The WaPo has a big piece called in Katrina’s Wake that you should read, complete with the following headline:
Many Evacuated, but Thousands Still Waiting: White House Shifts Blame to State and Local Officials
Within the piece is this:
Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state’s emergency operations center said Saturday.
The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. 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.
A senior administration official said that Bush has clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units to quell civil disturbances under the Insurrection Act and will continue to try to unify the chains of command that are split among the president, the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor.
Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said. As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.
The hurricane hit Monday morning. The levee broke Monday evening.
And the headline of the story is the ‘White House Shifts Blame.’ Go figure. An enterprising journalist might examine when Lt. Gen. Honore was dispatched, and what unit and where the convoy that reached the Superdome came from and when they were dispatched.
When the final story is written, and all the facts are known about this catastrophe, the reflexive Bush haters are going to be less gleeful than they are right now. And yes, I know. I am horribly politicizing this event by quoting parts of this story, so spare me the righteous idignation in the comments.
*** Update ***
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco doesn’t want the buck to stop in her office, either. “We don’t get into the blame game,” Blanco said. “We just work with what we got.” As the state’s chief executive, she could have had fleets of buses ready to evacuate a clearly vulnerable population, temporary shelters identified outside the city and emergency supplies at the ready. So there’s a good reason Blanco doesn’t want to assign blame; she would be pointing at herself.
And for all the people taking contention with the Saturday declaration, they are talking about Saturday a week ago. What is shocking is the fact that it took until Wednesday to ask for the compact. I was in the National Guard. I know how these call-ups work. It takes a little bit of time to get your unit together, and shipped off to the location in need.
*** Update #2 ***
Not that it will stop the ‘Bush is to blame’ orgy for this cock-up at all levels, there is this:
Press Release
Date: 9/1/2005
Contact:Denise Bottcher or Roderick Hawkins at 225-342-9037
Governor Blanco Announces Executive Order
Baton Rouge, LA— Governor Blanco today announced the following Executive Order:
Executive Order NO. KBB 2005- 31- provides that pursuant to the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., grants emergency powers to the governor, where, she has in consultation with school superintendents, utilized public school buses for transportation of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. As you are aware most public school districts will not begin school until Tuesday, September 6th 2005.
SomeCallMeTim
I just glanced at it, but I think you are badly misreading what the Post wrote. I believe that the Post is saying that the federal government sought authority Friday as in yesterday, or four days after the levee broke. Note that the paragraph before opens, “About 42,000 people had been evacuated from the city by Saturday afternoon, with roughly the same number remaining, city officials said.” Given what’s going on, I assume that “Saturday” refers to this Saturday. That reading would also make sense of worries about an event that had happened, rather than worries about a catastrophe that hadn’t happened.
But I’m a Democrat, and my reading is probably just an attempt to politicize the matter and shift blame onto a noble Administration and its supporters.
John Cole
Re-read the bolded part where it uses the word ‘WEDNESDAY.’
SomeCallMeTim
Yeah, I just noticed that – my reader didn’t give up the bold, for some reason. I thought the focus was on the first paragraph you quoted. My bad.
Andrei
Spare you? When you quit making assassinine comments like we are gleeful over the political fallout of this crap then we’ll spare you.. But in the meantime… Spare us already.
Stop being an asshat for the love of God.
Ned Raggett
What leaves me less sanguine about this situation than you is simple, though — as a rule, the Bush administration *does* shift blame. Sometimes carefully, sometimes hamhandedly. But this is not an administration that appears to hold much value in the idea of self-review and accountability — I’m not talking about Katrina, but in general.
React to reflexive Bush haters as you must, John, but what reflexive Bush lovers are doing right now (before you complain, I am NOT numbering you among them) are saying that nothing can be held to him here, that nothing can be held to his cabinet appointees, etc. Let me underscore that — *NOTHING.* Now I don’t believe that stance of theirs at all, and am somewhat revolted at their ability to assume perfection is solely theirs to claim, as I would anyone else for their own ideology. As has continued to be said time and again by many people, the blame goes around here, but that’s not an excuse to get Bush off the hook and shouldn’t be used as that, no more so than it should to clear Blanco, Landrieu or anyone else involved.
But again, Bush deflects as a rule, or his various appointees or self-appointed interpreters do. It was Clinton’s fault. It was old Europe’s fault. Al-Qaeda’s. Insurgents’. Iran’s. Democrats’. And now the state and local organizations that theoretically FEMA and the DHS should have been overseeing a little more thoroughly — one would hope.
NEVER have I sensed this adminstration willing to admit that a mistake might have been made of its volition. It doesn’t seem on the table. And so the actions of those at the state and local level will be portrayed as the sole reason why everything went wrong if they would have their way, where the feds would be the only ones who got it right.
As Frank Rich (and, even if indirectly, Rich Lowry, for heaven’s sake) have already bitterly said today, at this rate Michael Brown will get a medal at the end of it all. Why would it be deserved, one wonders.
Andrei
By the way… for factual purposes and the record, the levee broke Tuesday morning, not Monday evening.
Andrei
And I could easily be wrong on when the levee broke… I only remember reports coming in on it Tuesday monring Pacific time, and all the news articles I’ve read suggest it was Tuesday they broke, not Monday. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Katherine
I am utterly disgusted with your response to this. You are inflating every story that exculpates the federal response and blames the local or state level, and diminishing or ignoring every story that does the opposite. It is partisan, shameful crap and I’ve had enough of it.
djc
Geez Andrei,
You seem a little shaky. Welcome to the reality based community.
You can go back to speaking truth to power anytime you want.
james richardson
i am honestly asking this: what happens when a state governor declares a state of emergency? don’t they in fact have to ask the federal government to declare their state in a SOE or is it a statewide power? what i’m asking is, what would have changed?
“Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state’s emergency operations center said Saturday.”
which friday? yesterday or a week ago?
why is the “senior bush official” speaking anonymously if it was all the fault of the local and state governments?
djc
Katherine.
The source for this story was the Washington Post, not Newsmax.com.
james richardson
also, i just want to make a point about bush haters… many of them were created by the GOP, after five years of being told everything that was wrong with this country was their fault, the lies (WMD, changing scientific reports, etc), firing people for speaking truth to power… the Bush Haters syndrome is not a mystery. really, if you kick a donkey in the nuts for 5 years, they tend to get pissed.
