[alarm rider]

I see that you are getting flamed, but I see your point.

Election to office because of gender, race, etc. as opposed to perceived competence comes back to bite you in the butt, every time.

There was time to think in the abstract, to prepare a plan based on worse possible scenario. That's what public elected officials are supposed to do. That is their job. They might have been wrong, but there needed to be some adult leadership given the geographical situation and what has been for sometime, the probable outcome if the worst happened. It was a known factor, the population would have been warned and advised what would happen if a threat showed itself.

With something like a hurricane, and all the information that is available, and with the power available to governors and local officials, there is very little wiggle room for Ms. Blanco, or the Mayor.

I do not feel sorry for the people that were too shortsighted, too ignorant, too dependent on the public teat, etc., and those types will always be with us.

There are indeed people there who needed help, and deserved help.

[Fishtalk]

With something like a hurricane, and all the information that is available, and with the power available to governors and local officials, there is very little wiggle room for Ms. Blanco, or the Mayor.

The point that jumping on the bandwagon and verbally hacking away at Blanco and the Mayor is not unlike the Liberals' actions as regards everything being Bush's fault.

But seriously, why can't we judge these people by their actions?

Yours is a very good post and you are right. It's not just governments that push aside dealing with issues. I am a consultant and I work with businesses that are managed by people who do NOT manage. Those same people will point the finger at the seven dollar an hour underlings when something goes wrong that THEY are paid to handle.

For example, why is Governor Blanco on the freaking Larry King show tonight?

Yes I'm sure that she was videotaped from somewhere but bear in mind it was not a phone call. Thus there was the bother of transport, the hair, the makeup...yada, yada.

The subject of this very thread is the problem that suddenly thrust its head, the fact that the Army corps of engineers can not find that breach and the pumps are going to fail. I'm quite sure there's meetings across the country because they are going to HAVE to evacuate those people.

The Governor of a state in the midst of a crisis such as this should NOT, given the timing and circumstance and looming disaster, be on Larry King! And yes, it was live.

The Governor should freaking be RUNNING THINGS!

She should be out and about and encouraging her citizens to be brave. She would get a better return for her time if she spent the same amount of time she spent on Larry King by taking a ride out to the Superdome. Give those suffering and scared people some hope.

After all, how much of her citizenry is going to see her on Larry King?

It is, ahem, what LEADERS DO!

This is just one example. Anyone with a little experience can spot head on what these people are doing wrong. Leadership is what we should expect from leaders. Governor Blanco is all about her and not about the people she serves.