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FEMA would do better in GA, because Sonny wouldn't wait to pull the trigger to involve FEMA. Blanco hesistated, and has not (?) made the call to federalize control of the relief effort, or hand over the National Guard to FEMA. FEMA essentially can't act w/out governor authority. All they can do is 'advise.'

I think what you are looking for is a reconstruction of FEMA, granting them authority to supercede local and state governments to do whatever they want in event of a crisis. As it is now, there's too much beauracratic red tape involved for them to be effective, especially with ineffective morons like Blanco and Nagin in charge.

Perhaps what is needed is some kind of mutual audit system between the states and the feds for disaster recovery (kind of like how businesses account for disaster recovery as part of Sarbanes-Oxley.) And you'd have to give the feds the authority to overrule the state governments if the state plans were found to be lacking. (Although, in New Orleans' case, it's more an example of not executing the plan than not having one.)

I am looking for a James Lee Witt at the head of FEMA, not the former director of the Arabian Horse League. And I am looking for the type of administration that appoints qualified directors of federal agencies instead of campaign contributors. Make them diplomats, that's fine. Just not the heads of important federal agencies.

Would James Lee Witt have fundamentally restructured FEMA? Because that's basically what's needed.

He did. It was a well functioning agency during his tenure, which pretty much everyone agrees with. Also, during the Clinton years was really the only time that FEMA was considered to be a top notch agency.

Everything that happened between 93-01 was completely changed after 9/11 when they downgraded FEMA from cabinet status to an agency within Homeland Security. That is not necessarily the wrong thing to do, but I don't think you can argue that such a large scale restructuring of the organization and it's mission has been in good hands, even if you agree with the restructuring (I'm neutral).

I'm confused... the federalist, "small government" right wants to eliminate federal programs and agencies, but have nothing but contempt for the state agencies and administrators that have to fill in the gaps?

Bushco has spent the last four years stripping FEMA of real power, funding and respect. Now that the idea has been exposed as horribly flawed, they snipe at local and state officials.

drzachary, are you proposing a move in the opposite direction?

Like I said before, you can blame Nagin all you want. But the reality is that the benefit of hindsight is the only way to justify your blame.

Nagin issued the first ever complete and mandatory evacuation of the city of New Orleans....and got 80% of the city out. This is impressive by nearly any standard you can think of. He unquestionably saved thousands upon thousands of lives. But you can't expect him to find bus drivers to bus 100% of the people out the city unless he knew the levees were going to break.

As far as FEMA goes, they weren't even there...

And by the way, I'm not entirely sure what you mean by FEMA's hands being tied in the aftermath of the attacks. This timeline, sourcing the White House, seems to indicate FEMA was given full authority to respond to Katrina back on August 27.

Has Nagin been perfect? Of course not. Blanco? Clearly not. But one thing my parents taught me is to not make excuses every time something goes wrong. And it's just shocking to me that of every single tragedy that has befallen this administration over the past five years, they won't claim responsibility for a single error. Not a single mistake. For them, the buck doesn't stop with the President. It stops anywhere BUT with the President.

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