Blanco responds to Bush's criticisms in memoir (and lies about Hurricane Katrina)

WWLTV ^ | 11-9-10 | Katie Moore

[STARWISE]

*snip*

The Katrina chapter expresses Bush's clear frustration with then-Governor Kathleen Blanco, who refused to federalize the National Guard for the incident.

“I did not need the federalization of the Guard because that would've taken police powers away from the National Guard. And goodness knows, we needed that,” she said.

Bush said on Oprah, “I said to the governor, give me the authority to send in federal troops. By law, the president cannot send federal troops to conduct law enforcement without a declaration of insurrection."

An insurrection declaration would've given the military police powers.

“He didn't discuss that with me. He didn't discuss it in that frame ever. It was a one-way conversation with the president and his advisers, not including anyone from Louisiana,” Blanco said.

[ohioWfan]

I think this idiot post was written by a 'looser.'

LOL!

[fightinJAG]

Blanco, YOU LIE.

EVERYONE heard the media discussion of how the president had to get YOU to ask for the federalized National Guard and you didn't.

Google search, 2005 news:

http://www.google.com/#q=blanco+federalize+national+guard&hl=en&tbs=nws:1,cd_min:2005,cd_max:2005,cdr:1&source=lnt&fp=c1f0a94d64b2ffd4

Plus, duh. Every Governor should have a working understanding of how the President needs permission to call up the National Guard for federal duty. This is especially true of a Governor whose state is being born down upon by a Category Five hurricane. Even if the administration had not discussed it with Blanco, she was expected to have a clue as to how to deal with a disaster in her state.

[microgood]

I totally agree it would have been a bad idea, but that’s not exactly what happened.

Thanks for the clarification. It makes a lot more sense now.

[AF_Blue]

Why do you think Nagin didn’t let the buses roll?

[microgood]

When you consider the quote in its entirety, it is pretty clear that Bush wasn't saying she should declare an insurrection but should avail herself of THE OTHER provision for sending in federal troops - which is a request from the governor.

That explains alot. Thanks for providing the correct context.

[fightinJAG]

I think it was a bad idea to recommend that a governor claim insurrection when there is none.

I think you misunderstood what President Bush said. He said, accurately, the President has no authority to send armed troops into a state unless there is an insurrection to be put down.

In all other cases, governors make a formal request for the National Guard to come in and assist with such and such. Since the Governor is giving permission for the troops to be active in the State, then the law allows it.

This is why you see most governors making disaster declarations as soon as possible -- one, to get federal disaster funds and two, to allow the National Guard to come in and help.

This governor, Blanco, was so dumb and incompetent in leadership that she didn't know, apparently, that she had to give permission for the National GUard to take part in the disaster response.

It's done so much by governors, it's almost like a formality now in disasters. But it's still the law and the law must be followed. Blanco was just too dumb or too partisan to do her job correctly.

[STARWISE]

Enjoy your delusions .. all of them.

[STARWISE]

Yes !!

The number of uneducated or uninformed posters ..
who still boldly embarrass themselves with incorrect
information ... is mind boggling .. LOL.

[ClearBlueSky]

It really makes me mad when people try to rewrite history while the people who LIVED it are still around to know the difference.
Blanco was a clueless MawMaw who did not prepare to handle the aftermath of Katrina. Nagin was worse. Together they did more damage than the storm did. Mississippi and Alabama officials had their acts together- only Louisiana had the local officials who were more concerned about GIVING UP POWER than reacting to the disaster. I remember it, I heard it as it happened-Blank-o is a dimwit and a liar.