It\'s nice that the AP is finally correcting the non-story it ran with for two days... it\'s unfortunate they waited until a Friday night to do so, knowing full well it would likely miss the morning and prime-time news cycle. Here\'s what the AP has to say about its CBS-like attempt to create news:\r\nClarification: Katrina-Video story\r\nASSOCIATED PRESS\r\nEds: Subscribers who used BC-NA-GEN-US- Katrina -Video of March 1 and 2 may wish to use the following, which explains how risks of levee breaches were discussed among federal disaster officials and President George W. Bush.\r\n\r\nWASHINGTON (AP) _ In a March 1 story, The Associated Press reported that federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees in New Orleans, citing confidential video footage of an Aug. 28 briefing among U.S. officials.\r\nThe Army Corps of Engineers considers a breach a hole developing in a levee rather than an overrun. The story should have made clear that Bush was warned about floodwaters overrunning the levees, rather than the levees breaking.\r\nThe day before the storm hit, Bush was told there were grave concerns that the levees could be overrun. It wasn\'t until the next morning, as the storm was hitting, that Michael Brown, then head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Bush had inquired about reports of breaches. Bush did not participate in that briefing.\r\nExcuse me? If the AP had \"been more clear\" that Bush wasn\'t actually lying, there would have been no story to write about in the first place. The whole purpose of the March 1st story was to publish these \"newly found\" secret videos that allegedly showed proof that Bush had lied when he made the comment about not anticipating the levee breaches.\r\nIt\'s not surprising this occured, considering the story had a Rathergate connection.\r\nAs expected, Democrats were quick to pounce on this like they have every other fabricated Bush story. But I wouldn\'t hold my breath waiting on a response. Another manufactured scandal in the toilet.\r\nNow... let\'s take a look at some of the comments my post yesterday received, in light of the AP\'s admission:\r\n\"bob lewis\" - \"Accept it, you\'re deep in denial. Your president is a liar of unprecedented proportions, and an incompetent to boot... Bush is briefed that a potential Cat 5 storm is heading for New Orleans; incredible devastation could result. Response: Bush continues vacation; 4 days later lies to public, indicating he was never briefed that levees might fail.\"\r\nWrong. You\'re blind hatred of Bush leads you to jump on these \"manufactured scandals\" without hesitation.\r\n\"Devils\'\" - Could it be that when confronted with mounting evidence that the Bushites played you and your unthinking cohorts like violins, your little bruised egos cannot take it? So, instead of admitting that you were mistaken, you are now forced into knee-jerk reactions to defend Bush\'s policies at all cost?\r\nOr could it be I was right and YOU were played by the MSM? So will you now return and admit YOU were mistaken? I won\'t hold my breath.\r\n\"another jim\" - \"But Bush fooled you. He sold you a line, and you bought it. There\'s no shame in your wanting to believe him. He had millions of dollars in PR and marketing behind him, and he fooled a lot of other people along with you.But the facts are clear, and avoiding them won\'t make our country any better.\"\r\nActually, it was the AP that fooled you. They sold you a line, and you bought it. The facts are clear and avoiding them won\'t make your position any stronger.\r\n\"bob lewis\" (again) - \"You have not addressed the fact that Bush clearly lied to the public on his pre-Katrina knowledge.\"\r\nWell, the AP has now addressed the issue. And you\'re right... it\'s all pretty darn clear.\r\n\"necromancer\" - \"Ah, nothing like the smell of desperate Republicans on a Friday.\"\r\nBut the stench of desperate liberals is everlasting.\r\n\"john\" - \"That the damage was caused not by \"overtopping\", but by \"breaching\" is the narrative the Republican, Bush defenders have embraced. It is a matter of semantics that you, yourself engaged in when saying:\r\n\"Bush: \"I don\'t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees\"\r\nMax: \"I don\'t think anyone can tell you with any confidence right now whether the levees will be topped or not\"\r\nThere\'s a big difference between \"being topped\" and \"being breached\".\"\r\nAre you going to deny that you are disingenuously attempting to divert the subject to Bush\'s use or misuse of the correct term? It\'s irrelevant.\"\r\nYep. Now are YOU going to deny that you disingenuously made all this stuff up because you drank the AP\'s koolaid?\r\n\"john\" (again) - \"Let me know if I\'m missing something, but the videotapes DO make it obvious that Bush lied, unless you are going to use the breach vs. overtopped argument.\"\r\nUm, ok... you\'re missing the... oh, what\'s the word I\'m looking for... FACTS. Looks like the \"breach vs. overtopped argument\" was the valid position.\r\n\"jon\" - \"Moreover, the argument regarding whether Bush anticipated that the levies would be breached or overtopped is purely semantics.\"\r\nThis story can\'t be dismissed simply because its \"purely semantics\"... becuase this story only existed because the AP tried to use the video of Max Mayfield to claim Bush had lied about being warned of levee breaches. Now the AP\'s clarification of the \"semantics\" shows this was a non-story all along.\r\nBottom line, this was a repeat of the \"gotcha\" technique CBS tried to undertake with the fake memos. The liberals bought it hook, line and sinker... without hesitation.\r\nIt\'s all so predictable... and yet, still quite sad.\r\nOthers:\r\nBob finds WaPo publishing the truth about this whole sorry non-story.\r\n\"In its substance, the video reveals nothing that was not already known from previously released transcripts and government investigations. But in politics, images carry a power far beyond written words, and the video, played again and again on cable television, instantly provided new fuel for an emotional debate.\"\r\n\r\n\r\nOriginally posted:\r\nhttp://www.texasrainmaker.com/2006/03/03/114144019438406501/