Posted on 12/08/2005 2:48:31 AM PST by abb
WASHINGTON -- A single sentence in the mountain of e-mails released last week by Gov. Kathleen Blanco sparked media interest Wednesday in the Louisiana governor's sleeping habits just before Hurricane Katrina hit.
An e-mail exchange on the afternoon of Aug. 28, the day before Katrina slammed into the state, indicated that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was trying to reach Blanco by telephone. Chertoff's agency led the federal response to the impending storm and an aide was trying to patch through a call.
"Your assistance would be much appreciated," Homeland Security senior intelligence analyst Mark Fischer wrote in a 12:30 p.m. e-mail to Blanco's press aides.
But the aides didn't immediately know where the governor was.
"I think she's asleep now," Deputy Press Secretary Roderick Hawkins wrote in an e-mail at 1:59 p.m. to his boss, Denise Bottcher.
About 15 minutes later, Hawkins wrote back to Fischer saying, "Governor Blanco is unavailable at the present time. . . . You may reach her at approximately 3 p.m."
Blanco and Chertoff eventually spoke that day, a spokesman for the Homeland Security Department said.
Bottcher said Wednesday that the governor was awake the whole time.
"There wasn't any time for napping," Bottcher said.
She said Blanco's day began at 4:30 a.m. with a round of television interviews urging people to evacuate New Orleans. She flew by helicopter to New Orleans and appeared at a news conference with Mayor Ray Nagin and spoke by telephone with President Bush before returning to Baton Rouge around lunch time when the Chertoff inquiry came in, the spokeswoman said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
So Blanco was literally sleeping when FEMA needed to speak with her. At 1:30 in the afternoon! LOLOL
This is the first I have seen of this. Where is the MSM?
Brown's Fashion God comment got a lot of press time.
Anyone see anything about this on the networks. Has Brian Williams brought up the competence of blanco? Has David Gregory? Has CNN?
Jay Leno and Letterman went after Brown non stop. But nothing on Blanco.
I am so sick of this bs.
Chertoff was trying to contact her before the storm and she was napping in the middle of the day. What a disgrace. Damn our media.
MeeMaw BLANK-O's poll numbers had fallen to 18% to reelect--and that was prior to the release of all of these documents.
Even the Rats know to stick a fork in her and are trying to convince John Breaux to run in '07.
Don't blame me, I voted for Jindal.
I mean, when they're not busy taking a long nap as a Category III hurricane is about to slam into your house.
Leno and Letterman are mostly shills for the communist wing of the country. If there is a way to attack America, blame George Bush, poke s#it at the normal people, it will be on their programs being spewed by such giant intellects as Doprah, Howierd Dean, Hitlery, etc.
Blanco-got-more-sleep-than-we-did ping
....not to mention how badly Ray Nagin screwed up. He is skating away, no one is holding him accountable for not using buses that could have moved people to safety.
This was a coordinated attack from the dems and the media to attack Bush.
They were more worried about blaming Bush than saving lives.
You get what you vote for....
That picture is......PRICELESS. Hopefully MeeMaw will be retired back to that bayou in short order.
And the injustice of it all is that those of us who didn't vote for her must suffer along with everyone else...
I live in NYS. I know what you mean :(
That's for sure!
LOL. Nails it.
You describe liberals to a tee......bunch of phonies.
Krauthammer and Gingrich (never having been among my favorites) need a fast lesson in federalism. They apparently believe the US should behave like a Third World country in which the tin horn leader sends in the federales to elbow the locals aside in an emergency.
In fact, the federal govt is most definitely not among the first responders in state emergencies.
There are key differences between a constitutional democracy and a Third World Banana Republic. States rights prevail.
The federal gov't in the person of Pres Bush was also compelled to abide by protocols that stipulate they wait til states ask for assistance.
Dumbocrat Blanco apparently did not know, FEMA takes orders from governors, not the other way around.
Probably even a camouflage-dressed generalissimo in backwater Guatamala would not place dumbos Blanco and Nagin in positions of responsibility.
bttt
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