SimplyMe said:
What makes it news is the record of the various conversations that have become public record from the recent investigations. It shows how the resources were available before the storm hit, yet for some reason were not dispatched for several days. In many ways most of it isn't news. It does clearly show Bush stating something he knew not to be true in order to deflect public criticism, though I don't think the fact Bush lies is news either.
There is probably no way of pointing to a definitive reason why the lack of resources and late attention was given, but some people have a consensus: beuracracy.
There is DoHMS, FBI, CIA, FEMA, DEA, ATF, etc. So many agencies responsible either for security or quenching the devistation of natural disasters. THe reason so many agencies exist is that you cannot have one agency with a budget larger than the DoD, so the trick is to make multiple agencies with budgets of tens of millions of dollars.
The initial consequence is ineptness. of the agencies. We have seen the CIA pass on Vasili Mitrokhin, the FBI act suspcious during many situations as if they attempt to cover things up, then you have agencies which a majority of people tend to not support tyhe laws which allow such an agency to exist such as Homeland Security (Patriot Act) and DEA (numerous laws prohibiting chemicals).
So it comes as no surprise to some people that an administration which created a new multibillion dollar beuracracy would have such problems. Besides that there was the realization of no WMDs, a lack of focus on Afghanistan, links to Enron, links to Haliburton, billions of dollars missing in reconstruction efforts, private contractors shooting IRaqi civilians for no declared purpose but yet immune to prosecution, etc, etc.
