While Republicans and Democrats take shots at one another on comment boards, more Americans shift to Independent status.

As for Fran's interview with Wolfe Blitzer, she got another free ride on her omitting Carlyle's LifeCare from the WH Lessons Learned report. At least the media is consistent!

Safer today?
What about the report about all the fake bombs that got thru the security checkpoints in more than 30 airports?
We've just been LUCKY despite all the screw-ups of this administration.

And Terry from ElPaso, way to go!

If the calibre of writers in this column is a slice of the Democratic party then they are in deep trouble. What is with this fourth grade slang and disgusting verbage? Some of these people need to grow up and get a real life.

Bush's statement that we're safer today because of Townsend's leadership is hog wash. First of all 9/11's don't happen every day and the same conditions which existed before 9/11 still exist. And further, all our military is in the Middle East protecting Iraqis. American people are protecting themselves because we are more aware of our surroundings since 9/11.

"which is why it is a big BIG mistake to let the federal government get into the health care business!" – ronnie knoxville tn

No one wants the federal government in health care. Let's dump all those bums on medicare – what a waste that is! Then the child health care programs need to be axed next. Let their parents pay the bill. Following that, let's get rid of the Food and Drug Administration. We can trust pharmaceutical corporations to be diligent in testing their drugs before they put them on the market. No reason for the fed to get involved in that. Also, all of this student aid to medical students has got to stop! Why should I pay for some lazy student to go to medical school??!! Let those loafers work their way through school like I did. Also, the best way to cut down on medical costs is just make it against the law to sue a physician, insurance company, or hospital. The market can handle that. People will just go to doctors they trust, and the others will have to find a new way to make a living. Also, why require kids to be vaccinated before they go to school. If kids start getting sick, parents can pay for the vaccinations themselves. Also, municipal rescue and ambulance services are a waste! I've never called an ambulance in my life, and I don't plan to. If I need to go to the hospital my wife can drive me. Why should I pay for some guy who hit his thumb with a hammer be carried to the hospital in luxury accompanied by two trained paramedics and a trained driver? This gimme gimme gimme attitude has got to stop

She should take that vast wasteland of tax-payer dollars along with her.

Her agency is one of the biggest wastes of government spending in American history.

We already have redundant agencies in place…all we need is to do is shift existing resources, not increase government spending and create another massive beauracy.

would like to see her w2 tax records to see if she was part of the windfall that people of this adminatration,has gotten.

"The bottom-feeders can have it all and choke on their own vomit. I've seen more class from junkyard dogs."

Hear that free-thinkers? ^ Now thats classy!

"Class" would be shown by a government that takes its citizen's concerns seriously by responding to their inquiry. "Antagnostic nonsense" could well describe Fran's "Lessons Learned" report. It certainly is antagonistic to the truth. Not only does it leave out Carlyle's LifeCare patient deaths, it fails to mention the group that actually coordinated hospital patient evacuations, The Louisiana Hospital Association.

The report is nonsense in the same way an officer coming across a huge traffic accident simply writes "it's an unprecedented disaster" in his report?

As for the future of disaster response, the private sector is where it's at. During the California wildfires, the super rich had trucks show up and spray fire retardant on their property. During Katrina hospital giant HCA hired helicopters to ferry out patients from their for-profit facilities. Sovereign Deed will keep any citizen safe from harm for a fee. Their service includes air evacuation if necessary.

Open your eyes to more than apparent incivility on a comment board. There is real, actual incivility in the way people are cared for in times of disaster. That it gets covered up in a fat report might bother some people. For others its time to look away.

I have tried to post with a measure of polite respect even for those who don't deserve it, but some of these posters make it mighty difficult to remain a gentleman. These boards are a pathetic commentary on CNN’s lack of standards.

It is obvious that CNN delights in peddling this antagonistic nonsense. These threads are truly a disservice to decency and thoughtful analysis. Hence, I will never again visit the CNN tickers. It simply is not worth the time to try to raise the bar. The bottom-feeders can have it all and choke on their own vomit. I've seen more class from junkyard dogs.

