Did I hear correctly on CNN? Bush wanted to federalize the National

[rumpel]

Guard, WH faxed a letter for Blanco to sign, before the Rose garden press conference, she refused to sign.

It sounded like, you relinquish your powers over your State then I'll send you help.

Anyone else listening to the report?

"WH said Blanco refused help" they are going to blame her.

[WLKjr]

1. Sounds like he just always wants to play soldier of fortune

[skooooo]

2. I can't believe this is happening....

Man on man. Congress better get ALL OVER this. We have to keep pressure on them - constant, strong and increasing pressure until the heads roll.

[Individualist]

21. I can

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator,"

[Gin]

3. She wasn't invited to meet with him today.....she invited herself.

She was going to Houston..then found out shrub was coming....this is gonna get real interesting. She will expose what is happeneing and shrub will wither like the weed he is.

[Pirate Smile]

8. She hasn't been very visible but I think that is because she is doing

what the Mayor and the man on MTP yesterday were saying - no more politicians giving press conferences, just get us the help.

[Pirate Smile]

4. She didn't sign and they managed to finally send help that they

could have sent days and days earlier. Her signing wasn't required for help. You can see that now. It looks like a power play that wasn't necessary for help to be provided.

[Doctor_J]

5. Yes, the GOP are trying to institute Martial Law in NOLA

probably as a test run for next year's election season. Fortunately the governor has so far not relinquished her state to *'s storm troopers. I live in a state with a D governor too, so we might also be part of the fed takeover.

[lostnfound]

6. Their spin is WORKING! My CNN-watching friend, a liberal, is now..

saying what a mess Gov Blanco is, that she should have allowed Bush to federalize the National Guard, etc.

He's a centrist liberal disgusted with Bush but not always the best at deciphering media spin. Thus I think he is a good indicator of apolitical-America in some respects.

[elehhhhna]

12. No permission slip?!!! That one doesn't fly on a FIRST GRADER!

Try it! Ask a 1st grade child if the Prezzy should have waited for a permission slip to send help. Dare ya.

[Connie_Corleone]

14. But CNN explained why she did not agree to federalize.

The National Guard wouldn't have been able to do law enforcement and there would've been too many complications. Even the general Honore disagreed with federalizing.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. My entire liberal family was trying to convince me last night

that the governor screwed up big time when she refused to let bush federalize the Natl Guard and the mayor screwed up when he didn't evacuate his city. I told them they were doing a great job of bringing up all the major right wing talking points and that shut them up :)

[rumpel]

17. and it's Kagan reporting, now

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Yes there has been a lot here on DU about this

Talk about a setup.

[rumpel]

9. They are reporting on this again. This is incredible! Let people die

and suffer while * is playing hardball?

[rumpel]

13. Is she a dem?

[in_cog_ni_to]

26. YES. She's a Democrat. The bastard was playing politics with people's !

:grr:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

10. That's the way I heard it.

Shameful.

[Spazito]

11. Yep, you heard right, this is what happened...

"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, 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."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301680.html

[Doctor_J]

15. Yep, people dying is seen by Rove as an opportunity

to gain more power. We're talking pure evil, folks. Hitler would be envious.

[Gin]

18. Witt mentioned a "letter" when he was on CNN yesterday....

I didnt understand what he was talking about....so...now we know that's the letter they wanted her to sign....this is very interesting.

[justiceischeap]

24. Nagin also mentioned something about Bush and Blanco

That they spoke on Air Force 1 and Bush said he was ready right now to move in but she had to do something and she said she needed 24 hours to think about it. Nagin didn't specify what the thing she had to think about was. Could have very well been this.

[zoeb]

20. you know that was so political

Blanco loses on this anyway she goes. They blame her for not getting things under control soon enough and now they can blame her for not relinquishing control to the federal government. Bushco is trying to cover their ass for not having FEMA in there right after Katrina blew in.

[elehhhhna]

22. still trying to figure out how she & Nagin are responsible for 3 STATES!!!

[Booster]

29. Excellent point. Blanco and Nagin should hammer this point

everytime it comes up. At least Nagin should hammer it, Blanco maybe should just stay cool and listen to Mr. Witt.

[July]

30. Are we talking this past Friday?

Blanco is being criticized for not allowing a federal takeover several days after the event? How does that mitigate the unpreparedness and bungling of FEMA before, during, and immediately after the hurricane? How does that give FEMA a pass for turning help away?

[zoeb]

31. Bushco trying to catapult the propaganda

It appears by sending Blanco the letter they show the media/public that she was incapable of handling a disaster and by her refusing the takeover, Bushco can say, "at least we offered" and put the blame back on Blanco. Sure it doesn't cover the four days after, but Bushco can say they made the offer after they realized Blanco wasn't cutting it.

[pdxmom]

19. I thought this wasn't supposed to be about playing politics?

These people are such freakin' hypocrits! And people are dying because they want total control.

This is just crazy! He has to be stopped. I can't believe I have to hear about the president of the United States "playing hardball" with a governor over relief in a time of crisis.

It should be obvious to everyone that politics trumps the lives of citizens with these people.

[rumpel]

23. They are going to spin it, that she was incompetent and look how *

saves the area, with lot's of photo op, and patting on each other's back. Just like 9/11

We can't let this happen, we have to help, write congress.

[Avalux]

25. Let them try -

no valid reason for her to relinquish her power by signing a legal document in a time of EMERGENCY.

They tried to blackmail her, plain and simple.

Sign this or we won't send help.

She'll win this. At least someone has some balls.

[Spazito]

27. I want to know if bush made the same request of the two REPUBLICAN

Governors? If so, why aren't we hearing about that?

[SheilaT]

28. Also notice

that by talking about this crap, the fact that FEMA totally screwed up (turning away trucks of water from Walmart, turning back some 500 boats that could have helped rescue people from homes) the federal government absolves itself from all responsibility.

There is no reason whatsoever that emergency supplies couldn't have been helicoptered into the Superdome and the Convention Center, all the while pulling out the ones who most needed evacuating.

Third world countries handle these disasters much better.

[leftofthedial]

32. Blanco has become the focal point of the bushturd's blame machine

the federalization request was not a policy matter or suggested becaus ethe bushturds think it would help rebuilding

it, like everything else they do, is pure PR and part of their blame deflection and find a Dem scapegoat campaign

We need to defend Blanco aggressively.