Many Evacuated, but Thousands Still Waiting

The Washington Post ^ | September 4, 2005 | Manuel Roig-Franzia and Spencer Hsu

[tbeatty]

Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.

The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly.

[tbeatty]

Isn't it clear that the Feds are the only organization large enough to handle this? How come the locals are blaming Bush but at the same time hindering his efforts to address the problem? The MSM needs to do a much better job at reporting the local foot dragging. Louisiana did everything different than what the Feds wanted and they lost their largest city because of it. It's bad in Mississippi and Alabama but manageable. Louisiana may never recover and tens of thousands have lost their lives so the Governor can save face. Pathetic.

[rineaux]

Right. So if the federal gov., does not get the power, than the state can only blame themselves for the chaos. but they continue to blame W.

[NewLand]

CLEAN UP #2

[rineaux]

welcome Jesse Jackson.

[sockmonkey]

Gosh y'all have had your hands full today, and I applaud your quickness on the clean up aisles.

Kudos to our Mods Bump!

[technomage]

Sorry MOD, should not have italicized the whole comment.

Please adjust or remove.

[RTINSC]

Feds need to get the power, particularly because of the $100 Nillion that's coming that way. Do you want the likes of Mayor Nagin or Governor Busless handling your hard earned money?

[dfwgator]

I bet these would have come in handy.

[GeronL]

um, you did bad... =o)

[MEG33]

'Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly"

Surely they misheard this quote..It makes absolutely no sense..

Perhaps someone can translate?

[Nam Vet]

I'm glad I got in early enough to see the comment. Mods are great at cutting the cr*p in the aisles, but on occasion it's a good reminder just how rotten the libs really are.

Nam Vet

[konaice]

Oh, boy, stand back and watch the states rights crowd stomp all over this like fire on a cheap rug.

Its Clear this governor has had her chance, and is now in the way, incapable of making a decision, and hopelessly over her head.

That the Feds are not asking the same of Mississippi (another Democratic run state) is eveidence enough that the fed takeover is not a plan to embarrass but to save lives. Nor is it a power grab or a slap at states rights.

With thousands still un-reached by the disaster relief, this democrat is going to insist they be allowed to die just to preserver her pride. /Dons flameproof suit....

[tbeatty]

It's simple. They are afraid that feds will say before they took control on Friday, it was a local problem and they bungled it. If there is a clear transfer of power on a certain date, that becomes the demarkation of blame. Clearly things were much better on Friday and Saturday then they were on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Governor is afraid that if it looks like she was in control on the bad days, she will get blamed. The truth that she WAS in control is secondary to being blamed for it.

What she should have been worried about is establishing central control and saving the lives of the Citizens of New Orleans. Instead she's worried about blame. It's pathetic.

[kcvl]

wrest authority from

Give me a break. How about have ONE CHIEF and the rest Indians. The way it has been NO ONE knew who was supposed to do what.

[MEG33]

Thank you..

[konaice]

Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said. As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.

[konaice]

They are afraid that feds will say before they took control on Friday, it was a local problem and they bungled it.

You are correct, and the Feds would be absolutely correct to say this.

See post #18. Until Saturday the Governor STILL refused to declare an emergency.

As for your assertion that things were better of Friday, I'm not so sure that's true. The situation was spiraling out of control till the troops rolled into town LATE friday after being called for ONLY on Wednesday (post 18).

I would like to think my Governor would call for help the minute the leve broke. I would like to think my Governor would make a Mandatory evacuation really MANDATORY when it was clear a Cat5 was two days away.

[dr_who_2]

As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said. "The federal government stands ready to work with state and local officials to secure New Orleans and the state of Louisiana," White House spokesman Dan Bartlett said. "The president will not let any form of bureaucracy get in the way of protecting the citizens of Louisiana." Blanco made two moves Saturday that protected her independence from the federal government: She created a philanthropic fund for the state's victims and hired James Lee Witt, Federal Emergency Management Agency director in the Clinton administration, to advise her on the relief effort.

Sounds like one or both sides is heading for the political tall grass instead of taking control of the situation. Everything was so politicized so early on that it hindered operations from the start of the crisis. But you'd think a state of emergency would have been declared by now. What will James Lee Witt do as soon as he moves into his new office? Act as her defense council or campaign advisor?