Vladi G
Just so I have this straight, the Bush camp’s line has changed from “No one could have ever forseen something like this happening” to “Why couldn’t those damn local governments have prepared for such an obvious possibility?”
Charlie (Colorado)
I’m pretty sure that this has to have been a week ago Friday, not yesterday; by yesterday the NO and LA folks had been asking for the Federal government to come in for a couple days.
As for “tries to shift blame”: feh.
jobiuspublius
As an aside, this guy doesn’t need to put the free speech feather in my tin foil cap. He also uses the word refugee.
Charlie (Colorado)
how about “no one could have forseen this big a mess, but why didn’t the local governments follow even their own disaster plans?”
Andrei
Shaky? Beyond annoyed that one of the few right-leaning (or dare I say one of the more generally honest conservatives than the bullshit conservatives in charge of the country right now) bloggers I felt had a grip on reality is acting like nothing more than partisan for partisan sake blogger in a game of political footbal lately in the Katrina blame game is more like it.
/yawn
jobiuspublius
States Rights!
jobiuspublius
I’m still curious about Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. All I’ve heard is that Mississippi is hurting and saying it’s getting less help than L.A. Or was it N.O.?
jobiuspublius
So, Bob the Rebuilder in Chief is the one playing politics?
djc
Andrei,
Well, that was a mouthfull! Did you bother to read to read the article?
You sound a little tired. You may want to read it in the morning.
Pleasant Dreams!!
jobiuspublius
Add te reports that FEMA was tying up aid to L.A. from other states and countries. No, Bob’s not playing politics.
How does all this compare to past disasters and other states?
djc
Who’s Bob?
jobiuspublius
to solve a national problem.
And he still won’t meet with them in person. Intersting little power plays we have here. Dam history is ugly!
jobiuspublius
Bob the Rebuilder in Chief is the guy whose name we can’t say anymore, that washington guy from texas via conneticut.
jobiuspublius
On the one hand we have states rights, on the other we have an area of national interest, and lots of contracts.
jobiuspublius
Are we talking about an American city? Man, these guys have to leave my tin foil hat alone.
jobiuspublius
And why do people like Gingrich complain about Bob the Rebuilder in Chief? Gingrich want’s to get back into government work?
djc
Would that be D***r L****r?
Better watch yourself. J. Cole’s likely in bed right now.
You/I may find ourselves banned in the morning.
jobiuspublius
Oh how you tempt me. D***r L****r, look at it, a perfectly good potshot, gutted! Such peotic snark. Boo hoo hoo hoo. Isn’t anything sacred?! The Snark gods will not be pleased. Boo hoo hoo hoo. Boo hoo hoo hoo. …
djc
What’s
Snark gods will strike you down, inshallah
jobiuspublius
I’ve, also, think that the writer is refering to Friday 09/02.
Notice that
There remains a need for troops and stuff so it makes sense for the negotiations and requests for help to continue. I wonder is L.A. will get a new base for this.
jobiuspublius
Why couldn’t the writer’s simple use dates. Anyway, it’s sleepy time.
chuck
Andrei: Please correct me if I am wrong.
Ok, you’re wrong. link.
James: if you kick a donkey in the nuts for 5 years, they tend to get pissed.
What nuts? I thought you were gelded. Oh, you mean *those* nuts. Most of us call them moonbats.
jobiuspublius
Here an angle.
FEMA Used to Help Bush Win Florida in 2004
Looks like Bob the Rebuilder in Chief doesn’t want to share with some people, who could they be?
Pb
mmm hmm… sure, blame the state and local officials. Never mind that both large parts of the state involved, and the locality were both in ruins. Or that FEMA was *turning away aid*.
Shameful.
CaseyL
Well, of course they have to blame the local officials. Too many people are angry and asking inconvenient questions.
But they’ve been blaming other people for their own failures for 4 years now.
The intelligence failure of 9/11? Jamie Gorelick’s fault. Or Clinton’s. Or Dick Clarke’s.
The clusterfuck in Iraq? Iraqis, for not sufficiently appreciating our invasion and occupation. Liberals, for not clapping loudly enough. And Clinton, because – well, I guess because Clinton was the Anti-Christ or something.
And now, New Orleans, and Biloxi, and points elsewhere on the Gulf Coast? Nagin’s fault, or Blanco’s (though, oddly enough – that’s sarcasm, folks – not Haley Barbour). Or the victims themselves. Or, well, Clinton again.
They keep failing. Each failure has cost thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of American tax dollars.
But it’s never their fault.
djc
CaseyL,
Go change your diapers, DU girly man. I think you just shit yourself.
Beck
Good God Cole, your comments section is overflowing with asshats. How do you stand it?
Regardless, keep up the great coverage and analysis.
djc
The asshats are a constant source of amusement. They don’t seem to know it, though.
djc
Well, there are for me…
Since the question was directed to Mr. Cole, I don’t want to imply that I was speaking for him.
djc
“there” should read as “they”
Ancient Purple
Wait a second here.
Gov. Blanco signed the state of emergency proclaimation on Friday, August 26, 2005. Proclaimation 48 KBB 2005 clearly states that the state of emergency was immediate.
Additionally, Blanco asked for help from Bush on August 28, 2005 in her letter to the president saying that a state of emergency had been declared for Louisiana (see paragraph 5).
The cowardly anonymous “senior Bush official” is full of shit.
Bruce Moomaw
Let’s go back, shall we, to that CNN piece (which deserves a Pulitzer, I believe) simply quoting what Chertoff and Brown were continuing to say about the nonexistence of the ongoing disaster WHILE THE DISASTER WAS BEING PUBLICLY TELEVISED:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/index.html
If the Administration intends to try squirming off the hook for this one, they have a hell of a lot of squrming yet to do.
Bruce Moomaw
Hit the wrong button. Let’s try again…
Note also Chertoff’s earlier insistence ( http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/03/katrina.chertoff/index.html ) that FEMA could not possibly have foreseen large-scale ruptures in the levees, and that THIS was the reason why the Feds didn’t get a more urgent rescue effort going — although they knew damn well that a Cat 4 hurricane was on the way, and repeated studies over the preceding years (including FEMA’s own) had consistently predicted that a Cat 4 hurricane would indeed lead to massive ruptures and an immediate major disaster.
