Louisiana Governor Blanco is Doomed.  Her political career is over from this vantage point in Ohio mainly because she doesn't seem like a very decisive leader right now -- even if she did everything right, she's doomed.  She needed to come out fighting, but she looked rattled on CNN last night standing next to Clinton's former FEMA chief James Lee Witt.  Unless she's got more political capital than it would seem, she's going head-to-head with people who destroy enemies for breakfast.  At least when they get back from all their vacations.

The Rovians are going to seize on the simple faulty meme that she hesitated and/or didn't call up, turn over, federalize or whatever you do with the National Guard in case of emergency; and "everyone knows" they are the calvary.  This is the frame they're manufacturing because "everyone knows" Bush panicked, and that perception must change.

The White House needs a scapegoat, they admitted that things were bungled, and they smell weakness and fear in Blanco.  New Orleans Mayor Nagin might come out relatively unscathed in the blame game that the GOP machine has just started, mainly because everyone was calling for a "Giuliani moment," and when Nagin nagged the powers-that-be, Geraldo and O'Reilly came to the rescue and a lot of lives were saved.  That and this seriously fatigued tell-it-like-it-is head of a city in exile is being used to further smear Blanco.

It's bull, but there they go.

That being said . . .

FEMA, folks, FEMA.  The Guard is only one part of the whole story.

They were the ones in charge.

From the White House, 8/26/05 (Three days before Katrina hit the Gulf Coast):

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of ( . . . )

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.

As of that time, FEMA was fully authorized. ( USC Title 42. Ch. 68. § 5189B)  Note that 75% is the minimum -- not exactly a gift.

During the immediate aftermath of an incident which may ultimately qualify for assistance under this title or title V of this Act [42 U.S.C. §§ 5170 et seq. or 5191 et seq.], the Governor of the State in which such incident occurred may request the President to direct the Secretary of Defense to utilize the resources of the Department of Defense for the purpose of performing on public and private lands any emergency work which is made necessary by such incident and which is essential for the preservation of life and property. If the President determines that such work is essential for the preservation of life and property, the President shall grant such request to the extent the President determines practicable. Such emergency work may only be carried out for a period not to exceed 10 days.

Why is there even a argument over when and if federalization of the National Guard was handled properly when the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines were available?  Once the Emergency Declaration is made, posse comitatus no longer applies.

Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
-Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1385 (emphasis mine)

The President had and still has full authority to send in the cavalry, three full days before Katrina's landfall.  The Navy was already there.  And to be fair the Department of Defense, as well as the Coast Guard out of Homeland Security, did a great deal in that regard.  I believe, however, that the record will show that the CEO President trusted his bureaucrats to do their job, but many of them, like him, were out of town or simply got "stuck on stupid." 

With all due respect to General Honore, FEMA certainly was stuck and seemed as impotent as those stuck at the Superdome and Convention Center.

FEMA turned away three trailer trucks full of water from Wal-Mart and stopped the Coast Guard (who were Johnny-on-the-spot and kicked ass) from delivering fuel to the area. (Meet The Press)

FEMA hesitated to use Amtrack to evacuate the area when offered while Wal-Mart and Fed-Ex, like the Coast Guard, went in and kicked ass. (Financial Times)

FEMA, refused to release 50 trucks carrying water and ice sitting at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. (CNN)

Even Trent Lott is facing FEMA red tape.

FEMA, FEMA, FEMA, FEMA, FEMA, FUCKING FEMA!

Note the arrogance (some might call it the cowboy, "can-do" attitude) that the president instinctively displayed before calmer heads prevailed.  And again, to be fair, America is perfectly able to take care of this mess itself, but why would we initially refuse offers of assistance?  Dumb. 

OK, maybe Cuba can shove their offer of help even though they got hit by a category 5 hurricane last year, lost 20,000 homes, but still this backward little communist failure of a regime managed to evacuate 1.5 million folks to higher ground and lost not a single life in the process.

Mind you, if you are one of those who is more concerned with law and order than saving lives, you probably just don't get it, but I get why you wanted the guard federalized and kicking (or shooting) ass.  You wanted looters shot.  Fine, I wanted people provided with water, food, and a way out.  But as Bush said, we can do both.  For further contemplation, see below.