Kathleen Blanco

But New Orleans was on the brink of civil breakdown, and it was essential to get people out as soon as possible.

Governor Blanco ordered a large contingent of buses to begin ferrying people out, sending them to Houston's Astrodome.

The Texas-based USS Bataan had been brought in to nearby waters before Katrina hit in readiness for early relief work.

It now provided helicopters for rescue missions and medical evacuations, as well as having its onboard hospital on standby.

There's nothing this administration hates more than to admit errors on its own part.

So there's going to be a strong inclination not to fire anybody, not to accept blame.

And, of course, we're already seeing fingers pointed at Kathleen Blanco and the governor of Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans.

relief efforts everywhere were wanting.

This is true.

I mean, and this is really, I mean, it really started back during Kathleen Blanco's time, in which prior to that there was a lifting up of, uh, you know-

Mm-hmm

...

There were a couple of things that happened for us to even get here.

There was a meeting with former Commissioner Tagliabue, Kathleen Blanco, Ray Nagin, myself, and Tom Benson.

And, you know, I'm always interested when people tell myths versus the realities.

And we got to give a shout out to former commissioner, the late commissioner Tagliabue, because in that meeting, and in fact, we'll back up everything that I say, he told Tom Benson, we will not let you leave.

Kudos to the late Joe Dean.

Of course, Carlos Templeton.

yourself, Farmer Red Megan, and Governor Kathleen Blanco.

All those are the facts and can be fact-checked.

But this is how I respond to them when this subject comes up.

What are you going to do if there's the big one? What are you going to do if there's a massive earthquake on the San Andreas Fault, or God forbid we have some kind of natural disaster where you need competent leadership to make sure you and your family don't die, and you have an empty suit that's calling the shots in Sacramento? What we'd end up with is a Kathleen Blanco in Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit, and her incompetence had real-world consequences for that cause people to lose their property, their lives, and everything.

Yes, exactly right.

And that's one of the themes from this story about Bastera in the California Post the other day, when they talked to a lot of people who work with him, that he's just completely, you know, doesn't make decisions, hopeless, just completely controlled by the people around him, just completely the opposite of what you need.

Mm-hmm

... family don't die, and you have an empty suit that's calling the shots in Sacramento? What we'd end up with is a Kathleen Blanco in Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit, and her incompetence had real-world consequences that caused-

Mm-hmm

... people to lose their property, their lives, and everything.

You know, in those areas, there was nobody.

There was the Blanco cycle.

So, Kathleen Blanco runs in 03.

In that particular race, instead of me running for lieutenant governor...

In 03, I see.

You know, in those areas, there was nobody.

There was the Blanco cycle.

So, Kathleen Blanco runs in 03.

In that particular race, instead of me running for lieutenant governor, I had not chosen to run for governor.

There's a reasonable argument that could have been made that she was from Lafayette, Richard Ayoub was from Lake Charles.