuating the city and turn their attentions to removing the dead.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Government officials knew Louisiana would be unable to cope with the aftermath of a storm similar to Katrina months before catastrophe engulfed New Orleans. State representatives and FEMA executives, including Mr. Brown, attended a series of emergency planning workshops which it became evident there was insufficient temporary housing and medical services to cope with demand if the region was hit by such a huge storm. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004