Which — lest we forget — is exactly the point John Cole keeps citing to try and get the Administration off the hook for not providing more funds to repair and enlarge the levees. Can’t get ’em off the hook on both counts at once, John. Either Chertoff is telling the truth and they did not see a total disaster coming — in which case Brown and Chertoff were stupefyingly ignorant of their own agencies’ disaster studies (and also are deprived of your excuse for their not spending more to try and bolster the levees against the relatively small collapses and overflows that they DID think were coming) — or else they DID see a major disaster coming and still made no attempt to get a rescue effort going for days for some Godawful reason, and Chertoff was lying yesterday to try and cover that fact up. Now the White House’s cover story has suddenly and completely changed again. Surprise, surprise. It’s certainly changed enough times where Iraq was concerned.
SEARP
John:
I think we need to take the adult view here. The reason FEMA exists is because it has been recognized for decades that state and local authorities simply do not have the resources to address disasters of this magnitude.
As an example, with the Iraq deployments I get that Blanco commanded about 6,000 national guards. There are what, about 40,000 there now? That simply could not have happened without Federal intervention.
Blanco and Nagin may have performed poorly, I agree. However, it is not their performance that makes the biggest difference, it is the performance of the people with the resources. My lyin’ eyes showed me a Federal government on vacation that was very reluctant to drop its vacation activities and get to work. So, OK, say Blanco and Nagin performed poorly. Now what do you say about FEMA and the Feds?
Bruce Moomaw
We can now add yet another interesting fillip to Ancient Purple’s comment above, thanks to Mark Kleiman ( http://www.markarkleiman.com/archives/katrina_/2005/09/whos_in_charge_here.php ). Not only did Gov. Blanco issue a request for a federal proclamation of emergency on August 28 (in which she noted that she had issued a state proclamation of emergency on Aug. 26), but Bush himself declared one on August 27 ( http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,167240,00.html ). So, once again, that “senior Bush official” (initials K.R.?) can’t even come up with a remotely convincing cover story.
Slide
John Cole:
I think this applies to John in spades:
.
Veeshir
John Cole, your shameful blaming of Bill Clinton for this disaster just has to stop.
slide
You know what is amazing is that people actually believe what “adminstration officals” say. Guess John and the others want to believe what they want to believe, but for the rest of us in the Reality based world here are some facts:
Washington Post:
Huh? that is just factually incorrect. Governor Blanco declared a State of Emergency effective Friday, August 26th, 3 days BEFORE the storm hit. Here is a pdf file of the actual Proclamation
Washington Post:
But from the AP we get this:
Oh, and since we are very selectively quoting parts of the Washington Post article lets just add this part of the article for a little balance, ok?:
.
Jim Caputo
First off, no one is “gleeful” about Bush’s failure in this. And for you to insinuate the those of us who think this president has performed at a sub-standard level are dancing in the streets over the deaths of these people due to the poor federal response, is just wrong.
I wish that the man could’ve risen to the occasion just this one time. But he didn’t. The fault isn’t mine, nor does the fault lay with his detractors; the fault is entirely his because he’s more concerned with politics than with the welfare of this country. If that weren’t true, he’d have put someone in charge of Homeland Security and FEMA that actually had some expertise in handling large scale crises, instead of reducing the job to solely a patronage position.
There are people dying that didn’t have to die….DYING…DO YOU GET THAT? But if any of us criticize the president it must be out of political malice because, Lord knows, he’s ranked among the presidential greats until now, huh? Maybe we should put his smirk on Mount Rushmore. It would an inspiration to mentally challenged sociopaths everywhere! HEY, LOOK WHAT YOU CAN BECOME!
You’re statement shows that you have about as much sensitivity for the dead and dying as Bush does. You ought to be ashamed of yourself for that. Posting a Red Cross link doesn’t make you compasionate nor does waving a three dollar flag make one a patriot.
That said, this strategy of shifting blame on the state and city officials flys in the face of the administration’s own procedures for handling these situations.
This is from the Department of Homeland Security’s website.
So how can the White House say some delay in asking for assistance is the reason for their failure when they’ve given themselves the authority to be the PRIMARY responsible party?
Perhaps when it says “will assume primary responsibility on March 1st” they mean ONLY on March 1st and the other 364 days of the year it’s someone else’s job?
When has the guy who touted himself as one who’ll be the “responibility president” ever taken responsibility for anything?
And when are you going to realize that Bush has been in over his head from day one?
Cromagnon
Bush White House:
The buck stops somewhere ————————————————————————————————————–> over there…
Cromagnon
I guess it was State and Local officials fault that:
– Bush had to stay on vacation for 2 extra days playing guitar and making idiotic comparisions between WW2 and Iraq while New Orleans was drowing
– That Condi was out buying $3,000 shoes 3 days after the levees broke while offers of foreign assistance were piling up on her desk
– That Bush appointed one of his lawyer buddies, who had just been fired from his previous job for incompetence, as head of FEMA
– That it took Bush, the Commander in Chief, 5 days after the levee broke to order active-duty forces into the area, even though some of them could have deployed almost immediately
Those damn Local and State officials!…
Caroline
Man, the Bush apolgia is massive. Conservatives are basically saying that incompetence is good.
According to Survey USA, 68% of the country thinks that the Bush Administration is doing a poor job. It’s not only the “left.”
John Boucher
For Bush apologists the issue is never about the victims of whatever disaster we’re discussing (and we’ve had our share of them these last 5 years), it’s whether or nor people think George W. Bush is being perceived as having screwed something up.
Of course, if you were raised in the kind of genteel patrician surroundings that Bush was raised in you would realize that blame is always something that needs to be assigned to those of less august privilege. And he has so many people willing to make sure that happens.
Peter T.
Cole, your blog is a joke. Reflexive Bush haters? How about Reflexive Bush lovers? This buffoon has fucked up everything he’s touched, from WMD to Iraq and now New Orleans. Always remember, success doesn’t need to make excuses. It doesn’t need spinmeisters, parsers or slimers to defend it – it speaks for itself. There hasn’t been anything major this administration has done that hasn’t required a blue ribbon panel to investigate afterward.
