Posted on 09/03/2005 7:52:14 PM PDT by jmc1969
Bush administration officials blame state and local authorities for what leaders at all levels have called a failure of the country's emergency management.
Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.
The administration had sought control over National Guard units, normally under control of the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request, noting that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. State authorities suspected a political motive behind the request.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The Friday and Saturday referred to are Sept. 2 and 3 - Blanco was not setting up a fund for the victims and hiring Witt before the storm hit. If the Bush administration had the smoking gun of this offer rejected BEFORE the storm they would have publicized it by now.
snip
Blanco acknowledged Saturday: "We did not have enough resources here to do it all. . . . The magnitude is overwhelming."
snip
******
STAY OUT OF OUR BUSINESS BUT SEND CASH!!!
Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.)(whose brother is Lt. Governor of Louisiana) sent a letter to Bush Saturday urging him to provide cash benefits and transportation assistance to stranded people and to use federal facilities for housing. They wrote that they "are concerned that rescue and recovery efforts appear to remain chaotic and that many victims remain hungry and without adequate shelter nearly a week after the hurricane struck. Clearly, strong personal leadership from you is essential if we are to get this effort on track."
I missed this :
" As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said."
And for sheer entertainment value :
Kenny Lason, 45, a dishwasher at Pat O'Brien's, a French Quarter restaurant famous for its signature "Hurricane" cocktail, took a long slurp out of a bottle of Korbel extra-dry champagne.
He broke a store window to get it, and he is not ashamed.
"They wasn't giving us nothing," he said. "You got to live off the land."
Bush should appoint a committee to investigate. Call it the Katrina Commission. Get to the bottom of whos to blame then publish this great big book called the Katrina Commission Reports and show the world whos to blame for this catastrophe.
bttt
The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly.
A senior administration official said that Bush has clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units to quell civil disturbances under the Insurrection Act and will continue to try to unify the chains of command that are split among the president, the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor.
LOL...TOO FUNNY... ;o)
INCREDIBLE!!!
"Looks like it was done the Friday after the hurricane."
After his trip, but coinky dinky just before she announced she had hired James Witt, former Bubba Hack, oh, I mean, former Director of FEMA for X-42
I agree! However, some people only read the headlines. Like demonicRATs.
All they needed was a mayor with half a brain and at least one testicle.
He could have picked out a couple of hundred young black teenagers like the brave young man who drove the school bus to Houston. They could have driven those buses for free and got gas donations and food donations on the way.
Yes! That kid should be the mayor!
Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.
The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly.
That brave young man would have save lives and a lot of heartache if he had been mayor instead of the Lunatic Whining Rat Mayor.
SC, Wolfstar and others have stated the memo was sent Aug 26th. The WP article reads as if the memo was sent Sept 2nd.
Shifting blame? It appears the WH was doing everything it could to get the people out because Nagin and Blanco were incompetent. What an incredibly dishonest portrayal of this news by the Washington Post.
Some people only WANT to read the headlines...saves them the trouble of thinking (if capable)
The analogous image that comes to mind is that of an infant being fed some Gerber slop with an ice cream parlor sample spoon...
Scrape up the dribble from the chin...and shove it in...googa burble google...
Liberals are proof that idiocy can actually be a learned behavior...
Just thought I'd ping you since this was something we were discussing ealier. I'm heading to bed now, but this appears to substantiate what Chertoff said earlier about Bush not federalizing the NG.
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