Posted on 09/03/2005 7:29:17 PM PDT by HAL9000
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Arkansan James Lee Witt, the former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Bill Clinton, joined the Louisiana government Saturday to help direct the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.Witt, who ran FEMA from 1993 to 2001, said he will stay as long as he as needed.
"He will sit at the table for me, and he will be my voice at the table," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said.
Louisiana officials are getting stretched too thin and need help, she said.
"I like to hire the smartest people in the country," she added.
Witt has more than 25 years of disaster management experience.
FEMA had been strongly criticized in 1992 for its slow response to Hurricanes Andrew and Hugo. After Witt took over, the agency won praise for its vigorous reaction to Midwest floods and the 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles.
Blanco said that, when she told Mike Brown, FEMA's current head, that she hoped to hire him, "he said, `That is absolutely the right thing to do. He will make a huge difference.'"
At the National Hurricane Conference in March, Witt said putting FEMA under the Homeland Security Department hurt its ability to deal with natural disasters.
On Saturday, he said, "Now's not the time to point blame at anyone."
Witt was head of the Arkansas Office of Emergency Services when Clinton was Arkansas governor.
damage control spin begins....
But who will think for you?
Nagin will hire the best criminal defense lawyer he can find.
Yes, he was implicated in a scheme to get a $35,000-per-month job for Roger Clinton from an Alabama airport developer.
the loser has found a voice....but she still lacks the ability to think.
He was also reported to have placed a bag of cash on Clinton's desk shortly before he became trasnportation secretary for Arkansas, if I've got the right guy. I'm fairly sure it was him, because he got the same position at the federal level.
Unlike the people of Louisiana when they 'hired' you!
In that case, she hired the wrong guy.
For more than one reason. Her constituency just moved to Texas.
Freepers do the nexus better than anyone I've ever seen.
thanx HAL9000
You don't think the Ragin' Cajun will come to their rescue?
Great, really nice.
Thank you for these updates - what a good filter you are since I can't keep up :)
a filter....lol...it's better than being part of her "voice" : )
She is if she ever hopes to hold elected office again.
Take a look at this post.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476807/posts
The Wash Post is reporting that Bush asked her to turn over control of the troops, and she refused for partisan reasons.
The Toon made a phone call, and LO! His Will Be Done.
This is hysterical.
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