Shortly after Hurricane Katrina roared through South Mississippi knocking out electricity and communication systems, the White House ordered power restored to a pipeline that sends fuel to the Northeast.
That order - to restart two power substations in Collins that serve Colonial Pipeline Co. - delayed efforts by at least 24 hours to restore power to two rural hospitals and a number of water systems in the Pine Belt....
"We were led to believe a national emergency was created when the pipelines were shut down," Compton said.
...White House call
Dan Jordan, manager of Southern Pines Electric Power Association, said Vice President Dick Cheney's office called and left voice mails twice shortly after the storm struck, saying the Collins substations needed power restored immediately.
Jordan dated the first call the night of Aug. 30 and the second call the morning of Aug. 31. Southern Pines supplies electricity to the substation that powers the Colonial pipeline....
Article found via Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo.
There are so many fascinating implications suggested by this call from Cheney; Josh Marshall covers many. If true, Cheney clearly was monitoring the storm and its aftermath and chose to intervene where it suited him and to ignore any other situations (like a drowning city) that didn't. It suggests what we all know anyway, that Cheney is the real power ("President Cheney" as Billmon insists) and he is constantly keeping his eye on what matters to his branch of the plutocracy, and so on. I'm sure your imagination on this one is as good as mine.
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