Who will left to turn the lights off in this rotten adminstration?

To Terry in Lakeland Florida:

Here's a challenge for you, spend 48 hours in a dead hospital, one with water four feet up the first floor. You don't have to be a patient, how about an employee. Then a year or two later, try to evacuate a Gulf Coast Hospital days before a then record hurricane. I did both, which makes me one of the few people in America to actually read Fran's sorry tome otherwise known as the White House "Lessons Learned" report. As a past hospital disaster chair, I can assure her report qualifies as a non-investigation. A few hero stories are interspersed with "it was an unprecedented disaster".

You can call me whatever you want politically, but I strongly believe both Democrats and Republicans gorge too much at the campaign money trough. That a concerned citizen can't get their question answered after a year and half doesn't speak well of our "responsive" democracy.

Wow the left-wing posters are busy today.

Not a big surprise given the pattern that has already been established. The big question is whether they can find anyone to actually replace her before they all get swept out anyways.

My guess is most of you have never heard of her, yet every single comment I've seen at the time of my post is ugly and reminiscient of a bunch of grade school children. Townsend may not be perfect (neither are you people!), but she has undoubtedly sacrificed precious hours with her family/friends to serve our nation in the best way she knows how. Just more examples of Bush Derangement Syndrome at its worst– what, are you rage-a-holics gonna start bashing GW's best friend from 2nd grade too?

I agree with Chelsea.

CNN's articles are obviously not proofread. I find mistakes on a regular basis.

I tried posting about an apostrophe error last week, but CNN wouldn't post it. That was bad enough, but to make matters worse, they didn't even go back and fix the error.

No great loss. Maybe it's time to collect some payoff for past favors. You know,, like all the cool loot collected by ex politicos.

Good riddance. You suck, Fran.

What is she running from…. she has done something….it will come out soon… just like all the crooks that now reside the the White House

Of course her kids liked running around the Oval Office – there was a big kid there to play with!

Good riddance – she made a mockery of the position with some of her "educated" remarks, none of which proved correct!

Mmmmmmm wonder what crimes she committed??? I may have to buy stock in whom ever makes orange jump suits with all these rats jumping ship.And what private company is she taking all this classified info.to???

Another rat leaves the sinking ship.

This story needed a copyeditor.

ronnie knoxville tn

Look how the gubment runs everything else, iraq, fema, social security, remember how our infrastructure isnt up to code, etc,etc,etc. Thats why we dont want gubment running healthcare.

TTFN Spindarella.

Yea that was what I was going to say ,expect more to jump out as we near the end of the Bush Era .

Good Riddance !

Doesn’t she like Michel Scott’s girlfriend from the office.!!)

the rats are abandoning ship

good riddance to another useless crony….

These departures both fill me with hope, and scare me. For each person who resigns, Bush is just going to fill the empty niche with someone more sinister. Remember who Bush chose to replace Gonzales? No sooner was Mukasey in office, the first thing he did was reopen the still-warrantless wiretap.

Impeachment is currently our only solution.

…which is why it is a big BIG mistake to let the federal government get into the health care business!

Ho hum—another ideologue spin doctor rat leaves the sinking Bush ship. I can't wait until January 20, 2009, when we'll at least have a chance to see some genuine PUBLIC servants running key administration posts instead of the inept pack of far-right cronies we've been subjected to for the past 7 years!

I can assure you Fran's hard work never involved addressing concerned citizen's questions. My question about the reason for the complete ommission of the hospital with the largest patient death toll post Katrina from Fran's Lessons Learned report remains unanswered. Why are The Carlyle Group's LifeCare Hospitals twenty four patients deaths completely absent from the "investigation"?

Now that Carlyle lines up to buy huge nursing home provider, ManorCare, the question is distinctly relevant. If Carlyle can fail patients in one of twenty one LTAC's in a time of disaster, what can they do with 550 mostly nursing home facilities?

Responsive government is needed, certainly more than the level Fran brought to the table.