As Evacuation Becomes the Middle East Version of Katrina in a War Zone, Kennedy and Democrats Press for Support for Americans Wishing to Leave Lebanon
by Pamela LeaveyAP is reporting that westerners are fleeing as “Israel sent ground troops into Lebanon briefly and Hezbollah rockets knocked down a three-story house in northern Israel.” There have been some signs of “movement on the diplomatic front to end the worst fighting” in the region in 24 years, however Americans and Europeans want out. The U.S. has been slow to move on evacuating it’s citizens from the area, as I have reported here earlier, the State Department claims the cost of the “massive evacuation was beyond U.S. resources.”
These headlines from MSNBC speak volumes — it’s the Middle East version of Katrina in a war zone:
U.S. citizens remain in dark about evacuation
Official: Operation costs more than available resources; 64 have left so far
(MSNBC Photo )
A group of Senate Democrats showed their concerns for Americans trapped in Lebanon, today. They sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, pressing them to “ensure the swift evacuation of all American citizens wishing to leave Lebanon.”
The letter, Senator Kennedy’s press office says, “comes amid disturbing reports that Americans registering with the State Department to leave Lebanon are not being evacuated immediately.” The Senators are urging the Secretaries to “ensure that all necessary Defense Department assets are made available to secure these Americans’ transport out of harm’s way.”
The text of the letter, signed by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Carl Levin, and Armed Services Committee Member Edward M. Kennedy, is below:
July 17, 2006
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
3E9880 The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301Dear Secretaries Rice and Rumsfeld,
We are writing to urge the Departments of State and Defense to ensure that all American citizens wishing to leave Lebanon are evacuated as soon as possible and that necessary military assets are made available to facilitate the evacuation.
Reports that American citizens who have been registered with the State Department are not being evacuated immediately are enormously troubling.
As you know, there are approximately 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon. While we appreciate that some DoD assets have been made available, it is imperative that as many DoD assets as are necessary be made available to address this unfolding crisis.
Given the intensity of the conflict and the need to ensure the safety of American citizens, we would ask that the decision to evacuate Americans be made at once and that sufficient resources to expedite the evacuation be made available. Ensuring the safety of these Americans must be our top priority.
With respect,
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
Senator Carl Levin, Ranking Member, Armed Services Committee
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Member, Armed Services Committee
Earlier in the day, Senator Kennedy released the following statement on the growing crisis in the Middle East:
“I am extremely concerned by the ongoing violence in the Middle East, which we cannot allow to escalate any further.
The stakes are enormously high, and American leadership is essential. In 1996, Secretary Christopher brokered an agreement to end the violence between Israel and Hezbollah, and Secretary Rice could play the same role. This is an international crisis of the first order. While I’m glad that Secretary Rice has announced she’ll go to the region some time in the future, she should be on the first plane to the Middle East. We should send high-ranking diplomats across the region to avert an even larger crisis. We must do all that we can to find a diplomatic path away from the escalating violence.
The Israeli people should not be terrorized by Hezbollah rockets coming over the border into their country. The Lebanese people should not be held hostage to Hezbollah terrorists and their backers in Syria and Iran.
We all pray that Hezbollah’s rockets will be silenced and that a diplomatic path away from the escalating violence will be found.”
What we are seeing here is another massive failure from the Bush administration, on so many levels (think Iraq and Katrina). From the aspect of their failure of diplomacy on this growing crisis to their failure to properly ensure the safety of the American people trapped in the region, this entire mess is like a series of bad flashbacks all run together.
While Bush has been busy diddling at G8 — riding around in golf carts, biking the G8 grounds, drinking who knows what and blurting out expletives on microphone — his administration has done squat to ease the situation.
I’ve said for a longtime now that George W. Bush is not my president — I didn’t vote for him, I voted for the other guy. George W. Bush a miserable failure and I can only hope that this mess will serve to wake up a few more of the sheeple who blindly follow President Putz.
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Newt Gingrich is hitting the airwaves with the message that this is WW III. As in,
-the GOP doesn’t have a chance in November unless we are at war.
-the war economy is still the prime objective.
Rice? Must be trying to figure out what shoes to pack.
Got to admit it this war comes at a time when the rethugs have little else going for them. Cynical? maybe but I wouldn’t put it past them.
The fact that american civilians are trying to leave and are being told that they have to pay for evacuation is sick. But the fact that they haven’t started the heavy part of the evacuations is even worse.
Just when you thought this bunch of incompetent, arrogant, slithering vipers couldn’t sink any lower they once again prove me wrong.
I do hope those that want to leave are able and the children are safe.
As I figured this government didn’t learn a damn thing from Katrina.
Pen
I have found the hwole thing to be incredibly appalling – obviously… I’ve posted multiple posts on it.
Nope – they didn’t learn a damn thing from Katrina – but did we really expect them to?
In 2003 the nitwit Republican Congress passed a bill that included the provision that should American citizens become trapped in a war zone or other regional conflict, that they could PETITION their U.S. Embassy or State Department for evacuation, but that they would have to PAY FOR IT.
