Blanco Takes Blame for Response; calls Bush "friend and partner"

[Clarkie1]

"Echoing the words of President Bush a day earlier, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco took responsibility Wednesday for failures and missteps in the immediate response to Hurricane Katrina and pledged a united effort to rebuild areas ravaged by the storm.

"We all know that there were failures at every level of government: state, federal and local. At the state level, we must take a careful look at what went wrong and make sure it never happens again. The buck stops here, and as your governor, I take full responsibility," Blanco told lawmakers in a special meeting of the Louisiana Legislature.

On Tuesday, Bush for the first time took responsibility for federal government mistakes in dealing with the hurricane and suggested the calamity raised questions about the government's ability to handle both natural disasters and terror attacks.

Blanco called Bush "a friend and partner" in the recovery effort. She described plans for a rebuilding effort that would span all levels of government but would be funded with all federal money."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/09/14/national/a173341D88.DTL

I'm not going to comment, I'm just curious about everyone's reaction to this...

[Ninga]

1. Duh???? I quit!

[zoeb]

2. She's jumping on the $2000 pay off bandwagon

and she didn't get the memo that FEMA discontinued the program.:shrug:

[fooj]

3. My reaction?

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[neuvocat]

4. Maybe she drank the cool aid or something.

I dunno.

[Coastie for Truth]

5. It's like opposing lawyers

(outside of the major litigation capitals like Los Angeles and NYC) always refer to each other as "My learned brother/sister at the Bar of Justice."

And after diplomatic conferences -- even violent disagreements are called "full and frank discussions of the issues."

You have to know the code words and dance the minuet and show the proper obsequiousness to the Office of the President of the US - even if the incumbent is a total and complete, dry drunk, narcissistic anal sphincter.

[hopein08]

17. Quite right, look at the Senate......

And Boxer saying, "The distinguished Senator from Pennsylvania" referring to Santorum. Or Kennedy saying, "My good friend, Senator Hatch." Like anybody believes that crap.

It's all in the written and unwritten rules of politeness and ethics.

[TayTay]

6. Bush was attempting a 'responsibility' moment

and he punted. Blanco has to admit that everything didn't go well on the State level either (or she'll look like a fool.)

However, that said, she retains the upper hand to ask for a thorough and complete investigation into what went wrong. If she is willing to admit that the State did make mistakes, then it can come off as a challenge to the feds to come clean about everything that happened.

This could play INTO her hands. She can come off, legitimately as having nothing to hide. Can the feds say the same? And are they willing to say it under oath and under subpoena?

[BOHICA06]

7. Absolutely necessary ....

Bush, Blanco, and Nagin all screwed the pooch. Doesn't matter what level or how much, as chief executives they are the accountable party.

Nagin now needs to do his mea culpa .... whether he believes it or not.

[JAbuchan08]

8. This is okay, there were indeed failures at all levels of government

but the federal government only looks more inept by virtue of being the larger authority, with presumably better resources.

[Connie_Corleone]

9. Leaders have to take responsibility when something goes wrong

Even if most of the blame goes to the federal level, she has to accept responsibility for what went wrong on the state level, Nagin on the local level.

[iamjoy]

10. I'm OK With This

I think the headline makes it seem worse than it is. In my opinion, there is a difference between blame and responsibility. As the governor of that state it is her duty to protect her citizens. She is responsible for them. Her citizens died, some of them needlessly, therefore she is at least partially responsible.

Gov. Blanco took responsibility. If you look at this policially, it was actually a shrewd move, just as Dubya taking responsibility was clever. Deflects criticism. Love that tough, "buck stops here" mentality, we need that attitude in Washington DC. Too bad we won't get it with this administration.

On the other hand, maybe this isn't political for her. It was *her* state, *her* people who suffered, are still suffering, and if there was one thing she could have done to lessen that suffering.... Maybe she is too close to this, too emotionally involved to care about the Democratic party, or possibly even her own career at this point. She cares about her people. If this is true, we can call her all sorts of names, but IMHO it makes her a true hero even if it may be political suicide.

