BLANCO'S BOTCH ...

This week many of the Blanco administration's post-Katrina emails leaked to the news media. Those emails show just how void of leadership Louisiana was at the critical moment immediately after Katrina destroyed New Orleans. And yes, I said DESTROYED - the French Quarter is not New Orleans folks. But that's a topic for another blog.

Governor Blanco, and her merry band of cronies are nothing more than mental midgets. They are unqualified even to serve on a local levee board - let alone the Governor's mansion. It is clear that they had one strategy from the start of this tragedy - "BLAME BUSH".

My message to Kathleen - who happens to TEMPORARILY occupy the Louisiana Governor's mansion is this - "Don't even try it!"

Don't even try it because, as negligent as you were in the days before and after the storm - that's nothing compared to your negligence since you entered the Governor's mansion.

Governor Kathleen Blanco knew full well when she took office what the situation in New Orleans was, long before the storm - and she did nothing about it. She knew the city sat below sea level in a ringside seat on the Gulf Coast's "hurricane alley". She knew that most of the inner city poor there had no means to evacuate if the "big one" came. She knew that the levees constructed by the Federal Government to protect New Orleans, even under the best circumstances, could possibly only protect NOLA from a Category 3 storm or less. She's familiar with NOLA - she knew the city would descend into lawless chaos at the drop of a hat!

What was Governor Blanco's plan six, nine months ago to mitigate a catastrophe that most experts said WOULD happen one day?

Did she ever put forth a plan to evacuate the inner city poor? Did she have a plan to keep law and order? Did she have any plan that could be implemented when the "big one" came?

No, she did not.

She neglected the problem until the "big one" finally came and made some frantic phone calls to FEMA the day before the storm hit to get some evacuation buses down here. She waffled on the issue of allowing Federal troops in to restore order. And she'd have you believe that those strategies are worthy of the term "leadership".

Who was responsible for devising the plan to evacuate NOLA? Who was responsible for devising a plan to maintain order? Was it President Bush? The man who is busy fighting the Global War on Terrorism? A man who isn't even familiar with the particulars of NOLA or Louisiana?

No, it's not George Bush - it's KATHY BLANCO that's to blame for the magnitude of the calamity in NOLA. As a Lousianan - Blanco knew full well just how in jeopardy NOLA was. She knew how exposed NOLA was and she knew how bad a disaster could get. Worse - she was POSITIONED perfectly to do something about it.

She did nothing - her only plan was to call Uncle Sam - a day or two before the disaster - and demand miracles.

And guess what - SHE STILL HAS NO PLAN. Even in light of all we've been through - she has no plan to do any better the next time the "big one" comes to visit. And that visit might only be eight months away.

Will someone recall this sorority girl and put her in a job that she's qualified to perform? I'm thinking something along the lines of a secretary or real estate agent. She has NO leadership ability whatsoever and she's demonstrated it.

When the plan was proposed to the state legislature to consolidate all of the levee boards and replace the political hacks that currently serve on them with REAL PROFESSIONALS - where was Kathleen Blanco? Did she throw her support behind this intiative and dare the legislature NOT to pass it?

No- Kathleen was AWOL. She didn't want to firmly commit one way or the other.

Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi threw several recovery plans to his state legislature and told them - "Pick one and approve it - now!". When the casino's balked at rebuilding on the Gulf Coast because Mississippi state laws confined the casinos to barges on the water - Barbour, a man who had campaigned to keep gambling LIMITED within the state - threw the full weight of his office behind a new law allowing the casinos to rebuild on land. And he got it passed within weeks after the storm! That's leadership folks.

But don't expect that kind of leadership to come out of Blanco's administration.