Holy god

[katallison]

An absolutely damning interview (WMV file) with Aaron Broussard, president of New Orleans' Jefferson Parish, breaking down in tears as he speaks:

The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, "Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?" And he said, "Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday." And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night. Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The Secretary's promised, everybody's promised, they've had press conferences, I'm, I'm sick of the press conferences. For God's sake, shut up and send somebody. [sobbing]

The transcript can't begin to do justice to the power of this footage. I was left shaking and in tears. A transcript of the entire interview is here, and further video clips are up at msnbc.

Comments

[umbo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I watched that on television this morning, and Tim Russert said he was going to give the guy some time and then come back to him, but he never went back to him. Damning is definitely the right word, I think.

[dayse.livejournal.com]

Man, that just breaks my heart, I had to go to the bathroom so my mom wouldn't see me get teary, and as soon as I got out and sat back down they just replayed it on CNN. I just ... I don't know what to say.

[rustler.livejournal.com]

I watched it live this morning on "Meet the Press" and was shaking and crying too by the time he was done.

I'm glad the press is really beginning to take the administration to task on this one and not letting them spin it away. Russert's earlier blasting of Homeland Security's Michael Chertoff on that same program, and the way he didn't allow Chertoff to sweep issues under the rug with the usual mindless platitudes is something that seems to be happening more often this week -- finally!

[spike21.livejournal.com]

jesus fucking christ.

[debg.livejournal.com]

What you said. Yep.

Welcome to Operation Unending Clusterfuck.

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

I read the transcript, but can't get the video to load because I don't have IE 6. The poor man.

Also, Chertoff is a mothergrabbing son of a bitch and I hope he's run out of Washington on a rail.

[jrh19782002.livejournal.com]

this had me crying just readin it. no way i could watch the video of him saying that.

[tsamm.livejournal.com]

Each time I think this whole thing couldn't make me any sadder, something like this comes up. I wanted to thank you for your posts over the past several days; they've been a great source of information and thoughtful commentary.