When a Democrat Mayor of New Orleans and Democrat Gov. of Louisiana Mess Up

It's all President Bush' fault and yet people refuse to look at Louisiana Governor Blanco's (white, Democrat) and Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans (black, Democrat) who have basically fumbled in this whole evacuation process.

From the home page of http://www.drudgereport.com
Louisiana disaster plan, pg 13, para 5 , dated 01/00

'The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating'...

Why didn't Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans use school buses that are now sitting damaged and useless in floodwaters? Remember, the brunt of Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana on August 27.

But thanks to Governor Blanco, she belatedly signed an Executive Order releasing school buses for evacuation uses on SEPTEMBER 1, 2005!! Leaving those behind unable to leave New Orleans and condemning them to their own fate to the raging storm and rising floodwaters.

Date: 9/1/2005

Contact:Denise Bottcher or Roderick Hawkins at
225-342-9037

Governor Blanco Announces Executive Order Baton Rouge, LA

Governor Blanco today announced the following Executive Order:Executive Order NO. KBB
2005- 31- provides that pursuant to the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., grants emergency powers to the governor, where, she has in consultation with school superintendents, utilized public school buses for transportation of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. As you are aware most public school districts will not begin school until Tuesday, September 6th 2005. The full text of the above mentioned
proclamation is available on the Internet at www.gov.state.la.us.

And you still think it's President Bush' fault?

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 (August 26!), 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.

A senior administration official said that Bush (see here when Congress actually has this authority) has clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units to quell civil disturbances under the Insurrection Act and will continue to try to unify the chains of command that are split among the president, the Louisiana governor and
the New Orleans mayor.

Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wedesday, three state and federal officials said. 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.

Gee, a funny thing happened on August 30, 3 days later after President Bush talked to Governor Blanco, Mayor Nagin declared Martial Law for New Orleans AFTER consulting with Governor Blanco. Although a Mayor nor a Governor can declare Martial Law. They can, however, declare a state of emergency. Declaring Martial Law is a Federal action.

The Governor of Louisiana was thinking politics while President Bush was thinking ahead for the safety and protection of people of Louisiana. Now, if ya'll thinking impeachment, better look at Louisiana Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin of New Orleans first.

Geez, those loony Lefties right off the bat condemning President Bush without even looking at the regional and local levels of incompentency surrounding New Orleans.

Right now, we need to rescue people stuck out in New Orleans out of New Orleans so clean up can begin.