Doug Ross @ Journal

Dropping Some Science on the Left

The best quote yet on the reaction to Katrina comes from Greg Hanke:

The earliest official date on the two Louisiana Governor's 'Emergency Evacuation by Buses' orders is August 31, 2005. This is apparently an order to move those at the Superdome, as well as other places. The hurricane hit NOLA on August 29. Seems a tad late for an emergency order, no? Why wasn't a similar order put into effect before the disaster? It may have prevented this. I swear, if President Bush had shown up like Moses, parted the waters and led the people to safety, the liberals would have sued him for violating the separation of church and state.

Would it be trite to say... 'Indeed'? I have evidence that Governor Blanco was hard at work during the crisis, though. That much is clear:

On the afternoon of Aug. 27, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco held a press briefing in which she answered a question about what could be done to avert disaster: "We can pray very hard that the intensity will weaken. We don't know what it's going to be yet, but we're all watching the weather service. I believe that's the best we can do right now."

Yes, the best strategy Governor Blanco could recommend was to pray. No, she couldn't bother following the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Plan -- and thereby deploy hundreds or thousands of buses -- that wasn't necessary. Just prayer.

Can you imagine if Blanco were a Republican? How long would it have taken Maureen Dowd to call her 'Governor Falwell'? Or the Times' other shameless, tag-team DNC mouthpieces -- Herbert & Krugman -- to claim the Governor's admonition was violating the separation of church and state?

Greg also drops some science on the crowing, baying group of liberals anxious to pin something (anything!) on George W. Bush. Greg points to the Post-Chronicle, which notes:

It is against the law for any President to order troops into a city or across state lines without a request and permission from the Governor of that state. John Armor, a First Amendment lawyer... told me, "Federal law prevents the President from sending in the National Guard until the Governor gives the order. It is little known, but the Commanding General of the National Guard in every state reports to the Governor, not the President, until the Governor says otherwise. U.S. military units (regular Army, not the Guard) cannot be used because of the Posse Comitatus law, until the Guard has been authorized."

Translation for the geniuses on the Times' Op-Ed page: the President can't do jack-squat unless authorized to do so by the Governor.

The key questions we must related to a simple, underlying premise: Louisiana has a required emergency response plan... why was it not followed?

o Why did the Governor abandon the City of New Orleans for the safety of Baton Rouge, before the Plan was Executed? o Why, when the federal Government was acting in accordance with the Stafford Act, did the State of Louisiana, by its Governor's acts, delay making requests when being told this storm was going to hit? o Why did Mayor Nagin or Governor Blanco, delay while "sleeping on it" Saturday night, the mandatory evacuation spelled out in the Louisiana Emergency Plan? On Saturday the Mayor said he may order an evacuation, "tomorrow" (Sunday). o Where were the Parish Presidents who were signatories to the Louisiana Emergency Plan, and why did they fail in the execution of the plan? o After the Parish's obvious failure to implement, why didn't the State take over as required by the plan? o Why were the Hospitals, nursing homes, etc. not evacuated since the plan required them to do so? o Why did the mandatory evacuation only occur AFTER President Bush called, and why did Governor Blanco stress that it was only after President Bush's call urging the evacuation order? Was she concerned for the citizens, or was she grandstanding so she could blame the President if the storm didn't hit?

Maybe the proposed Hillary Commission could get to the bottom of this (after its requisite orgy of Bush-bashing). And after, of course, its inclusion of Ray Nagin and/or Governor Blanco on the commission itself -- 9/11, Jamie Gorelick-style.