On Monday’s edition of Rosie Radio, host Rosie O’Donnell spun the outpouring of support for the victims of the Haiti earthquake as a result of President Obama’s leadership. She then falsely accused George Bush of not quickly speaking out after Hurricane Katrina: "If two days after Katrina, you know, the President of the United States went on and said, 'You will not be forsaken. You will not be forgotten. We are sending in the Army-’" [Audio available here.]
The satellite radio host added, "If there was that, sort of, mass impulse to help, I think, then, Americans would have felt more justified of, you know, helping..." In fact, two days after Hurricane Katrina, on August 31, 2005, President Bush said this in the Rose Garden: "Right now, the days seem awfully dark for those affected. I understand that."
He continued, "But I'm confident that with time, you'll get your life back in order. New communities will flourish. The great City of New Orleans will be back on its feet. And America will be a stronger place for it. The country stands with you. We'll do all in our power to help you." The speech also laid out exactly how the National Guard, FEMA and other government agencies would assist the effort.
Is it too much to ask for the liberal comedienne to actually know what she’s talking about before she speaks?
A transcript of the exchange on the January 25 edition of Rosie Radio can be found below.
UNIDENTIFIED ROSIE STAFFER: It’s interesting, in a way, how this has gotten to people in a way that almost seems larger than some- than some disasters. It’s really touched people to see this level of suffering.
ROSIE O’DONNELL: Well, yeah. I think in some ways, too, it’s because of the presidential response. If two days after Katrina, you know, the President of the United States went on and said, 'You will not be forsaken. You will not be forgotten. We are sending in the Army.’ We are, you know- I don’t know. If there was that, sort of, mass impulse to help, I think, then, Americans would have felt more justified of, you know, helping in a manner- You know- there was so much conflict involved in how long it took, right, the White House to respond.