There's a correction on the WaPo story stating that Blanco declared a state of emergency on Aug. 27th.

Hope things are going OK...

Oops; my bad; August 26th, not 27th.

Paul, I think you're right and it probably explains the enormous amount of vitriol that's been coming from both Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco—they're making preemptive strikes.

Here is the actual proclamation of emergency, which was issued on August 26.

The handling of the evacuation and the failure to evacuate people will remain one of the legacies of Nagin and Blanco. Sadly, the order to use school buses came only on Sept 1. Similarly not calling up the LANG seven days in advance will be remembered as one of Blanco's great failures in my estimation.

>Similarly not calling up the LANG seven days in advance will be remembered as one of Blanco's great failures in my estimation.

7 days in advance there was no storm yet knucklehead. She blew it but that's just a stupid thing to say.

Anachronda, thanks...

btw, After you won, it took a week to get hold of you... then Kev was out of town for 2 weeks... then I bugged out. blah blah blah

Email your info to Kev if you have not already heard from him and we can get you that check.

P

Blanco has nothing to worry about. Once the situation is stable and re-building has begun, the left will demand a "Katrina Comission" to white wash the record...just like 9/11.

Good info, Paul
But, "google is your friend?"
Maybe yours--not mine.
I use Mooter
http://www.mooter.com

I just commented on this at What the MSM is not telling us referring to a similar article I found at The Argus.

Has anyone else started to wonder if when President Bush said the response was "unacceptable" he wasn't referring to the federal response, but instead to Governor Blanco's response???????

I've been searching for a direct quote from Bush stating the "unacceptable" characterization applies to the federal response and haven't found one yet.

Are some in the media like the LA Times and others making the assumption that he was referring to the federal government instead of Governor Blanco?

"Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly."

Let's see...If everything was going to plan up to the point of the request for the federal takeover, why would anyone in the Louisiana State government be concerned about blame being assessed?

And blame for what at that point in time that the power struggle emerged?

Could it be blame for totally screwing up their responsibility as a first responder?

Well you guys sure like to pick and choose when the MSM is gospel and when it's a pack of lies, don't you? Here's a link to the press release where Blanco declares a state of emergency on the 26th:
http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=973

And here's a link to the press release where Bush declares a state of emergency on the 27th:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

I'm not saying Blanco is free from blame, but the last time I checked, August 26th is not "fully 3 full days after Bush declared a Federal SoE" I'm just saying, is all.

Chris:

It appears that both SoE's were for August 26, 2005.

The fish rots from the top and the response to tragedy at the federal level was appalling. Bush showed his ineptness and you can already see desperate neocons scrambling for damage control and already positioning Rudy Guiliani for leadership. Bush should really re-think taking vacation in August because he obviously can't multi-task and very bad things happen when he takes his 5 week French-style "working" vacations. The Vacationer-In-Chief has been a dismal failure and he's no better than the Guv and the Mayor. His cavalier, jokey attitude painfully showed his arrogance and attachment. The folks on the Gulf Coast didn't need to hear his stupid comment about sitting on Trent Lott's porch when his house is rebuilt or how he used to party in Houston during his drunken stupor days. The entire world is laughing at this Administration's third-world response and his appointment to head FEMA. Finally the layers have been peeled further revealing his incompetence in Homeland Security. Thanks to the Perfect Storms - two women Cindy Sheehan and wicked Katrina, folks are waking up - except the Kool-Aid gulpers like many of you in this forum. His approval rating is dropping by the day and his Presidency will never be the same. He will never be know as the 9-11 President, rather the most clueless President in history.

Paul,

Is the Friday we are talking about last Friday or the Friday before the storm? I couln't make that determination by reading the article.

Check out this it explains the response of the Gov as it relates to the LANG and clearly spells out the limitations that the President has as far as the militia v. the military.

Oh, it also states that over 2/3 of the NOPD have either quit, deserted or just failed to show up. It also explains the lapse in getting NG from other states. Excellent press briefing by a really fine officer.

According to
this article, it wouldn't be a bad idea for the National Guard to be on patrol in New Orleans even on normal days.

EddyJ,

Did you say anything of substance? Did you have any facts? Oh, I see, you just wanted to do your I hate Bush rant.

