Bush Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary
of Hurricane Katrina
President Bush was all smiles at a lavish ball held in Washington to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the storm that devastated New Orleans 2 years ago.
By MATTHEW MONROE
WASHINGTON, D.C.—On the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina President Bush held a formal ball in Washington to celebrate the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
The President commemorated the storm that devastated the city of New Orleans, killing hundreds of its poor, old, and minority residents, by throwing a lavish Mardi Gras-themed party at the White House, full with authentic New Orleans food catered by Emerille Lagasse, extravagant floats, Mardi Gras
National & World
Free Daily
***
***
***
March 10, 2008
beads, and a fully stocked bar.
During a quick speech he made before the formal meal the President joked, “It may have taken me 5 days to get water to the dying resident of New Orleans after Katrina, but I see it only took most of you about 5 seconds to get to the bar. I suspect none of you will die of thirst.”
The President’s joke set the tone for the night, which was one of lightness and frivolity. Expensive bead were thrown out, a Dixieland jazz band played, and there was an ice sculpture of Louis Armstrong where partygoers could take frozen slide shots.
However, the frozen statue of Armstrong was the closest thing at the party to an African-American as the function included no black people, only members of the president’s cabinet such as Michael Chertoff, Dirk Kempthorne, and Condeleeza Rice.
Some New Orleanians questioned whether it was respectful of the President to lavishly celebrate the anniversary of the storm that ravaged their beloved city, but most understood.
“Oh no, it ain’t no thing,” said 62 year old New Orleans resident Vernon Verdoux. “We New Orleanians celebrate everything. Heck, we even dance at funeral processions. This just shows us that Bush cares about our city and about black people in general. He really is one of us.”
However, other residents were still complaining about Bush’s delayed responses, specifically about the fact that he missed the one year anniversary of the tragedy by a whole year. But most understood the delay.
“Hey,” said George Jackson of the Lower Ninth Ward. “The President’s got a lot on his plate. The most important thing is that he secure and rebuild Iraq. Once he gets democracy flourishing in the Middle East, then maybe he’ll have time to pay the money he promised me to rebuild my house.”
