Posted on 09/06/2005 3:38:52 AM PDT by Former Military Chick
BATON ROUGE - Even as teams of engineers worked to patch ruptured levees in New Orleans, a political breach opened between Gov. Kathleen Blanco and President Bush over who is in charge of the post-Hurricane Katrina recovery effort.
One flashpoint came over the weekend, when Blanco said she rebuffed an attempt by the White House to seize control of the mounting military presence in Louisiana, including thousands of state National Guard forces under her authority. Then Bush made an unusual return visit to the state Monday, just days after surveying the damage - a trip that members of Blanco's staff said caught them by surprise and caused a certain level of consternation.
"We had no idea the president was coming," said Blanco's communications director, Robert Mann, adding that the governor was forced to cancel a trip to visit evacuees in Houston so she could meet with Bush.
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In the game of political maneuvering for control between Blanco, a Democrat, and Bush, a Republican, the biggest chess pieces are the 13,268 National Guard troops from 29 states under the governor's command - with another 7,845 on the way - and the 7,000 active-duty troops who began arriving Monday under command of the regular Army and the president.
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Blanco said that when the plain-spoken, cigar-chomping Honore showed up in New Orleans late last week, she thought that her worries about a lack of federal troops and resource were over. Honore quickly became a media darling and the take-charge face of the federal government in New Orleans, barking out orders to surprised National Guards members who aren't even under his control.
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(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
This governor is a nut and is fighting for her political life blaming everyone she can think to blame.
She's been the responsible party all along, and law makes her the one who initiates the requests and carries out the plans.
She has failed miserably at both.
Honore quickly became a media darling and the take-charge face of the federal government.
Someone with brains and a backbone is stealing the glory from BLANK-Oh!
Might as well just color in all the states. Alaska troops are going down today, I know Wyoming troops are there right now. Virginia troops are there and Baptist groups from here have had mobile kitchens and hundreds of cleanup volunteers (and millions of dollars in food) since Day One. This entire country, all fifty states, are rescuing the victims of Katrina while Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco wrings her hands and stomps her dainty little foot.
It's that every bit as much as it is that the female Democrat politician must be seen as able to handle troops and emergencies.
Be a good opportunity to check some files that are above water to see how the money was spread around by the bag man.
Isn't it amazing that Blanco refused to give up control of the National Guard, the same group she failed to call up to begin with.
It's obvious that she had no idea what the military does or how they function. If she were a military commander, she would already have been relieved of command and awaiting a court martial.
"We had no idea the president was coming,"
Another damn lie OR another damn sign of your incompetance since the whole country knew.
consternation: amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion
Nagin and Blanco stared at each other in consternation, and neither knew what to do before, during and after hurricane Katrina.
Yep, that about sums it up.
Who was going to drive them? A 20 yo kid who had never driven a bus in his life managed to take a whole bus load 300 plus miles and pay for the trip without the mayor's help.
Who better than the military to tell the military what to do in language they understand. This is prima faca evidence that Gov. Blancout is a clueless hack.
There in lies one of the many problems. The "communication" director has his head up his @$$.
Wow! Real attitude change. Blanco on FoxNews phone interview: "We are grateful for the help Bush is providing..."
Actually the President's first trip to LA was Wednesday when he had Air Force One fly over the Gulf Coast States and New Orleans in particular to assess the situation for himself.
Normally Air Force One flies over 30,000 feet up, but the plane came down to 1500-2000 while Bush was checking New Orleans.
He was 1500 feet up in their air space, but he was "in" Louisiana on Wednesday.
I do not know how he got elected. He certainly has not done much with the city. They are mostly poor and black. What hand UP did they give them, I mean Mardi Gras brings in a lot of money.
Having said that, he knew of their financial plight, what did he have at the ready to assist them. Nothing. Than he bitched it was Bush's fault. Now all those folks whom he did nothing for, except give them unemployment and any other hand out will be the problem of Texas, Utah etc.
I am mad.
I missed it, really he had an attitude adjustment? Thanks for the comment.
If the price were not so high (the actual lives of innocent people) Bush should step back, and make a public announcement that the governor has assured him that she can handle this.
Then he can come back in a week and take over when she returns to her blubbering, foolish self.
Ahhh...the world of fantasy.
The bon-bon eatin' lady is trying to toss blame back at Nagin...
"And why hadn't we gone this overboard to care for the people of FL when hurricanes, floods and devastation hit there?"
Two reasons:
1) The devastation and loss of life is many times greater in this storm, thus much greater need exists. Even the extensive damage left by Hurricane Andrew doesn't come close.
2) Florida's leadership was competent.
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