Well done. You did a good job. Go lay down in the corner now and lick your balls like a good doggie.

Instapundit.com has link to a poll showing that the majority of the public (55%) not only DOESN'T blame Bush, but blame local and state ineptitude.

And that's after oh so much MSM vitrol.

HAHAHAHAHA

Again, just when you fuckwads on the HateBush Left think you have the winning hand.....*poof*! You get nothing! You lose! As usual...

Choke on those results lefties...

Ray, please take your homo-erotic fantasies elsewhere. You must be a Log Cabin Republican as you sound so sensitive and if you're looking for a mandate, I'm not your guy. Anyway, stop trying to cover up for Bush's lack of attention to his job. You neo-nuts get so angry whenever anyone criticizes Bush - he's a grown man not a boy so he needs to take his lumps. Sorry if the truth hurt but imagine if you were one of the citizens whose were not saved due to the President appointing folks who don't have a clue of how to protect the homeland. What a joke - the terrorists are surely gunning for us since we have a President who cares more about vacationing, fundraising and warmongering more than anything else. By and go masturbate or something and stop fantacizing about my balls. Eek!!

President Bush contacted LA's governor and New Orleans' mayor and asked them to request evacuations, declare an emergency...and the two of them waited a full day to do so.

And yet, both these outrageous failures (Governor and Mayor) rant and rant and rant about race and the 'federal government' and anything else they can to try to blame "Bush" and whoever else they can...anyone but admit that they both were responsible and they both failed.

The mayor of N.O. even had dozens of school buses available prior to and during his "mandatory evacuation" order -- issued a day late no less, to make much of a difference to anyone who had no transportation options -- and yet allowed the buses to sit there in parked gear in a lot and become flooded rather than use school buses to save people. Instead, he was waiting (demanding) "greyhound buses,"...go figure that one out.

The mayor sent people to the Superdome that was ONLY intended/proven to provide shelter for hurricanes up to Category THREE. Katrina, as everyone knows (and knew then) was a Category FIVE hurricane.

The mayor pretty much refused to declare an evacuation and then when he did refused to provide any means to help HIS people...but he's sure had a lot to yell about as to everyone else failing to save him, solve his problems.

There was even a team of fully stocked, provisioned law enforcement who went there the DAY AFTER the storm -- took their own camping gear, supplies, everything, went at their own expense from ANOTHER STATE to help -- and yet the Mayor REFUSED THEM TO ENTER THE CITY, telling them he didn't have "anywhere" they could "stay." They didn't need anywhere to "stay," they just wanted to help out, having taken care of their own needs before offering to assist.

The looting and violence was certainly the cause of the prisoners who were set loose IN THE CITY by...by...THE MAYOR, at least with his permission.

And yet people have the audacity to blame 'the federal government' when the "federal government" could not act until and without the permission of the Mayor and the Governor. Who waited, and waited and yelled and waited...and who both remained housed and fed throughout the situation.

Democrats and some others have used this Mega Disaster to blame Bush just as the hurricane was used by criminals to loot. If there's anyone who IS at fault as to incompetentcy and unwillingness to act, it's the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of LA. Who are both Democrats, by the way.

I can't believe that some liberals are trying to engage homosexuality in this issue.

Actually, on second thought, no, I'm not surprised at that, not at all. I'm sure old Cindy Sheehan is pretty upset that the cameras are off her, too.

EddyJ,

I guess you still didn't say anything substantive. Huh, imagine that. I guess that would be about right, since you didn't understand that I called you a dog.

If you want to make a point, OK. If you have some kind of um.....facts behind your rant than i guess it's time to put up or shut up.

Otherwise, put your tail between your legs and slink away.

S, It was Ray whom mentioned 'balls', so he needed to be called out. Stop being so sensitive and chiding folks for stating their opinion. Thank God for Cindy disrupting GW's vacation and it's too bad he had to cut it short by 2 days to attend to folks in dire need. I know he wishes this wasn't a part of his job duties but it is what it is. The Vacationer-In-Chief needs to act Presidential like he did 4 yrs ago! Polls say 46% approve of his handling of the recent events and 47% disapprove. The Independents overwhelmingly don't approve - I guess this offends you too. No wonder George won't grow up, you neo-nuts are enabling fools!