Two contradictory theories, just food for thought.

[shance]

11. I would wager she's worried about Cheney and Rumsfeld and the

Blackwater troops they allowed on New Orleans soil as their private army.

[mrcheerful]

12. Told ya...............

GW the teflon kid, if all else fails bribe lie or threaten to be found innocent of all wrong doings. Why the surprise? Like Reagan, GW never is at fault for anything.

[bluedeminredstate]

13. And we wonder why we don't win

elections...

:banghead:

[TankLV]

22. Never, EVER, say anything GOOD about a REPUKE!

That has got to be our FIRST Commandment!

When will we ever learn!

If you feel the urge, just chew a lemon or something, but SHUT THE FUCK UP!

[Seansky]

14. My reaction is that she had too much to loose

I keep getting more and more convinced that reps have so much on dems and the dems can't stand up...Ay caramba! We need someone that can call it as it is and sticks to it...I can see the MSM now running with it and putting all the responsibility on local gov....

[BeFree]

15. what's the alternative?

"I didn't do anything wrong". That would've been a lead balloon.

Notice she said "failures at all levels". Leaves grounds for exposing faults all around.

First, much to my amazement, b**h took some blame for once. Hell, he had to. He had no choice. Had he not the fever of resentment would have exploded, nationwide.

So he let the air out, but resentment will build again and Blanco is well positioned to inflate the pressure on the feds to get things right.

Watching Ms. Blanco through what little I've seen, has given me a bit of faith in her abilities to overcome by any means necessary. She can take down b**h, but she must play her cards very close, and the first order of business is the recovery stage she is now beginning.

[TankLV]

23. She could have kept her mouth SHUT!

Novel ideal, huh?

Simple really.

[Pepperbelly]

16. There were plenty of fuck-ups to go around.

I think that every person in a leadership role failed miserably. Every single one of them.

Now, whether Bush is her "friend and partner", I would be less sanguine. She should remember how desperately he was trying to put all the blame on her. Of course, maybe she does remember vividly and is paying lip service.

Who the hell knows?

[Disturbed]

18. Behind the scene deals?

Maybe she was offered something if she would back off a make nice?

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Political truist regarding responsibility

she did directly and with no evasion in front of the state house,unlike George bush... and after the disaster is no longer in critical phase,

She is playing bush, not the other way around

her words, the buck stops here, not I take responsibly as far as we the feds are responsible, trying to imitate JFK

[Laelth]

20. She should set an example and resign!

Now's the time to show the Chimperor what it means to be a real leader. If you're in a position of responsibility, and you fail miserably to meet your obligations, the honorable thing to do is to resign. In Japan, not too long ago, such a leader would commit hari kari. I'm not asking for that. A simple resignation will do.

-Laelth


Edit:Laelth--spelling. Darned homonyms!

[Contrary1]

21. Perhaps the "friend and partner bit" was composed

by Rove for Blanco, with additional Federal assistance as the bargaining chip.

Why not? This administration pays off everyone else for their support.

[orleans]

24. i'm stuck on "friend and partner"!!!

what a load of crap!

are they having a RELATIONSHIP??

friend my ass! wasn't he snubbing her a week ago and she had to hunt him down like a dog to be in his little photo op?

grow a spine! bushie screwed you & your precious city! you don't have to go sucking up over it. (battered governor syndrome?)

[Andromeda]

25. It's plain what her motives are...

Blanco wants that Federal money for the recovery effort. It's going to be very expensive and if she pisses Bush/Republicans off they could be vindicative and people in her state could suffer more as a result. The victims have already been through enough and it's going to be a long time before things get back to normal for them.

Blanco called Bush "a friend and partner" in the recovery effort. She described plans for a rebuilding effort that would span all levels of government but would be funded with all federal money.

