Them Pesky Priorities

When the I-35 bridge collapsed in Minneapolis last month, the head of the emergency management for the state's transportation department was in Boston -- attending a seminar at Harvard on terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

Instead of heading home to help with the real disaster -- Sonia Kay Morphew Pitt spent another two days wrapping up the program at Harvard.

Then spent another eight days in Washington.

She didn't get back to Minnesota until 10 days after the collapse.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has put her on leave while they investigate her priorities. (KARE)

Burning Bridges

President Bush promised to veto attempts to raise the gasoline tax to pay for bridge and road repairs. But he had no problem signing a bill with $250 million fast tracked to replace the collapsed Minneapolis bridge.

A 2002 Transportation Department report warns 167,566 bridges around the country could collapse like the I-35W. But instead of fixing them -- the administration's priority is repairing the one that already fell -- and doing it within a year.

Was it just a case of "barn door politics" -- closing the door after the horse is out -- taking priority over preventative maintenance? Or was it smart planning against a Democratic photo-op during the 2008 Republican National Convention?

The GOP Convention is in Minneapolis-St Paul next year.

It'll come just a week or two after the Democratic National Convention. A Hillary Clinton nomination would certainly remind Americans of the Bill Clinton promise of a "Bridge to the 21st Century." And rubble at the GOP Convention city could certainly suggest the kind of bridge America has gotten under the Bush administration.

Smart move on the President's part. Perhaps it was one of Karl Rove's last, bright moves on the way out of town -- dealing with that photo-op now, instead of waiting to cross that bridge when the RNC came to it. (LAT)

From "Big Dig" to Bridge Collapse

The guy heading up the bridge rebuilding project in Minneapolis was once fired from Boston's "Big Dig."

Federal Highway Administrator Richard Capka oversaw the Boston boondoggle from 2000 to 2001. He caught flack for severance packages he worked out with three lawyers on the project's payroll.

He left with his own severance package of $82,000. Mr Capka returned to the Big Dig in 2006.

As Federal Highway Administrator, he was part of the investigation into a falling chunk of concrete that killed a woman in a tunnel. (Star Tribune)

Bush Photo-Op -- The One that Got Away

Nothing like getting your picture snapped with a real, live hero to boost sagging poll numbers. And the White House was on the ball asking 20 year old Jeremy Hernandez to pose for a picture with President Bush.

“He was just, like, ‘Nope,’ -- Molly Schwartz, communications director for Mr Hernandez's employer, Pillsbury United Communities

Mr Hernandez is the guy who got 50 kids off the school bus on the collapsed Minnesota bridge.

He's been overwhelmed by his sudden fame. So when the President asked him to pose for a picture, he blew it off. Decided to go fishing instead. (NYT)

Failed Bridge Failed Test in 2005

Bridge inspectors in Minnesota had issued warnings years ago that the I-35 bridge might need to be replaced. But Gov Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) says the bridge passed inspections in 2005 and 2006. State lawmakers reportedly back him up.

But public records show state highway inspectors gave the bridge a 50% grade in 2005. A rating of 50% or below means the bridge may need replacing.

Lawmakers claim they never got the reports nor any requests for money to repair or replace the bridge. (Pioneer Press)

Security-cam video of the collapse from CNN:





Federal Help Coming Fast

President Bush has promised a $5 million grant to help with rerouting traffic around the area.

Not wanting the embarassment of another botched disaster response ala Katrina -- the White House reacted quickly to the bridge collapse -- mobilizing the Coast Guard, Transportation Department, NTSB, FEMA, FBI, EPA, and Army Corps of Engineers and getting representatives from each agency on the ground immediately.

Congress Spends Your Dam Money

The House has passed a water projects bill backers have been wanting for seven years. The original plan had the House spending $14 billion and the Senate spending a billion more in it's bill. They compromised -- and decided to round it up to $20 billion. From USA Today:

"This year's bill includes some $3.5 billion for Katrina-damaged Louisiana, plus more than $2 billion for projects in California and $2 billion for Florida, mostly for restoring the Everglades. Another $1.95 billion is included for seven new locks on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers and $1.7 billion for repairing the region's ecology."

President Bush has promised a veto -- but political polar opposites Sen Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Sen James Inhofe (R-OK) -- have teamed up to promise gaining enough votes in both chambers to override any veto. (USAToday)