ASSIGNING BLAME FOR KATRINA RESPONSE

When the federal response to Hurricane Katrina was being raked over the coals in the media, the general consensus was that the feds had screwed up bad. Really bad.

The Mayor of New Orleans was on the radio swearing, taking the Lord’s name in vain, and generally crying out loud, and the governor of Louisiana was blaming everyone she could think of to blame.

The media did their very best to portray President Bush as a clueless moron, and the blame game was off, and running.

We were led to believe that state and local officials were victims in this, . . . and they were, by and large, absolved of any responsibility in the mainstream media. But now we're learning that things didn't quite work out that way.

In fact, . . . as you’ve seen, if you keep up with the postings here on Vast Right Winged Conspiracy, or my letters to the “Your Views” column in the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, it's coming to light that the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana have a lot to answer for. And the facts are coming from a much-maligned source: former FEMA head Mike Brown.

Brown admitted yesterday that he should have sought assistance from the Pentagon sooner following Hurricane Katrina. But never mind Brown, . . . he was fired (oops, . . . I mean "resigned') and has already paid the price for his poor performance. But what he told Congress about the local officials down there in Louisiana is quite telling.

According to congressional aides, Brown said Nagin and Blanco "sparred during the crisis and could not work together cooperatively." That's right, . . . sparred. Two Democrats, the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana, . . . not getting along. Imagine that. He also had quite a few things to say about Kathleen Blanco, who was apparently concerned about her political image.

He said she was indecisive and refused to cede control of the National Guard to the feds because "it would have undercut her image politically."

Will the state and local Democrats who botched the Katrina relief operation be hauled before Congress and made to answer for their incompetence, or will the media continue to shelter them and give them a pass?? Something tells me they won’t, because there’s nothing in it for the media, . . . We'll see.

God Bless,
Dan’L