As to your ridiculous tantrum of yesterday – grow up. Your ego is so bound up in supporting Bush you couldn’t abandon him without having a breakdown. If Bush were caught on video stealing lollipops from children you’d say he was battling tooth decay. And at least have the integrity to take all of him, including ID, Schiavo and the rest of the God squad mumbo jumbo. Noxious as they are, those issues are just icing on the Bush cake. You want a piece, you eat the whole thing.
ppGaz
You have just captured the heart of the matter wrt this bunch of potatoheads. A lot of people are just now waking up to the extent to which these guys are (a) feckless, and (b) skilled at painting themselves to look better than they are. Some of us have been trying to tell them, but they wouldn’t listen.
A lot of people are listening now.
ppGaz
I hope you alla re watching Tim Russert absolutely tear Chertoff a new one thism orning on Meet the Press.
I’m only 59, but this is the most astounding collapse of government I have ever seen in this country.
Watch Chertoff dance his way out of this, it’s a lesson in spinning.
ppGaz
— Aaron Broussard, President Jefferson Parish, LA
Meet the Press, Sept 4
Mr. Broussard appears to be a reasonable, very white, middle class American.
“Wal Mart was ready to deliver water, FEMA turned them back.”
It’s the end of the reign of the potatoheads.
pyramid termite
i see no logical reason why we can’t place blame whereever it belongs … from the president, to the governor, to the mayor … a LOT of people dropped the ball on this … they’re ALL at fault
get rid of them … ALL of them
ppGaz
Oh my fucking God.
This interview with Broussard is, I tell you, the end of this government.
Shattering …. I hope you get a chance to see it.
You have never seen anything like it in this country.
Watch it all the way to the end.
capelza
THAT is why I am livid with this Homeland Security/Fema circus. I can’t even recall how many times I have read that some organisation or person who HAD THE GOODS AND THE ABILITY TO HELP was turned away by this bunch….and yet, all the while spinning around on their thumbs up their butts.
My Pet Goat
Oops, looks like CaseyL hit a nerve in some dank mother’s basement. Nice try, asshat. Let’s see you respond to the damning substance of the pattern the list indicates. Try to explain in detail how Bush has not been revealed as a Miserable Failure every damn time we’ve needed some leadership out of him.
Oh, that’s right, you can’t respond with a reasoned factual response, it’d be beyond your meager gifts even if there were anything available in the real world beyond your fear-addled excuse for a mind.
Jane Finch
There may indeed be state and local blame to go around (however, the Republican governor of Mississippi has been let off the public and blog hook it seems). But surely Blanco is not to blame for Chertoff’s outright lying about “two catastrophes” that had never been predicted, and surely Blanco is not to blame for the United States federal government not accepting one offer of help from other countries to date.
I must be a Bush hater, because the fact that Homeland Security couldn’t find its disaster recovery ass with both hands four years after 9/11, while continuing to scan my Tevas to “keep America safe” is a complete failure of government to me.
Profbacon
Wow and here I thought the area was declared a disaster area before the Hurricane hit… when was the area a disaster area? Time to google.
ppGaz
Meet the Press is rebroadcast at 10 pm EDT, 7 pm PDT on MSNBC.
The transcript to the show is generally up by early afternoon EDT. The MSNBC website sports a podcast link for the show, but that link is not working this morning in my Firefox browser; I’ll look into that later.
I urge everyone to watch this broadcast, and in particular, the interview with Mr. Broussard, all the way to its conclusion.
The round table discussion which follows that interview is also instructive.
slide
Washington Post:
.
As I and others have pointed out Boanco declared a State of Emergency on Friday, August 26th, 3 days BEFORE the storm. A simple fact that anyone could find out in about 2 seconds if they wanted to.
So. A question for John, is the “senior Bush offical” lying or are they so incompetent that they didn’t even know that she had declared a State of Emergency. I don’t see a third option do you?
Oh, and in case they missed Blanco’s declaration of a State of Emergency, she sent the President a letter on the 28th, again BEFORE the storm. In that letter she TOLD the President:
How anybody can belive this adminstration is simply beyond me at this point.
Carrick
Slide: I wouldn’t dismiss the “blame Bushers” if they had another tune to play. But since they don’t, so after a few rounds of it, I have dismissed their constant litany of finger pointing as mere partisan drivel. As you point out, this has the effect of inoculating Bush from legitimate criticism, but that’s the price you play for the constant finger pointing and bitter partisan rhetoric.
The logical fact is that we live in a republic, in which the power of the central government is balanced by the rights of the state and local government. In a situation like this, the power structure is city then state then federal. Think Giuliani and New York City as an example where this worked well.
But the mere fact that you are starting by blaming Bush for a situation that is predominantly within the demesne of first the mayor then the governor then the POTUS. Had this been a terror attack, the command structure would have been very different, but it wasn’t. When failures occur on this scale, they are generally not the fault of individuals, but rather are system failures. When you start talking constructively about what needs to change in the system I’ll take the criticism more seriously.
Nate
Why is anyone surprised at John Cole’s relentless (and reflexive) defense of the Administration? Don’t give him a hard time. He’s only doing what he knows how to do.
Even now, the Buhs water-carriers CANNOT make the connection between the administration’s incompetence regarding *9/11 to Iraq to Katrina*. Once they admit the incompetence of one, the whole facade of an able war leader falls apart, and what will they have left? Millions and millions of words of spilt virtual ink defending the indefensible. Not an attractive prospect.
ppGaz
Some people will, regardless of what happens, whether it be New Orleans, Biloxi, or Baghdad. Whether the story is the Superdome, or Terri Schiavo, they’ll just parrot the official line.
But not everyone is a Stormy or a Darrell or a Rick. A lot of reasonable people are now seeing the walking, talking disaster they have for a government, and it’s waking them up.
To the faces of Americans desperately asking for help, these potatoheads respond: “Don’t blame me.”
slide
What? you gotta be kidding?
demimondian
The State of Emergency was declared before the storm. I suspect that the reason the Governor didn’t respond to the new memorandum after the storm was because it was irrelevant, as there already was an emergency, and, instead, she was busy doing her job. And the WaPo ate it up — instead of finding that minor detail out, they bought the story as told by the White House.
John Cole, I think you were taken in here.
Carrick
Here’s an interesting link: Slow response exposes holes in planning which points to the system-wide issues I was addressing in my previous comment.
