Amid all the government agencies that royally screwed up in the run-up to, and aftermath of, Hurricane Katrina, one shining star emerged: the National Weather Service (and its subsidiary, the National Hurricane Center). The NHC’s forecasts were excellent, notwithstanding the inherent scientific difficulties in predicting hurricanes.
Alas, this fact seems to be lost on the odious Rick Santorium, who, like so many other pathetic politicians and activists, is hitching his wagon to Katrina and trying to advance his irrelevant (if not downright counterproductive) agenda by riding the tragedy’s coattails:
U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is suggesting that early mistakes in predicting the path of Hurricane Katrina may be a symptom of lost focus at the National Weather Service. Santorum, who introduced legislation earlier this year to curb the output of government weather forecasters, says tracking life-threatening weather must be central to what the agency is doing.Asked about Katrina by WITF, Santorum described weather service warnings for Florida, where the storm first made landfall, as, quote, “not sufficient.”
Santorum’s bill instructs the government to abandon weather prediction and data reporting efforts that duplicate private-sector activity. He came under fire when it was revealed that the head of State College-based AccuWeather, which would benefit, has given his campaigns thousands of dollars.
Rick Santorum’s intelligence and knowledge of this topic is, quote, “not sufficient.” He criticizes the NWS/NHC for failing to predict Katrina’s slight (but extremely significant) left-hand turn over Florida, as if there is some magic technique that the meteorologists could have and should have used, which would have allowed them to make a 100% accurate forecast. Earth to Senator Santorum: weather forecasting is hard, especially hurricane forecasting. The fact that the most knowledgeable people in the world still sometimes get it wrong only demonstrates that fact.
Santorum’s comments are especially ironic given that, once Katrina made that unexpected turn, the NHC track forecast was absolutely spot-on for the next 60 hours, right up to landfall on the LA/MS border, which is remarkable and unusual. This was one of the best-forecasted major tropical systems in recent years. Santorum clearly doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.
The NWS employees union is demanding a retraction, as well they should. But then, I’m not sure how much it matters. Is anyone really listening to this corrupt moron?
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September 9th, 2005 at 7:29:19 pm
i think rick, my charming junior state senator, should go back to writing books on raising children and having a perfect family…
i think hes gone crazy the last few years with these notions in some sectors of the republican party that he could be a prez/vp candidate in 2008 ..
and this is coming from a diehard conservative like myself
September 9th, 2005 at 7:43:24 pm
Wow. What an idiot.
September 9th, 2005 at 7:43:47 pm
Rick Santorum is incapable of unhanding his pud for the requisite amount of time it takes to form a coherent thought. He should stick to what he knows: vaseline, tissues and Playgirl back issues.
September 9th, 2005 at 7:53:17 pm
The NWS told the grim truth right from the beginning of this hurricane. If this (probably republican…!) politician had studied the discussions on the NHC webpages, he too would have seen what this would lead to. End of story. Tasteless…grmf!
September 9th, 2005 at 8:13:08 pm
Let’s be honest Brendan, you’ll criticize anything that the “gay hating” Santorum has to say.
September 9th, 2005 at 9:07:43 pm
Let’s be honest, Friend of Santorum, this has nothing to do with that. Is it so hard to believe that a “weather nerd” such as myself would have strong opinions about weather-related political issues, totally independent of any other irrelevant issues?
September 9th, 2005 at 9:09:49 pm
P.S. Do you agree with Santorum here? If so, why? Defend your position! If not, why are you casting aspersions on the motives of those who disagree with him? Do you think his position is not only correct, but so obviously correct that the only reason anyone could possibly disagree with it is because they have an ulterior motive? That’s rather silly of you, if so.
September 9th, 2005 at 9:18:24 pm
oh come on Brendan, we all know your Katrina coverage and weather nerdiness was just a ploy to advance your anti-Santorum agenda
September 9th, 2005 at 9:42:30 pm
Santorum is an idotarian (did you know that term was originally non-partisan - it referred to idiots on the ‘right’ like Falwell and Robertson as well as idots on the left… the left should embrace it).
As one who is distinctly unimpressed with both sides, I see him as just more of the same… on the right.
And there’s plenty more on the left.
Both sides are more interested in bashing the other than in doing anything useful. A plague on both your houses.
September 9th, 2005 at 10:49:14 pm
Brendan,
Rick Santorium isn’t the only one trying to advance his agenda by riding this tradedy’s coattails, you are doing a pretty good job yourself.
September 9th, 2005 at 10:59:12 pm
Maybe Santorum would rather the NWS asked God what the hurricanes are going to do.
September 9th, 2005 at 11:06:21 pm
Rick Santorium isn’t the only one trying to advance his agenda by riding this tradedy’s coattails, you are doing a pretty good job yourself.
Really now? What is my “agenda”? I thought I was just continuing to blog, like I have done for the last 3 1/2 years… but please, enlighten me!
September 9th, 2005 at 11:17:24 pm
Geesh Brendan… this place is filling up with idiots faster than New orleans filled with water!
The price of being right I guess…
Dont let the fools get you down!
And NEVER let their reality become your own cause brother you are a leader!
September 9th, 2005 at 11:48:32 pm
Yet one more reason to vote Casey for Senate in 2006!
September 10th, 2005 at 12:03:16 am
Wait, Casey is running for Senate in 2006?
You go, Casey! Beat Hillary!
Oh.. nevermind.. ;)
September 10th, 2005 at 12:54:21 am
what, no laugh at my joke?
September 10th, 2005 at 8:02:20 am
I think Santorum ought to clean house at the National Weather Service. Fire all the guys with the Ph.D.’s in meteorology and replace them with GOP donors with backgrounds in managing Arabian horse associations. It has worked out so well at FEMA.
Better yet, he should replace the Ph.D.’s with “God squaders.” They can use their extensive knowledge of “Intelligent Design” to pray for a more accurate forecast.
What a dumbass. Would somebody vote him out already?
September 10th, 2005 at 8:06:55 am
Mike McMahon-
Hey, Asshat. Brendan is a law student. I doubt he is making much of anything off of this site. On the other hand, GOP cronies like Bechtel and Halliburton are already getting multi-billion dollar contracts to work on New Orleans. Did I miss something? Was there a bidding process? Why no Louisiana companies?
Maybe you should spend your time focusing on the real exploiters of this situation.
September 10th, 2005 at 10:29:50 am
I am now a registered voter in Allegheny County PA, so I will be proudly voting against Santorum at my earliest opportunity.
(But I am still an East Coast Girl!)
:^)
September 10th, 2005 at 3:54:09 pm
There’s a bit more to the Santorum -NWS/NHC story, Brendan. The key parts missing is that he doesn’t want the taxpayers to stop paying for the data collection and analysis. With “1,000 jobs in Pennsylvania and 14 weather companies,” there, he just wants the NWS/NHC to be prohibited from offering the results directly to the public.
He’s out of his mind.
September 10th, 2005 at 8:56:56 pm
Brendan is a law student. I doubt he is making much of anything off of this site.
Making anything? Ha! I’m pouring my bank account, and even moreso my life, into this site! I’ve been sleep-deprived since Katrina hit, I’m behind in my reading, etc. So yeah… you’re quite right. I love blogging, but I’m definitely not getting any material benefits from it.
September 12th, 2005 at 10:46:57 am
Brendan,
You post so much vitriol about the “gay hating” Santorum that it’s hard to take anything that you say about him seriously.
Why don’t you criticize someone like Chuch Schumer, whose more obviously using the Katrina disaster for his own political gain? Well, because you have a particular interest in criticizing Santorum.