Great summary, thanks.
I actually feel sorry for her....major decision gone terribly bad, lives lost. She will have to live with that the rest of her life. I would not wish that on anyone.
Wonder if she listened to her advisors on this or just her decision.....if she herself wanted the help but was advised to say no? Just wondering.
I don't, not for the lack of leadership. I do for her personal loss and any feeling she may have there, but I think she is wrongly and selfishly holding on to something she can't handle, and lots of people died and will die as a result.
Just to expand a bit on the remodel analogy, you don't have to give up control of the job as a unit. You might keep control of the floor and wall covering, but let the bank or contractor choose the cabinets, or the fittings. Likewise in a disaster, there are all sorts of authorities that can be passed along - either territorial (i.e., form main street to snd avenue), or competency (Blanco waived regulations for the practice of medicine and to be deputized as law enforcement in Louisiana).
As you might imagine, the possibilities are infinite, and this is good becuase it permits the authorities to adjust reaction according to unpredictable situations. Blanco could have given federal control for police and restoration of civil order from an interstate exit to the Dom and Convention Center but no further, if she wanted.