White House Knew of Levee's Failure on Night of Storm

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bush administration officials said they had been caught by surprise when they were told on Tuesday, Aug. 30, that a levee had broken, allowing floodwaters to engulf New Orleans.

But Congressional investigators have now learned that an eyewitness account of the flooding from a federal emergency official reached the Homeland Security Department's headquarters starting at 9:27 p.m. the day before, and the White House itself at midnight.

President Bush was resting comfortably at his ranch in Crawford as thousands of people along the Gulf Coast were clinging to their lives as the winds and water invaded their homes. The apocalypse was near, yet, the President had to focus on his task at hand; the VFW speech in San Diego. It was vital to protecting the Homeland, thought Bush.

Thank you, Mr. President for standing tall in times of crises.