Bush vows to fight hurricanes in Iraq

President Bush vowed Saturday to continue the noble goal of fighting hurricanes in Iraq.

President Bush

"We will stay the course, and complete our noble mission in Iraq," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "Which is ... card please ... fighting hurricanes."

Bush promised to send more National Guard troops to Iraq.

"We fight hurricanes there, so we don't have to fight them here," Bush said.

On Friday, Bush asked Congress for a $10 billion allocation to build levees around Baghdad.

"We can't ignore warnings, wait until a disaster happens, then twiddle our thumbs for several days," Bush said. "That would be wrong."

Vice President Dick Cheney supported the president.

"We know that Saddam Hussein was connected with hurricanes," Cheney said. "We know that he had whirlwinds of mass destruction."

Meanwhile, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency continued his upbeat assessment of the situation in New Orleans.

FEMA chief
Michael Brown

"Things are going gweat," said Michael Brown. "The entire fedewal govewnment is wesponding fwawwesswy."

Brown took aim at New Orleans residents, criticizing their choice to lack transportation out of the city and their illegal looting of food, water and medicine.

He also criticized New Orleans officials for failing to convince the Bush administration to fully fund flood projects.

"But," Brown said graciously, "Now is not the time to way bwame."

Cheney agreed, adding that those who criticize the president's second failure to heed warnings and protect America would "politicize the disaster, harm the morale of our troops, and embolden the enemy hurricanes."

"Now that the president has returned from his vacation, the disaster has struck, and the president has begun strutting, we expect his approval rating to rise dramatically," Cheney said. "Just like last time."

"We are working on the Mission Accomplished banner as we speak," Cheney said.

A group of religious extremists has claimed responsibility for the hurricane.

"We were aiming it at Disney World," said Pat Robertson, leader of the terrorist group "The 700 club." "But when we missed, the next best target was the home of Mardi Gras."