Now, back to the finger pointing and bitter partisan rhetoric by the usual group of Blame Bushers, who as usual are being ignored due to their petty partisanship.
ppGaz
Here’s a link Carrick won’t point you to
Every time you post that nonsense here, Carrick, I will be right behind you with this material.
People can judge for themselves what’s going on here. It isn’t rocket science.
hadenoughofthisyet
That was one of the most awful, heartwrenching things that I have ever seen. An elderly woman called her son every day from the nursing home and he promised that the “troops were coming.” She drowned on Friday.
ppGaz
DAvid Brooks, the “Bush Basher”
It isn’t just the reality-based community speaking up now.
The GOP controls every mechanism of government.
At what point do they start taking responsbility for what happens on their watch?
hadenoughofthisyet
Carrick — did you even read the link you posted to? It was talking about the Federal level of lack of planning — not local.
Carrick
ppGaz: Every time you post that nonsense here, Carrick, I will be right behind you with this material.
Written by that partisan hack Frank Rich… What a laugh that you take any of his bile seriously.
ppGaz
A lot of people are taking it seriously now, because it’s true, and it’s obvious that it’s true. People can watch, and read, and figure this out.
Bile, or truth?
Bile? Just simple facts.
Facts are, of course, “bile” to the potatoheads. Which is essentially the point today, and one which the Katrina aftermath will continue to expose.
On one side, you have the faces of desperate people, and on the other, the government suits and their doublespeak.
It’s not hard to understand.
Carrick
hadenoughofthisyet: Carrick—did you even read the link you posted to? It was talking about the Federal level of lack of planning—not local.
On the surface perhaps. What it addresses is our current federal response system and the flaws at the system level. That is quite a bit more than failures in planning for a specific event.
My point about the link is not so much whether I agree with everything in it, is that it is a constructive form of dialogue. ppBaz’s infantile name calling as well Frank Rich’s bile that he links are perfect examples of nonconstructive rhetoric.
The link provides a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Take this:
If you want to engage in finger pointing, this quite clearly lays the blame on NOLA for failing to buy the proper equipment, for their lack of preparation for an evacuation and for the sluggish response of NOLA homeland security officials to the disaster. (Quiz time, at which government official’s urging, was the evacuation order eventually given.)
After all “failure to require that local officials…” What is the federal government? Babysitters for local governments that can’t get their shit together?
But look, my point is that we can address the federal planning including the lack of teeth (a legislative issue) to force local officials to comply and come up with a better system.
Slide: I misstated my point earlier. I meant to write something along the lines of “Had this been an attack by a foreign government, …”
jobiuspublius
Haley Barbour said they had Coast Guard helicoptors on MONDAY. They evacuated 1700 people. He praised the National Guard, et. al., in Mississippi but said the problem was too enormous for what they had. I read about a siting of air force national guards playing basket ball on Wednesday. I think Barbour is implying that local resources are not enough. BTW, “after action report” is the name of Bob the Rebuilder in Chief’s scapegoat.
Sojourner
The same folks who voted for Bush because he promised to protect them against the evil terrorists are shitting in their pants right now. They understand better than anyone the extent to which the smaller or less populated states rely on the Feds and the rest of the country to help them out in situations such as this. Bush just gave them a big ole middle finger. Now job, Shrub.
Carrick
Sojourner: Thanks for the nice example of hate-filled lefty rhetoric.
ppGaz
First of all, we can all stop with the gratuitous and patronizing “finger pointing” labels, and that includes John Cole, as I stated to him in another thread. There’s a calamity going on, and people are barking. Let them bark.
Second, in the finest tradition of the Bush administration, let me pat myself squarely on the back: I was bashing the NOLA government early in the week; I might have been the first here to do so. If not the first, pretty close. John Cole was doing roughly the same thing.
But this “blame” thing is not a zero-sum game. That’s the way the Bushites would like it …. blame B so that the heat is taken off A. That is their game, to a tee.
But it doesn’t work that way here … there is ample blame to go around, and the Bush team needs to act like men instead of mice, and stand up and take their share.
But of course, they are mice, and not men, and the won’t.
BeIshmael
It looks fairly clear that the Federal Government had the right to coordinate relief efforts and knew it. First, as someone pointed out, here is Louisana’s proclamation of a state of emergency on Friday, August 26th:
http://gov.louisiana.gov/2005%20%20proclamations/48pro2005-Emergency-HurricaneKatrina.pdf
Here is a press release from the WHITE HOUSE declaring its responsibility “to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population.” The press release was published on August 27th:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html
So yes, it does appear that Bush is trying to shift blame.
hadenoughofthisyet
Quiz time Carrick: So with a catastrophic natural disaster ( or a terrorist attack ) that can wreak havoc on such a scale it that quickly overwhelms local and state authorities (i.e., the rescuers need rescuing) this is the kind of response we can expect?
Carrick
ppBaz quoting Frank Rich:
Chertoff has put his foot in his mouth a number of times on this one. (The most recent of these is this gem). But I’m not sure why you think what this is really probative of.
This on the other hand, speaks for itself as does this:
Carrick
hadenoughofit: Quiz time Carrick: So with a catastrophic natural disaster ( or a terrorist attack ) that can wreak havoc on such a scale it that quickly overwhelms local and state authorities (i.e., the rescuers need rescuing) this is the kind of response we can expect?
Now you’re starting to ask the right questions. You can’t expect (in general) the state and local officials to be able to handle a disaster of this nature.. yet that is how the system is structured.
CaseyL
The “Blame Bushers” blame Bush because the facts blame Bush.
The Bush Apologists have no facts on their side.
The WaPo story that local officials refused to order a state of emergency is false.
The photo-op stories that Bush interrupted real relief efforts in order to stage let’s-pretend ones are true.
The “We never expected X to happen” excuse has been trotted out so often, only the self-lobotomized believe it.
Goldfinger said: “The first time is happenstance. The second time is coincidence. The third time is enemy action.”
9/11 was the first time. Bush ignored what he wasn’t interested in hearing, ran and hid while people were dying, and staged a nice little photo-op as soon as it was convenient. “We never expected X to happen” got its first public run.
Iraq was the second time. Bush ignored what he wasn’t interested in hearing (about intelligence, about the necessary troop levels to secure Iraq, about the inevitable insurgency), told jokes while people were dying, and staged a nice little photo-op as soon as it was convenient. The “We never expected X to happen” got its encore presentation.
