He sounded like Snoop Dog!
I agree, but this certainly isn't the first time an incompetent local official has been allowed to hold off the Feds. Remember the dread Chief Moose? A number of people died because he was allowed to diddle along being incompetent (and biased, since he knew perfectly well from the police reports that it was not a white suspect they were looking for). Everything should have been taken out of his hands - but it wasn't.
That said, I don't know what kind of laws exist that permit Federal intervention in cases of incompetence. In the case of Blanco and Nagin, I'd say it was even close to dereliction of duty. But can the Feds really intervene, without having to do something maybe a tad excessive, such as declaring war on the state of LA?
He sounded like Snoop Dog!
" but this certainly isn't the first time an incompetent local official has been allowed to hold off the Feds."
No, it certainly isn't the first time, and probably won't be the last.
The Chief Moose situation was very different. That was totally law enforcement. And maybe in that case, the mayor (the chief's boss) should have stepped in.
I think in a situation of a natural disaster, the local authorities are looking for help and advice, (this mayor certainly was), especially if they haven't been thru a similar disaster in the past. Sending an adviser to aid the mayor or governor, isn't taking all control out of the hands of local authority.
In the end, it would avoid any appearance of "dereliction of duty". The official would be advised on how to handle things and how to remain in charge. If anything, the mayor or governor would probably end up looking like a hero.
No kidding. I remember when the "word is bond" evidence came out, and how freepers immediately figured out from that clue that the sniper was a black muslim!
And yet Moose got a book deal out of his incompetence. I imagine the mayor of N.O. will get a book deal as well.