Bush Administration Success Story: Thus Far No Outbreak Of Avian Flu In New Orleans

The true magnitude of the ineptitude of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina is slowly becoming clear, despite the GOP's efforts to prevent an independent investigation into their response.

Knight Ridder now reveals that the man with the most responsibility under the National Response Plan during a time of crisis like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, was in Atlanta giving a speech on avian flu when New Orleans started to flood.

Here's the KR story:

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the U.S. official with the power to order a massive federal response to Hurricane Katrina, flew to Atlanta for a previously scheduled briefing on avian flu on the morning after the storm swept ashore.

Chertoff's decision to fly to Georgia for a business-as-usual briefing even as residents in New Orleans fought for their lives in rising floodwaters raises new questions about how much top officials knew about what was happening on the Gulf Coast and how focused they were on the unfolding tragedy.

It's no wonder the GOP is resisting an independent commission to investigate Bush's Post-Katrina Recovery Disaster.  They obviously know that they couldn't withstand an objective assessment of their performance.