I think the idea that you can go this alone is – was a huge mistake. And unfortunately, there was a price paid in terms of suffering and pain for people in New Orleans. – Michael Chertoff
Weve done it in intelligence sharing and certain elements of security. There were parts of the department, in fact, that worked very well in Katrina, like the Coast Guard and TSA. – Michael Chertoff
Weve certainly learned a lot of lessons from Katrina, from Rita. Rita was better than Katrina. Were doing a better job planning. Were closer – more closely aligned with the Department of Defense. These things would be positive things if we were to have another attack. – Michael Chertoff
Well, I think first of all there was a failure to have real, clear information at our disposal. There was a real lack of situational awareness. We didnt have the capabilities on the ground to give us real-time, accurate assessments of the physical condition of the city. – Michael Chertoff
If we cant have the courage to tell our constituents, hey, weve got to cut back, then if we can point to something and say, I would like to vote for more benefits for you, but this balanced budget amendment or statutory spending cap or whatever the device is, is preventing me from doing it. – Jeff Flake