Hurrican Katrina is the third time. Bush ignored what he wasn’t interested in hearing (about New Orleans vulnerability to major hurricanes, about the projects needed to protect it, about the desperate situation once Katrina hit), told jokes and raised campaign money while people were dying, and staged a couple of nice little photo-ops as soon as it was convenient. And, once again, his Administration said “We never expected X to happen.”
Bush’s supporters occasionally make noises about how angry they are that Bush did this or did that. But they treat each instance as isolated. This enables them to turn around, after the initial shock dies off, and find someone else to blame for Bush’s failures.
They have to do this.
If they didn’t have an automatic erase-and-forget function, if they didn’t have an automatic Deflect & Defend function, they would have to see the totality of Bush’s record in all its lethal corruption and incompetence, and recoil in disgust.
If they didn’t have an automatic erase-and-forget function, if they didn’t have an automatic Deflect & Defend function, they would have to see the gestalt of Bush’s character revealed in all its pathetic selfish infantilism, and recoil in horror.
ppGaz
Can you believe these frigging people?
I am coming to believe that these buttheads don’t really care about terrorism, or Iraq, or hurricanes at all … all they care about is opportunities to shit on “lefties.”
Facts don’t matter, people don’t matter, history doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except their rank ideology.
Screw you, Carrick. Mr. Broussard is the person whose voice will be heard today, not yours:
Ancient Purple
Nice little “update #2” there, Mr. Cole.
Care to tell me how that does anything to mitigate the completely bald-faced lie the “senior Bush official” told when stating that Gov. Blanco still hadn’t issued a state of emergency proclaimation as of yesterday?
slide
CaseyL, great post. Hit the nail on the head.
slide
Cole said:
Bull shit. The wasington Post article said:
So the article first says she didn’t ask for assistance until this Wednesday that just passed and then says AS OF SATURDAY we are to belive they are talkign about the Saturday BEFORE this WEDNESDAY? or shall we also CONCLUDE that she didn’t ask for help until LAST WEDNESDAY. You can’t have it both ways.
“AS OF SATURDAY”, in an article for a Sunday paper does NOT mean LAST SATURDAY in any REALITY BASED UNIVERSE I live it. But, enjoy the Kool-aid.
TallDave
This is unbelieveable.
What the hell were they thinking??? Those buses could have saved hundreds of lives.
When this is all over, an investigation needs to be done, and whoever was responsible (Republican or Democrat, I don’t care) should be charged with criminal negligence. People died because of this incompetence.
Slide
The LIARS on the right just don’t give a crap about the truth. From NewsMax:
A BOLD FACED LIE. Oh, oh, Bush is in trouble, time to SWIFT BOAT someone.
Carrick
CaseyL: The Bush Apologists have no facts on their side.
You’re simply full of shit: See my link above (https://balloon-juice.com/?p=5485#comment-68039.)
Seems to me I post facts and you post rhetoric and appeals to emotion. Then you call them “facts”.
Carrick
Slide says: Bush is in trouble, time to SWIFT BOAT someone
Swiftboat somebody… Hm… isn’t that when you slime 250+ decorated war veterans in the name of political expedience?
You should really try that Christmas vacation in Cambodia vacation. I hear it’s a real blast.
scs
Once again, every one is sinking into an orgy of partisanship instead of looking at the facts.
Okay, lets look at what actually went wrong in N.O.
1. The pre and during storm phase.
Not educating locals about how important it is to evacuate and not evacuating locals with school busses was a LOCAL problem. Not configuring the Superdome with enough gas to run generators and putting generators in safe places higher up in the stadium and maybe configuring the plumbing to run from flood waters/and or adding Port-O-Potties and hiring more security to keep order inside was a LOCAL mistake. Not making the Convention Center or other places also a rescue point was a local mistake. All of these things I mentioned were not that expensive to rig up and did not need federal funds to accomplish.
2. Immediately after the storm phase:
I think I heard good things about the helicopter and boat rescues from the Coast Guard, a Federal area. Mitigating the ongoing problems at the stadium and convention center could have been accomplished by the STATE. School busses with food and trucks with water could have been bussed in from other areas in Louisianna. The STATE could have at least brought some food to gathering points like highway overpasses and some to convention centers as the roads were somewhat passable. It might have not been enough for everyone, but at least the refugees would have seen at least some action. Security could have been accomplished with more local presence and the National Guard, a STATE thing. I think even minimal Guard presence would have been enough to scare away the gangs.
3. A Few Days After the Storm:
Evacuating the stadium and convention centers could only be accomplished once there was somewhere to put the people. Only when other shelters were ready did they do that. And the Federal help was available by then.
So if you look at it logically, it seems to be more a failure of local and state government to do more with the resources they had.
ppGaz
FredW
It’s way too late in this thread to be noticed, but the *first* levee breach was late *Monday* morning (17th Street Canal, IIRC). The second levee breach was Tuesday morning.
Sojourner
Just watch the polls continue their downward slide. Bush promised to protect the US against terrorist attack. Plans used to manage a terrorist attack would be quite similar to those of a hurricane. Maybe you have confidence that the Bushies would handle a terrorist attack successfully but guaranteed, the polls are going to show that the American public disagrees.
Yeh, I know. To you they’re just a bunch of Bush haters. But more and more people are doing what you are incapable of doing – reviewing the history of failure of this administration and deciding they’ve had enough.
scs
PPGaz, you can bring out all those quotes you want. But the rescue the Coast Guard are doing with helicopters (and some boats) can only be done so fast, no matter who does it. I don’t think that is one of the (most) contested issues. The most noticeable issues was the lack of food and water to the stranded people on highways, and the terrible conditions at the convention center and Superdome. And once again, I suggest those were mostly local and state issues. Now perhaps the greatest area we can blame the Feds was in not sending in troops earlier to establish security. But I do believe that may have been the one area where there was polical turf warfare.
So what is the criticism of Bush exactly?
ppGaz
Mainly, that he attracts supporters like you, who seem to think, in the middle of an ongoing calamity, that protecting him from criticism is the most important thing.
I think you suck, and I think he sucks because he thinks he is the president of people like you, while the rest of the country can go to hell.
