Bush Offers Sympathy To Fire Victims
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
President Bush flew to California yesterday to inspect the devastation caused by wildfires in the south of the state.
In a visit that was widely seen as an attempt to avoid the sort of criticism he incurred for his administration’s slow response to Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Bush toured the worst-hit neighborhoods by helicopter and on the ground.
He arrived with promises of federal aid and spoke to rescue workers and people who had lost their homes and possessions.
He took an aerial tour of the burned areas accompanied by Governor Schwarzenegger before visiting the Rancho Bernardo, where homes have been reduced to ashes. At one point, he sought to comfort Jay and Kendra Jeffcoat who stood near what remained of their home — a single spiral staircase. “For those of us here in government, our hearts are right here with the Jeffcoats,” Mr. Bush said, his armed draped around Mrs. Jeffcoat.
Later, Mr. Bush attempted to reassure Californians that they would not be forgotten. “We want the people to know that there’s a better day ahead, that today your life might look miserable but tomorrow, life’s going to be better. And to the extent that the federal government can help you,” he said.
The fires claimed two more victims yesterday, their charred bodies found in a house near San Diego. The number of deaths stood last night at 10 — most of them firemen — with dozens injured. Police believe that several of the fires have been started by arsonists.
The fires have become a political issue as Mr. Bush’s opponents have accused his policies of exacerbating the damage.
Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, a Democrat of California, dismissed Mr. Bush’s visit as a “public relations” move and said it could distract from firefighting efforts.
He said it would be more useful if the president called back National Guard units from Iraq so that they could fight the fires.
Some critics said the state had failed to strengthen its firefighting capability sufficiently since the last major fires in 2003. Only 19 of 150 promised new fire engines had been ordered and new building rules on fire prevention would not come into effect until January.
