As regards the Nat Guard troops and security, the Governor of the state of Louisiana always had the power to deploy the LA guard in the fashion that other state troops are being deployed today. It is her failure to do so that has prompted the President to get the help from other states.
As regards New Orleans and the Superdome, the Mayor of New Orleans, who ordered all those people into the superdome (and he only did that IMHO after he and the Governor were leaned on by the Bush administration) had the power to bus them out of the city at the same time. The City of New Orleans moves many more children each day on school buses than were in the dome. Those buses were available and slated to be used for school the next day. He could easily have evacuted those people...but did not.
When oredering a mandatory evacuation you use what resources you have to move the people...he did not. If it was important and dangerous enough to order all citizens to leave, it was dangerous enough to help those people to leave. Yet, they did not. After they failed to do so...the busses ended up under water and useless.
In the end, it was FEMA, after the local and state government's failure that had to get the job done...but now under much, much worse and dangerous circumstances.
No, it is not Bush's fault or the fed's fault. We must place blame squarely where it lies at the feet of the local and state executives in Louisiana who had neither the desire or the will to make those calls, irrespective of their political stripe.
Yes, the initial chaos is due to the poor planning by the city of New Orleans. The race card will ignite this even more, sad but true. If the mayor was on the ball, he would have had buses ready on Sunday to evacuate the housing projects. (they get them to the polls to vote don't they?)
Any 'shoot to kill' calls by the brothers and sisters?
the Mayor of New Orleans, who ordered all those people into the superdome (and he only did that IMHO after he and the Governor were leaned on by the Bush administration) had the power to bus them out of the city at the same time. The City of New Orleans moves many more children each day on school buses than were in the dome. Those buses were available and slated to be used for school the next day. He could easily have evacuted those people...but did not. ""
I have wondered about this from the start- NEVER saw any reporter address this issue, and I never say any metro or school busses trying to move people out-before the levee broke. Now I can only surmise that these busses are damaged-many beyond repair-and that adds to the whole mess.
I blame the mayor and Blanco, who IMO, is the most ineffectual woman in a crisis I have seen on national TV. There are very efficient and decisive women all over the world, and they must be puking at the sight of Blanco, dithering over every word.
Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way....she has done none of the 3.
Good thumbnail of the situation. Someone needs to explain protocol to the public. The Federal Government has limited powers in these disaster situation. I would like to hear Jeb Bush interviewed. It seems Blanco was uninformed as to her role to lead.