White House Rebuts Guard Shortage Claim

Another terrible consequence of Bush's Iraq adventure is the shortage of National Guards troops to respond to natural disasters. It is the reason why Katrina became so devastating. Historically the Guard has been essential in responding to natural calamities. Incredibly it is a topic that is never discussed in the whole Iraq War debate. I guess thats why another Katrina will occur before Bush's term runs out:

The Bush administration and Kansas' governor started Tuesday pointing fingers at each other over the response to last week's devastating tornado. By lunchtime, both sides had backed down.

With President Bush set to travel to now-razed Greensburg, Kan., on Wednesday to view the destruction wrought by Friday's 205 mph twister, Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said she planned to talk with him about her contention that National Guard deployments to Iraq hampered the disaster response.

"I don't think there is any question if you are missing trucks, Humvees and helicopters that the response is going to be slower," she said Monday. "The real victims here will be the residents of Greensburg, because the recovery will be at a slower pace."

Sebelius said that with other states facing similar limitations, "stuff that we would have borrowed is gone."