Race Not Factor in Aid, Bush Says - New York Times

Race Not Factor in Aid, Bush Says - New York Times: December 13, 2005
Race Not Factor in Aid, Bush Says
By RICHARD W. STEVENSON

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 - President Bush said Monday that the failures of the government in responding to Hurricane Katrina had nothing to do with race or class and repeated his promise to rebuild the Gulf Coast and New Orleans in particular.

Asked in an interview with NBC News whether the response would have been the same had the destruction occurred on Nantucket or in Chicago or Houston, Mr. Bush said he was aware of criticism that the government acted slowly because he was a racist, and he said such criticism was absolutely wrong.

"You can call me anything you want," Mr. Bush said. "But do not call me a racist."

Using stronger language than he has in the past to acknowledge shortcomings in the response of government, Mr. Bush said he was "appalled that a nation as wealthy as ours was not able to respond as effectively as we should have."

The administration has been criticized about the pace of efforts to rebuild New Orleans and other hard-hit areas, and Mr. Bush has not been to the region in two months. Asked whether he had considered a domestic Marshall Plan, he said that "we're doing that" but that "the devastation is so big it's going to take a while to rebuild."

Mr. Bush said his goal was a New Orleans that was a "shining light down there and a Gulf Coast of Mississippi that's been rebuilt and is vibrant and thriving."

Laura Bush visited New Orleans on Monday, and said rebuilding would take time.

"And so I want to encourage families to try to settle where they are, to try to make the best of what they have right now," Mrs. Bush said after a Toys for Tots event in Metairie, La., "but with the goal of moving back to New Orleans, because I know most people want to do that."