[bobwoodard]

A couple of things, I think he probably deserves a pass on the assesment of looting/security situation since you had the NO Mayor, Governor, Atty General of LA, and one of the Senators saying that the looting wasn't too bad, it was acceptable, it was understable and it was only for life sustaining items. If I had the people in charge of the area telling me not to worry about it, I'd focus on something else that seemed more pressing.

Also, in our (FL's) case I seem to remember FEMA worked through the City/State officials, which makes me wonder when you have the collapse of the local government (NO), how long does it take to actually figure that out, what do you do in that case and how long does it take to happen?

[Dane]

Also, in our (FL's) case I seem to remember FEMA worked through the City/State officials, which makes me wonder when you have the collapse of the local government (NO), how long does it take to actually figure that out, what do you do in that case and how long does it take to happen?

Just shows you how incompetant the NO govt. was.

I'm sorry but this is not a case where lemonade can be made out of lemons, since the lemons in the NO and LA govt were rotten to begin with, but of course to michelle malkin that is Bush's fault.

[cgbg]

Look, half the posters at FR figured out in minutes that the Mayor of NO and the governor of LA were way over their heads and part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

DHS appears to be slow and bureaucratic, caught up in procedure and DC doubletalk.

When Chertoff started to talk about "obligated funds" in a press conference it was clear he didn't belong there.

"Obligated funds" is inside-the-beltway language.

DHS should have a slush fund for emergencies and should not be worried about "obligated funds".

What is interesting is that apparently DHS has fallen into the trap of contracting for all services while having minimal in-house capability. The problem with contracting is that the contractor will do exactly what is in the contract (perhaps, if you are lucky) and no more. They are not a good fit for emergency situations when quick thinking on your feet and rapid changes in plans may be required.