Bush's call for evacuation never happened

The story goes that New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin ordered the evacuation only after Bush called him up and pleaded with him to make the order. But by the White House's own admission, it didn't happen.

That hasn't stopped many of the highest-profile conservative websites (and of course several Fox News anchors) from repeating the claim as fact. It's one thing for these zombies to spin tax cuts and social programs, but now they're using the death of thousands as a springboard for their lies. That's about as low as it gets.

The Associated Press reported that Blanco said that Bush had called and "personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation," but the AP omitted Blanco's report that he called "just before" the press conference began:

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.

Four days later, on September 2, the conservative weblog Power Line highlighted the August 28 AP article under the headline "Why Was New Orleans Evacuated?" The blog entry claimed that Bush had "prompted the evacuation order" and concluded that "New Orleans and its residents owe the President a profound debt of gratitude." Several other conservative bloggers soon picked up on the story and proceeded to further embellish President Bush's effect on the decision to evacuate.