Nagin was already pissed at Blanco before (and after, to a certain extent) Bush came into the picture. And if we are honest, we will admit that Nagin isn't the only one disappointed with Blanco's response.
Mayors don't control the NG. Mayors don't have access to helicopters. Mayors (in the normal chain-of-command) don't just make demands of the federal government or the President. The governor is in charge of facilitating those requests and communications.
I've read countless articles and seen countless interviews, not only with Nagin, but with other parish presidents and sheriffs. Nobody will come out and say it (because they are Southerners and as such, won't air the dirty laundry in public--she is their governor, after all), but they not only blame FEMA (rightfully, of course) for the lack of response, but they also blame Blanco as well. We haven't heard much from her of late, but she's going to have to answer the same questions they have asked Nagin.
Why didn't those Black Hawks Nagin requested get there? We know they were rerouted by FEMA. We know FEMA bungled. But obviously Nagin had to go through Blanco with the request. When Bush asked Blanco to cede control of LA to the Feds, it should have taken one hour for her to say "NO, that's not necessary because you already have authority under the NRP to send me everything I've requested of you. Get it here now or I'm going public with your failure to act in the interest of saving lives."
That's why you had that interview Nagin did with Garland which has been broadcast around the world venting his anger over the lack of assistance.
The NYT has another article out about the disaster. <snip>
At midafternoon on that Monday, a few hours after Katrina made landfall, state and federal leaders appeared together at a press conference in Baton Rouge in a display of solidarity.
Governor Blanco lavished her gratitude on Mr. Brown, the FEMA chief."Director Brown," she said, "I hope you will tell President Bush how much we appreciated - these are the times that really count - to know that our federal government will step in and give us the kind of assistance that we need." Senator Mary L. Landrieu pitched in: "We are indeed fortunate to have an able and experienced director of FEMA who has been with us on the ground for some time."
Mr. Brown replied in the same spirit: "What I've seen here today is a team that is very tight-knit, working closely together, being very professional doing it, and in my humble opinion, making the right calls."
<snip>
At first glance, Annex I of the "City of New Orleans Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan" is reassuring. Forty-one pages of matter-of fact prose outline a seemingly exhaustive list of hurricane evacuation procedures, including a "mobile command center" that could replace a disabled city hall and schools designated as shelters.
<snip>
As Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, Mayor C. Ray Nagin largely followed the city plan, eventually ordering the city's first-ever mandatory evacuation. Although 80 percent of New Orleans's population left, as many as 100,000 people remained.
Colonel Ebbert decided to make the Superdome the city's lone shelter,
assuming the city would only have to shelter people in the arena for 48 hours, until the storm passed or the federal government came and rescued people. -------------------------------------------
Now I'm of the opinion that Blanco did make the necessary requests. I think she did her job to the best of her capabilities. But I'm also of the opinion that her job didn't end with the requests. It was also her job to make sure the Feds got off their asses and got the assistance into the affected areas of LA. When it was obvious that the President LIED to her when he said she would have everything she needed, Blanco should have made that information public IMMEDIATELY.
Nagin went postal on the government and Bush and look what happened. BOOM - he shamed Bush into sending Honore (the point man and coordinator he needed), the troops he needed to restore law and order (and relieve his exhausted PD and FD), and the coast guard to assist with search and rescue operations. Nagin finally got the ball rolling in NOLA. But there were all the other parishes that were devastated and needed assistance as well. Someone needed to speak up for them too.
Don't get me wrong; this only applies to LA and LA only. The two kiss-ass Repub governors deserve a smackdown as well for fellating Bush while people in their states perished. I'm concerned about Blanco's future. She needs to get her defense together.
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