OOPS, The Blame Game Got More Interesting

Michael Brown shot back at New Orleans and the Police Chief Resigned. Mayor Nagin strikes out in defense of Brown's allegations and Governor Blanco today gets her shot in testimony, and, well...the Congress clearly is going to be a battle ground. The FEMA vs. the locals discussion is going to be ugly. Brown obviously is not going to go quietly and, as I said earlier, Mayor Nagin is going to get caught in the cross fire. Now the Police Superintendent, Compass, is going to become the lower official who gets much of the local blame.

The plain facts will tell the story which probably will blame the administration for cutting back support for FEMA, Brown for being slow to respond and further being unable to persuade the locals to take action and the local leadership for failed decision making and a complete breakdown of command and control.

As we said before, the national democrats will allow Mayor Nagin to take the fall, and now we have found his fall guy...the police chief. It is interesting to watch the Bush administration let the former FEMA chief and Congress argue about the blame, while the President has already accepted his blame and is visiting the areas every other day. He may pull this out yet.

Comments

[Ken]

It's hard not to agree with Peggy Noonan's observations on this series of events: Government takes too much authority and not enough responsibility

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110007328

[gerry]

Kead not heard that allegation, I have been out of pocket and have not been able to satisfy my "news junkie" cravings for a few day. I had notheard that allegation, but corruption in New Orleans has been rampant for decades, so nothing should surprise us.

Thank you for the insight. That does help to explain his resignation. Now Mayor Nagin has his "fall guy."

[Ken]

Any wonder why the police chief resigned? Check this report:

QUESTIONS SURFACE IN WAKE OF COMPASS' RESIGNATION

SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

Eddie Compass has resigned as the New Orleans Police chief, the Associated Press Reports.

On the heels of N.O. police chief Eddie Compass' resignation, allegations are emerging. Fox News' Tony Snow has said that of the 1700 police working for New Orleans, maybe only 1000 really exist.

Rogers asked someone in the know, who agreed with Snow's statements.

"It's pretty much always been known, but never openly acknowledged, that NOPD's actual numbers were far below the "official" figure of 1500 - 1700," said the source.

"To get that number over 1500, and thus qualify for federal funding, Compass and his predecessors counted reservists and certain retirees as active duty officers. The REAL number is, and has been for some time, a lot closer to 1000."

Some time ago, the Feds were considering taking over the NOPD. Allegedly, that's when the "cooking of the books" on numbers of cops started in earnest, because one of the feds' complaints was the low number of officers, Rogers is told.

Some suspect that this should be the death knell for the" residency rule," which requires NOPD officers to live in New Orleans.