Post-Katrina Grammar Lesson

The Dems are making big, water-logged hay out of the Katrina timeline, for what? To make the Bush administration appear inefficient, for sure, which is a fine thing to do politically, but also to make it appear uncaring, which is race-baiting.

But let's back up for a quick grammar lesson, courtesy of AP, which leads its Katrina timeline story thusly:

The earliest official report of a New Orleans levee breach came at 8:30 a.m., hours after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore. Word of the possible breach surfaced at the White House less than three hours later, at 11:13 a.m.

In all, 28 federal, state and local agencies reported levee failures on Aug. 29, according to a timeline of e-mails, situation updates and weather reports — a litany at odds with the Bush administration's contention that it didn't know the extent of the problem until much later. At the time, President Bush said, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."

Anticipated. It means "consider before an event occurs." Bush was talking about what people thought might happen as Katrina approached, or he was providing a more historical perspective.

To accomplish MSM/Dem objectives, Bush would have had to have said, "I don't think anybody knew about the breach of the levees." But that's not what he said.

Besides, it doesn't matter when the White House knew. A state of emergency already had been authorized. All that matters is what the various emergency response agencies knew and what they did. And even there, it is evident that the response was correct. As White House spokesman Trent Duffy said:

"We knew there was flooding and that's why the No. 1 effort in those early hours was on search and rescue, and saving life and limb."

As to FEMA, evacuation, emergency food and shelter -- that's another question, a valid question, but it has nothing to do with when the White House knew the levees breached.