Urgent: Gov. Blanco Counterpunches

Credit goes to leckavrea for finding this incredibly important information.

Gov. Blanco is fighting back against the assholes in DHS and FEMA who allege that she did not request federal assistance. On Nightline last night, Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA) was totally exasperated by Ted Koppel's assertions that the Feds are saying that Blanco didn't fill out the right forms!

We must push back, and now we have the ammo.

In a press release from yesterday, Blanco twists the knife in between the thank you's:

Based on our initial assessment, I have previously requested significant federal support to include: an additional 40,000 troops; trailers of water, ice and food; commercial buses; base camps; staging areas; amphibious personnel carriers; deployable morgues; urban search and rescue teams; airlift; temporary housing; and communications systems. Even if these initial requests had been fully honored, these assets would not be sufficient to address our critical, immediate needs.

A critical element of our military response is equipment, particularly vehicles. As military units are flown in to assist us in our recovery efforts, I request a fleet of military vehicles that will remain in the affected areas. Therefore, I am requesting access to military trucks, HMMWVs and other vehicles. Fort Polk, Louisiana, has a prepositioned fleet of military vehicles that could be accessed very quickly; however, there may be other sources that may be available quicker.

I request the expeditious return of the Headquarters of the 256th Brigade Combat Team as they have completed their mission in the Iraqi theatre of operations and they are urgently needed here at home. I request that you remission this unit to Louisiana where they will become part of the recovery efforts in their home state. As the remainder of the Brigade returns, I request that they be missioned by the Department of Defense to assist civil authorities in Hurricane Katrina recovery operations in Louisiana.

Mr. President, only your personal involvement will ensure the immediate delivery of federal assets needed to save lives that are in jeopardy hour by hour.

I encourage everyone to read the whole letter, as it serves as a wholesale indictment of federal and presidential leadership in responding to what is clearly America's worst disaster.

While there is not yet public documentation of Gov. Blanco's requests, who is the public going to believe?

Bush, who fundraised while Katrina wiped out coastal Louisiana and Mississippi?

Cheney, who was "working" in Wyoming 'til Thursday?

McClellan, who preferred Americans die of dehydration rather than "loot"?

Rice, who shopped while New Orleans' poor drowned in their homes?

Hastert, who urged the 'Big Easy' be bulldozed?

Brown and Chertoff, who blamed the victims and were always running 4 hours behind CNN?

I don't think so.

By the way, Sen. Landrieu (who finally realized the calvary wasn't coming) has called for a Cabinet-level position to take over for the criminally incompetent Brown and Chertoff.