So now, instead of evacuating the civilians onto any of the four warships steaming into the region, or dispatching some other vessel in the Med to pick them up, the Shrub Administration has in typical Iraq mismanagement style, contracted a commercial cruise ship, the Orient Queen, to ferry Americans to Cyprus.
And they are CHARGING the Americans trying to escape the bombing for the ride. But best of all, if the particular evacuee doesn’t happen to be rich, and can’t pay for the voyage right off the bat, the only way they can board the ship, is if they literally take out a government loan and sign a promisory note, vowing to pay the government for the privilege of their “protection”. This, from the government THEY PAY TAXES TO.
But really, I don’t know why anyone is surprized by this wretched behavior. After all, this is the Privitization/Corporatization Administration…. The CEO Administration. And just like all CEO’s in big American corporations these days, as long as they have THEIR golden parachute, they could give a flying frack about YOU.
Lucy,
CNN just released this:
Evacuation fees for Americans being helped to leave Lebanon will be waived, two Republican senators tell CNN.
Ron
Perhaps some public pressure worked.
On the drive home I heard the audio of McNeil Leher which included a story on the evacuation. It sounded like some Republicans are introducing a bill to waive the fees. It’s not official, but hopefully this will get bipartisan support.
Who says we oppose everything Republicans propose? If they propose something which is right, we will back it. Unfortunately this happens all too rarely.
It appears that the Bush Administration has agreed to waive the fee:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/18/lebanon.evacuation/index.html
Wait didn’t Hannity say it was world war V!!?!?!
And f’ this cute little, “oh, we are nice people, we’ll wave their fees” BS. Are these not the same strict constuctionist republicans hell bent on cutting everything who say government only is mandate is to protect their citizens?
Wow, they are proving that true with there “leadership.”
Oh wait, the other canard is that it’s the 2,500 americans’ fault for being there, like it was the fault of poor NOLA victim getting caught in that hell last year.
Katrina wan’t the responsibility of the Federal Government, nor was it President Bush’s fault. It was the State, and Local responsibilities from Louisiana. Like Democrat Mayor Ray Nagin, Democrat Kathleen Blanco. FEMA wasn’t created to come in and take over- but to coordinate federal response and to assist the state.
The Democrats there could take some lessons from REPUBLICAN Jeb Bush in Florida. Just common sense there.
Even Donnie should know that. But he’s placing blame on the wrong party. It was the Corrupt Democrats of Louisiana. Or did you not learn from Edwin Edwards Donnie?
Nerman
Katrina was the fault of mother nature. In the aftermath, the Bush administration miserably failed the the people of the area. This has been well documented.
Jeb Bush is no role model. He’s a joke like his brother.
WOW Nerman or is it Nerlman? You must really like me!! To follow me around to other blogs, is flattering, but really Nerl buddy, it’s kinda creepy in a stalking kinda way. OK so I see you really wanna talk to me, but back off a lil. After all, I support gays, but I don’t swing that way myself. So I hope I don’t offend you when I say that we cannot have a relationship.
I understand that you might be a lil bit used to being forceful, but take it easy. I can talk to you. Just control yourself please. Just because I have not yet change my voter registration card to Democrat from republican, does not give you the right to fawn over me.
Gee, I am not GOP property after all. Just because It says Republican on the card, it in no way means that I will say yes to anything you desire. I hope you understand.
“Katrina was the fault of mother nature.”
Don’t forget the possibility that global warming contributed to it. While it is doubtful anything Bush did since 2001 would have had much of an effect, his policies do increase the risk of more storms like Katrina in the future.
“Jeb Bush is no role model. He’s a joke like his brother.”
Not my idea of the ideal governor, but Jeb, the smarter brother, would be preferable to George. I’m sure long lists of complaints about Jeb could be written here, but in terms of competence he’s far better.
As for responsibility, it is likely that many in LA could be faulted. That does not excuse the incompetence of the response by the federal government, which does have a major role in disasters of this magnitude. Trying to pass the blame off to others is a pretty typical argument from the Bush-apologists of the authoritarian right. The great leader is never wrong and there is always somebody else to blame.
WOW Oh WOW, nerman likes me, I mean really likes me. Check out how he found the time to go to another sight:
“Clinton would go jogging during many world events. Like Somalia for example. That is, when he wasn’t banging Monica in the Oval Office.
Just because there is a War going on, that you expect President Bush to stop whatever it is that he’s doing? Jus to pacify you Liberals?
Get a life.
Nerlman | 07.19.06 – 9:00 am | #”
I think I know his hidden agenda
nerl buddy, do you really wanna follow me that bad? It is unbecoming of someone of your beliefs. If you keep that up, you will get Teresa on you. Teresa don’t wanna share her Katrinacrat. That Blooger babe will get you.
Donnie,
Does sound like he may have a little crush on you. Hey, maybe it’s Jeff Gannon/James Guckert/Bulldog? They both seem to like going by various names too…
Probably a good idea you let him know you’re straight so he leaves you alone.
diflucan
i thought about it for a few seconds, and then i agreed. so long as i could tie him up this time.