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I think you're missing the point of this article. I don't think FEMA Director Brown waited until the day of the storm to ask for help from additional FEMA personnel. They were already stationed on the ground near the affected areas, and in any event, under his control. He wouldn't need to ask his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff, to direct them.

Instead, Director Brown asked for help from OTHER employees within the Department of Homeland Security, who would need (1) FEMA training and (2) permission from their managers before proceeding.

Nor did he tell other local police and fire departments not to come to Louisiana or Mississippi -- he told them not to come UNLESS asked by state and local officials.

There's been a lot of second guessing of the federal, state and local response to Hurricane Katrina. It's very easy to second guess tactics after the fact. Hindsight is 20/20. But it's much more difficult to work out logistics while things are still fluid. The area was hit by a hurricane before the flood. Before anyone can go in, roads and airports need to be cleared. Bridges need to be inspected. Fuel needs to be prepositioned. Trucks need to be moved into staging areas and loaded. Even helicopters can't fly until the winds die down.

You can't just snap your fingers and make this all happen. It takes time.

I'm sick and tired of the blame game. It's counterproductive. President Bush is right -- federal, state and local resources should be focused on rescue and recovery effort, not finger pointing. Now isn't the time for it.

It's Katrina's fault.

The bottom-line is "It's Katrina's fault."

I agree with the general content of your overview "You can't just snap your fingers and make this all happen. It takes time."

Would you state if Rudy, or someone of similar leadership caliber, would have acted 'differently' then the current head of FEMA.

The area was hit by a hurricane before the flood.

Just an addition: I read the FEMA was prepared to concentrate on LA until the storm turned and hit MS hardest; they then started to shift their resources to MS. And it was after that NO became the focus because of the levee breaks.

(Just because it doesn't seem to go anywhere else: the story in today's WSJ reports a consensus that the big levee break was indeed caused by a barge that came unmoored.)