[Rokke]

"Were the Feds giving orders to the Louisiana National Guard?"

No. And they still aren't. That is the role of the Governor.

[AlaninSA]

The Feds cannot give orders to the National Guard unless they're called up to active duty.

The Governor has the main responsibility. She dropped the ball by not declaring an emergency and requesting before the storm hit that the Pentagon authorize the sending of ARNG and ANG troops -- as well as requesting that governors of other states send troops.

Several states were ready, willing and able to send troops -- but Blanco failed to ask for them. The one governor who really had his stuff together was the governor of Wisconsin. He declared an emergency outside his own state(!) and had the troops utterly ready to go.

Blanco and Nagin are certainly not Rudy G!

[seemoAR]

I think you are wrong. Look up what happened on September 24,1957 in Little Rock, AR. President Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard. The Little Rock mayor called for help.