How long until Hillary or some other windbag grandstands and says "This shows the appalling need for more federal funding to assist first responders, blah, blah, blah."?

Eddy,

Strike three, yerrrr OUT! You still didn't say any thing substantial. And yes it was me that mentioned balls. I told you to go lie down in the corner and lick you balls like a good doggie.

If that doesn't suit you, you could lick you ass. Obviously you can reach it, since your head is inside it.

Tata!

Declaring a State of Emergency doesn't inherently empower the federal authorities unless that Declaration explicitly says so.

Ray, you're the dog who seems to love barking orders. You don't tell me how to respond or think and I can hang with you nutcases for as long as I want. If I want to bash, complain about or rant about Bush I have that right. This is America afterall and not Iraq. You can't handle the truth and refuse to hear facts about George Bush's failed Presidency anyway, so why present them. Start thinking for yourself, will you, or is that too difficult since you have Fox News, Rush and the conservative media to do it for you.

"...you can already see desperate neocons scrambling for damage control..."

No, you see conservatives being forced to react to a steady series of baseless musket volleys from the Left.

First it was "Bush caused the flooding because he cut funding for levee work". Wrong... The Army Corps of Engineers is on record saying that the levies that broke were considered "fit" and weren't part of the cut funding.

Then there was the whole "Where are they?" accusation. The impression has been given by the administration's critics (including hizz'onor Nagin) that the Federal cavalry was supposed to ride in full force on Day 1. But in 2004 50 state and local Louisiana government and private organizations held a "Hurricane Pam" excercise that dealt with a scenario just like what we face in NO today. The various agencies shook hands on a plan that called for state and local agencies to be the first responders and were to run things for 3-5 days before the feds would be in a position to take things over for the long hual. It appears that FEMA had to rush into the vacuum created by the local and state agencies' implosion. Thus the "Where in the hell are they?" cries.

Now the latest tactic is to blame the "failure" on FEMA being part of the DHS. Clinton's head of FEMA is leading this bayonet charge against Bush. Funny, FEMA was widely praised in their efforts after last year's hurricane's that dealt Florida a series of body blows. So we're asked to believe that in the last 12 months FEMA "forgot" how to handle hurricane relief. Also, I don't recall Mr. Witt being asked to handle an area of destruction the size of Great Britain.

"Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly."

Read that carefully. If they had pulled off taking it away from the locals, they could have blamed everything on the locals??? What was the source smoking? Blame falls to those with the responsibility. If the Feds took control, they would have the blame. The state and city had control, therefore they had responsibility. So how does Blanco avoid accepting much resposibility and blame by refusing the Adminstration's memorandum? But the source's logic is making its way into Nagin's talking points, as he tries to blame everything on the Feds. We will need a full accounting of this, as Michael Brown is not looking to swift in addition to Blanco and Nagin. But it's interesting that Blanco was so worried about blame. That would be making a fetish out of appearances. They were worried about how it would "look."

You can't handle the truth and refuse to hear facts

How do you know Eddy? You haven't presented any. Hell, you've had three swings and haven't even come close to making contact.

Just be a good boy, and go lay down somewhere.

"So how does Blanco avoid accepting much resposibility and blame by refusing the Adminstration's memorandum?"

Simple, if they had ceded control and the Fed efforts then went well... the state and local governments could be left open to accusations that they had "failed" in their duties and the Feds had to bail them out. The question above would only make sense if the Gov knew the PR crap storm this thing was going to generate.

Eddy, knock of YOUR sexual obsessions and presumptions you can monitor the content of other people's thoughts and opinions.

I was wondering how many days we'd go before the homsexual card and issue was again thrown into the mix.

I can read the thread, I know who wrote what and when. And because someone else refers to "balls" is not a call to arms for homosexuals to ridicule others. Not everyone thinks about homosexuality when they read, see or hear the word. I bet you don't know that.

Gizmo: the levies that did break were those that were, also, recently repaired. The ones that were cited as being in need of repairs remained in tact, or at least, have through now.

-S-,

Correct... In fact the 17th(?) St Canal Levee is/was a modern concrete levee and not one of the older style earthen ones. From what I read, it was a real shocker at the ACE that this one gave way.