Get it?
scs
Grow up PPGaz, until you can think like an adult and express yourself logically, you have no busines on here, no matter how much you impress yourself.
ppGaz
Go to hell, sir. I stand on what I said, which is the true and correct answer to your stupid question.
You suck, and your idiot president panders to you. For that reason alone, the man should be tarred and feathered. The country cannot afford to be goverened by somebody who thinks you are his constituency.
If proof was ever needed, this week was it.
Carrick
Sojourner:
I see your problem now. You don’t know how to fact check. Bush’s job approval numbers haven’t materially changed since February, 2004. I’ll leave it to you to explain why the press keeps reporting falling numbers….
I don’t appear to be the one who is having problems analyzing data.
scs
ppgaz, still waiting for a well expressed, logical answer. Are you capable of one?
Boronx
They may have buried a lede, but the president trying to shift blame while there are still people waiting to be rescued is headline stuff.
scs
ppgaz, I know you are really upset that I dared to point out a logical train of thought, that the most visible glaring deficiencies of last week was the lack of food and water and other bad conditions in the rescue areas, and that those deficiencies should have been at least atempted to be addressed by state agencies, and they weren’t.
I’m sorry to shake your world view, but you have to grow up, really.
ppGaz
Stick around. We’ll see.
Tell me, mister “data analyzer”, how we got to an “all time low” without falling to get there?
Worst Numbers Yet
Is there anything ambiguous about that chart?
What the hell is wrong with you?
ppGaz
You are not shaking anyone’s view of anything, I assure you.
scs
Honestly, PPgaz, I haven’t ever addressed your posts in the past because I don’t find them to be thought provoking, and I stick to my opinion. You can address mine, but in the future I won’t respond, as I don’t find you worthy of a response. I will save my efforts for people who can think and express themselves in a mature and intelligent manner, as there are many people on here who can do so.
ppGaz
I’ll alert the media.
Carrick
ppGaz:
You really are a small child, aren’t you? Why not come back when you get your meds adjusted and don’t sound quite so infantile.
Thanks!
donald
How come people can’t read simple stuff? It WAS the responsibility of Blanco and Nagin, and they turned federal help away. Why? Because they didn’t need any damned republicans stepping on their toes, this is their state and their city. My most favorite corrupt, back water city and state in the union. Please democrats, please learn to read and take a fucking civics lesson for once. You know, I thought Bill Clinton was a disgusting turd, and well even you shitheads cannot deny that that has been proven by history. I never felt that we should try to fuck the constitution up the ass to get even with his PROVEN crimes, and all of the other bullshit he put this country through. That thirst to regain political power and speed up the destruction that you want for this country is un-becoming…like that sperm seeping off your lips. Have a nice day.
ppGaz
If so, then I’m a small child who has made mincemeat out of you, sir.
Mainly by posting stuff like this:
Everybody, that is, who has paid ZERO ATTENTION to this problem for the last ten years.
Carrick
ppGaz aka “”you suck” shows his ability to read headlines but inability to analyze data:
No problem, “you suck”. You need everything spoon-fed, and today I’m happy to comply. It’s called “statistical fluctuation” in the sampling population. Given a series of measurements you can always find one which is low-ball.
That’s why it’s generally better to take running averages (or better medians) over polls, rather than cherry picking the polling numbers that give you that warm and fuzzy you were after. Otherwise you’ll end up with trends that don’t exist. Here’s the median of the polling data taken a month at a time:
August 2005 — 45/53
July 2005 — 46/48
June 2005 — 46.5/51
[…]
July 2004 — 48/48
June 2004 — 48.5/48.5
May 2004 — 46.5/49
Call this “plummeting poll numbers” if you like. The fact is that Bush’s JA has been in range 45-50 for over a year and a half.
You guys like to say that you’re the ones with facts on your side. Well, here’s the numbers and “all time low” isn’t the appropriate interpretation. Numbers have meaning, and words have meaning. There just isn’t a better descriptor for this data set than “no trend”.
Carrick
ppGaz aka “you suck”:
Thanks for the laugh.
I suppose you didn’t noticed I had linked to that same stupid statement?
But other than demonstrating where Chertoff has planted his head, I’m really not sure (again) what you find this probative of. I guess it’s because you confuse rhetoric (good or bad) with fact.
Carrick
ppGaz aka “you suck”:
Thanks for the laugh.
I suppose you didn’t noticed I had linked to that same stupid statement?
But other than demonstrating where Chertoff has planted his head, I’m really not sure (again) what you find this probative of. I guess it’s because you confuse rhetoric (good or bad) with fact.
Greg Hackenberg
You might want to read this.
http://gov.louisiana.gov/2005%20%20proclamations/48pro2005-Emergency-HurricaneKatrina.pdf
ppGaz
Oh, nothing much. Between Chertoff and Brownie, they are both sure that the other has done a fine job.
And Bush thinks so, too, he said, Friday, “Brownie has done a terrific job.”
So there you are! They all think they are doing a terrific job.
PS — People are drowning in their homes, right now, according to CNN about 40 minutes ago.
But them fellers are doing a terrific job.
Just terrific.
scs
Greg, I read the document. Still a little unsure as to what it means exactly. I see that it says something about granting powers to the “State” Office of Homeland Security. Is that then still state responsibility or federal?
ppGaz
Bwaaaaaaaaahahahaha!
Like I said, do you see anything ambiguous about this chart?
I don’t.
Falling Numbers
TJ
This has to be a disaster to ppGaz and the rest of the poll worshipers:
Views of Hurricane Response:
Blame Bush Yes – 44
No – 55
If he hasn’t been hurt by the first weeks incessant whining, he sure as hell won’t be hurt when all the unused, flooded school buses are shown.
Sojourner
Just wait…. When the survivors’ stories start to circulate, and the American public really understands what happened to these folks, his numbers will drop… again just as they have with the Iraq war. When the president appoints someone who managed horse shows as the head of FEMA the shit will hit the fan.
Carrick
ppBaz:
Nope. Though it supports my comment:
If you look at their data set, there is little change in their poll results post February 2004. My comment there was:
Mysterious, the chart shows a flat result starting in February 2004… all of the big fluctuations occurred prior to this period. Compare 10/01 thru 02/04 to 02/04 thru 08/05. Obvious trend in the first partition, no significant trend in the second.