[DemsUnited]

33. EXACTLY -- the "friend & partner" line was followed almost immediately

with the "I want the Feds to pay 100% just like they did for 9/11" challenge. She's setting herself up for a fight over money to rebuild her devastated state.

And frankly, I believe that should be her priority.

Let's see what the future brings. If she comes out of this as 1) the Governor who said no to BUSHCO and kept control of the guard and her state and 2) the Governor who got the Federal money needed to get the job done, then I would suggest kudos instead of arrows.

[...of J.Temperance]

26. Here's a link to a FAR better article about Blanco's comments

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/091505/new_blancoblame001.shtml

By the way, in the photograph is Peppi Bruneau, who surprise surprise DOESN'T like Governor Blanco.

Peppi Bruneau is a longtime 24-ct ASSHOLE. He was once EXTREMELY rude to my Grandmother and my Grandmother told Bruneau to "stick it where the sun don't shine"...she was 80 years-old at the time. She's 86 years-old now and she's still a Steel Magnolia with a very soft, reassuring voice.

Oh and David Treen, Mike Foster and Charles Roemer are assholes too and so is Clo Fontenot.

Mike Foster SHOULD take some of the blame too, considering he was Governor before Blanco. Governor Blanco has only been the Governor since 2004, Foster was Governor for eight years prior to that. He did fuck all for Louisiana, he spent most of his time duck hunting, riding his Harley and doing two radio shows a week.

[TreasonousBastard]

27. Yup, a phone call...

from Washington asking just how much she wants NO rebuilt, and she's kissing as much ass as she can find.

Anyone would do the same under the circumstances-- that's just the way it works.

All part of the job.

[...of J.Temperance]

28. Yeah but

Read all the POSITIVE stuff:

Long-term investment in creating jobs, rebuilding houses, restoring communities, wants state workers and companies to be at the core of rebuilding, wants to return people to their homes etc.

In short, Governor Blanco wants LOUISIANA and her PEOPLE to be at the forefront of rebuilding the Crescent City and she wants the displaced people of the Crescent City to return home if they wish.

And THESE are the things I want to and have been hoping that Baton Rouge would address. I don't care if she's got to fuck the Bush bastard, if it gets her what she wants and she has to give him blow-jobs, then I don't care, she's doing what she has to do.

Governor Blanco is my Governor and I trust her.

[ladylibertee]

29. Watch carefully......

:puke:

[truthisfreedom]

30. sounds like an insult to me.

i think they made a deal where bush would take the fed blame first, and she'd take the state blame second, and then they'd just shut up about it.

[Gin]

31. She called him a friend...and then said the feds should pay the

whole recovery bill....like they did for 9/11...............thats a strategy if I ever heard one. Now...the ball is in his court....what can he say?

We send a billion+ a week to Iraq.....seems to me he is in a tighter corner because of what she said.

Maybe she is keeping her friends close and her enemies closer.

[LynneSin]

32. Blanco - you're a dumbass!! You just fell into the repuke trap

FUCK YOU!!! I hope that someone capable runs against you in the next election because you have now crossed over into DINO territory.

EVERY major new article showed that you did everything in your power but the federal government failed you and your state. You are a disgrace to our party and even to women (you can't even be a strong roll-model - you're caving like a weak woman).

I have defended you since day one of this whole hurricane fiasco. But now that you're on my shit list, I look forward to sending campaign money to the candidates that run against you (in the primaries)

[QC]

34. She's putting the ball in Bush's court.

It's a smooth move. But I expect that a lot of people won't understand that and will throw up lots of hysterical posts about how she's really a DINO and all that.

[Totally Committed]

35. I say they have several members of her family

bound and gagged in a closet somewhere with guns to their heads....

TC

[erpowers]

36. Blanco

Am I the only one who thinks Bush gave her something in order for her to take responsibility and take some of the heat off Bush?