[WBL 1952]

The Blanco statement DU keeps quoting was dated, cough cough, August 28, 2005 while the Bush statement was dated, cough cough, August 26, 2005; two days EARLIER.

I think Governor Blanco has some explaining to do about the two day discrepancy!

[thoughtomator]

What use is a calendar when the sunrise comes as a daily surprise?

[cripplecreek]

Cathy! You got some splainin to do.

[frogjerk]

UNCOVERED BY BRILLIANT DU'ers!!!

We're the brilliant DU'ers confronted with the minor detail of the screwed up dates?

[Eagle of Liberty]

gov.louisiana.gov also seems to be a phony website. You cannot get to that site if you do web searches for Louisiana.

[satchmodog9]

I am sure her hooves will be held to the fire on this. The GOP sucks IMHO. I can't believe they had that fraud, William Jefferson on their panel. They let this POS prattle on, lie and accuse Brown of things that were not the job of FEMA. This fraud should have been called out as an example of government corruption and waste because of his little trip home.

[Revel]

The whole mess is dated. Just go read the hurricane Katrina hurricane thread. It all happened in real time.

[drjimmy]

The Blanco statement DU keeps quoting was dated, cough cough, August 28, 2005 while the Bush statement was dated, cough cough, August 26, 2005; two days EARLIER. I think Governor Blanco has some explaining to do about the two day discrepancy!

Actually, I don't know if the DUmmies are quoting the wrong document on this particular issue, but from looking at all the documents available at both the White House and Louisiana governor's website, it looks like the DUmmies premise may be correct.

Much of the confusion on this issue arises over the fact that there were two different declarations requested and accepted (first for a federal emergency declaration and later for a federal disaster declaration). Also, both Blanco and Bush issued their emergency declaration documents on one date but made them effective the previous day.

Here's what I have found:
--On August 27, Blanco asked for a federal emergency declaration, commencing on August 26. In that request, she writes "I request that you declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina for the time period beginning August 26, 2005, and continuing. The affected areas are all the southeastern parishes including the New Orleans Metropolitan area and the mid state Interstate I-49 corridor and northern parishes along the I-20 corridor that are accepting the thousands of citizens evacuating from the areas expecting to be flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina."

--On that same day of August 27, President Bush responded to that request by declaring a federal emergency, commencing on August 26. In his response, he says the Feds will provide assistance "to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn."

Here's the problem: Looking at a map of Louisiana, none of those parishes is in the southeastern part of the state where the hurricane was going to hit, and where Blanco asked for the emergency declaration. It doesn't include Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, etc. I have no idea why that is, but that's what the two documents say.

FYI, the disaster declaration was requested by Blanco on August 28. President Bush responded on August 29 by making the declaration. I think you have mixed the two separate requests together--Blanco's August 28 disaster request with Bush's August 27 (effective August 26) emergency request.

[scratcher]

"I think Governor Blanco has some explaining to do about the two day discrepancy!"

She doesn't have time for that now, she's busy looking for those 500 cops on the payroll that never existed.

[Lx]

Well, since they could never accept that fact the Christ lived and died for our sins, how can you expect them to understand a calendar based on his death (or close to it, isn't it three years off?)

Funny how instead of BC, it's now BCE, before common era. If it was based on Mohammad's death, now that would be a different story, then we'd be celebrating diversity.