While you’re at it point to me what is ambiguous with the one-month median data that I posted, and tell me why you think it’s good practice to cherry pick the data points that prove the conclusion you’re looking for.
Finally, if you want to ask the question “has there been a statistically significant shift in the last week?”
Aug 1-31, 2005 — 45/53
Aug 24-31, 2005 — 45/52
Sorry, fella, there just isn’t a real trend here. When the data say otherwise, I won’t argue. But the facts simply aren’t on your side right now.
Caroline
Yeah, Vitter (R-LA) is a really big bush hater. So is Sen Hagel (R-NE). The list of Bush haters is expanding rapidly. Before Katrina, it was the left and the center. The “bush hating” disease has now spread to conservatives.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
The WaPo has issued a correction:
DougJ
The post ran the following correction
“A Sept. 4 article on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina incorrectly said that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D) had not declared a state of emergency. She declared an emergency on Aug. 26.”
ppGaz
Bwaaaaaaaaahahahahah! Okay, dude. Whatever you say.
Falling Numbers
Carrick
ppGaz: But them fellers are doing a terrific job.
I think you are still mixing up rhetoric with fact. What civil servant self-flagellates in public?
ppGaz
Self-selected polls, eh?
This is FOXNews’ self-selected poll. Even among the potatohead audience, 62% rated the federal response
“disgraceful – disappointing – bad but getting better.”
Meanwhile, over at US News ….
“Poll lover?”
Heh. We shall see.
ppGaz
The correct question is, what kind of “civil servant” steps up, takes charge, and spends little time patting himself and his cronies on the back?
Example: Rudy Giuliani.
Example of the opposite: Well, you know.
“Just wanna thank Brownie for the outstanding job he has been doing down here.”
TJ
Wishful thinking.
Face it. When stories start to come out it will be the ones questioning why the Mayor didn’t use all those flooded schoolbuses to evacuate the poor.
Carrick
ppGaz:
I would agree with that.
james richardson
August 26: Blanco declares a state level state of emergency.
http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=973
August 27: Blanco asks the president to declare a federal state of emergency for the state of Louisiana.
http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976
August 27: Bush declares a federal state of emergency for Louisiana.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html
the anonymous senior white house official syndrome strikes again.
scs
I think you all are missing the point. I believe, and correct me if I am wrong, that a state governor asking for and then getting a declaration of a “State of Emergency” by the President only means that funds such as loans and help will be available to the state. That does not mean that the state then disolves itself of all responsibility and hands it all over to the Feds. The state then has to coordinate with the Fed government to plan for what it needs.
The state has to ASK for federal troops. Without asking for federal troops, I don’t think Federal aid such as food delivery can come as quickly because the Fed troops would be delivering the aid. I heard that Kathleen Blanco delayed in asking for the Fed troops thinking that to do so would be like declaring martial law.
In the end, the immediate bad conditions at the rescue areas was the responsibilty of the state, (after the Mayor had messed up evacuation and preparation for it). The immediate response falls under the STATE Office of Homeland Security. Look at this for more clarity – this is what the L.A. STATE Office of Homeland Security that is referenced to in a document above (http://gov.louisiana.gov/2005%20%20proclamations/48pro2005-Emergency-HurricaneKatrina.pdf
and is supposed to be responsible for the whole thing, is supposed to do:
http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/homeland/default.htm
Lousianna Office Of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedeness
The Louisiana Senate and House of Representative’s Select Committees on Louisiana Homeland Security were created to provide legislative leadership and assistance in the coordination of state efforts to secure the state of Louisiana from terrorist threats and attacks. These committees, together with the Governor’s Office, are committed and privileged to serve the citizens of this great state in this vital task of assuring a safe and secure environment.
(which is also to include natural disasters, hence the Emergency Preparedeness part.)
Have a little intellectual curiousity and investigate before you pontificate. Where is the EVIDENCE that the immediate poor response was a FEDERAL, and hence a Bush, failure?
Sojourner
Immediate? Try FIVE days. Try a state that was in chaos – and you expect the state to heal itself? That’s f’ing insane.
You’re right. Try a little intellectual curiosity. What, exactly, is the purpose of FEMA? If it’s not to handle a disaster the size of Katrina then what is it for?
scs
Sojourner, I wonder how many state documents you read on the subject. But you know, even after reading up on it, actually I’m stll not sure how it all breaks down between the State and the Feds. I guess the politicians are confused too or there wouldn’t have been these problems. My question is, who was responsible to send trucks with food and water to rescue areas that grew spontaneously in the days after the flood? From the documents I’ve seen, FEMA coordinates FED efforts. This foremost includes debris removal, such as road clearance and recovering Federal buildings. Other than that, I believe they have to work with the state. The STATE Office of Homeland Security, who works with say, the police and the state National Guard, is supposed to direct immediate recovery efforts and must ASK the Feds for funds and specific assitance. From Tuesday morning to Friday is 4 days, a little long maybe, but still I think under the umbrella of the immediate assitance. The question is, what did the state ask for and what was not provided?
But really I’m still confused on all the break downs. If you can enlighten me, please do.
scs
Byt the way, as you are all blaming “anonymous”Bush admin sources for the misleading info in the WaPO article on when a State of Emergency was decalred, I guess you all missed THIS in the article:
scs
I guess I was right that I’m not the only one confused by the power sharing between State and Feds. I jusr saw this in an article in the New York Times today:
Iron Lungfish
The WaPo issued a correction. Shouldn’t this post get a correction too?
Walt
Y’all keep talking about a State of Emergency Proclamation. There is a difference between filling out a request to get in line for money after the storm hits, which is what the below quoted documents point to…
…and giving over control of your state guard, sheriffs and infastructure because you can’t handle it. Which is the level of State of Emergency that the Bush Official was reffering to. Even Saturday, 3 Sept the Governor was fighting the Feds taking charge.
There was a fine document in place called City of New Orleans Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan outlining the steps needed in a storm but the local officials lacked the brass ones needed to implement this plan. After Ivan last year they realized they were lucky and needed to correct, update and actually implement the plan the next time. They failed and a large problem became an impossible problem.
rose sierra
was blanco talking to sen clinton
martin
Yes … face it. When stories start to come out it will be the ones questioning why the Mayor didn’t use all those flooded schoolbuses to evacuate the poor.