New Orleans/Katrina Updates

Documents released by Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco give a new insight into the early government response, at state and federal levels, to the storm. It doesn't paint a very good picture of how the White House responded to calls for assistance from Louisiana (and the very fact that Blanco released these is in stark contrast to the stonewalling tactics the Bush crew uses for everything from 9/11 to Iraq).

Not surprisingly, many of the Louisiana state officials are seen in the documents expressing frustration at the response, or lack thereof, and the way the White House tried to scapegoat them. "Rove is on the prowl", one memo from Blanco's chief of staff ominously said. The documents released by Blanco include 100,000 pages of memos, handwritten notes, e-mails, phone logs and other documents requested by congressional committees investigating Katrina.

The AP article:
Documents Show Katrina's Political Storm

..."I have determined that this incident will be of such severity and magnitude that effective response will be beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments and that supplementary federal assistance will be necessary," Blanco wrote [in a letter to President Bush a day before the hurricane hit].

Three days after the storm, Blanco wrote Bush asking that the 256th Louisiana National Guard Brigade be sent home from Iraq to help. The governor also asked for more generators, medicine, health care workers and mortuaries.

Five days later, Bush assistant Maggie Grant e-mailed Blanco aide Paine Gowen to say that the White House did not receive the letter.

"We found it on the governor's Web site but we need 'an original,' for our staff secretary to formally process the requests she is making," Grant wrote. "We are on the job but appreciate your help with a technical request. Tnx!"...

K THNX BYE LOL! [*slams head on desk*]

What, no emails from Brownie about what a "fashion God" he is?

The New York Times also looks at the story: A View of the Political Storm After Katrina

And what about those infamous buses that were never used? Turns out that's partially a federal failure too-
-Blanco says feds pledged buses
-Blanco and the Buses

And the cost of the rebuilding continues to be debated in Washington by those Republicans who, as we've seen in the last 5 years, sure do hate to spend money. Except on... well, everything. But the Gulf Coast, well I'm sure they can do more with less. A billion saved is a billion owed to the Chinese earned. Well, it's a good thing no one promised something like "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen". Because if that was the case, all this fiscal bickering might seem counterproductive.

AP article:
Katrina Rebuild Hinges on Who Will Pay

Only the federal government has pockets deep enough to pay for a massive reconstruction effort. But there is a significant difference of opinion over whether — and if so, how — the government should raise the money...

In September, Bill Clinton advocated increased taxes to pay for Katrina reconstruction and the cost of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But President Bush has vowed not to raise taxes, or even to roll back the tax cuts he made during his first term in office...

...The federal government has already committed $62 billion to the Hurricane Katrina relief and reconstruction effort, and spent about one-third of that so far. Absent an increase in taxes or cuts in other federal programs, that money is being added to the federal deficit...

Well maybe if the U.S. is hit with a nuclear bomb, maybe the President would reconsider his tax cuts.

But probably not.

Still, amidst all of this, the residents of New Orleans (slowly) return home:
Last Closed Section of New Orleans Reopens