Left In Lowell

Well, so much for blaming the Louisiana state government for the lack of response:

Nonpartisan congressional research report finds Louisiana governor took necessary steps
John Byrne

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued a report Tuesday afternoon asserting that Louisiana governor Katherine Blanco took the necessary and timely steps needed to secure disaster relief from the federal government, RAW STORY has learned.

The report, which comes after a request by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) to review the law and legal accountability relating to Federal action in response to Hurricane Katrina, unequivocally concludes that she did.

“This report closes the book on the Bush Administration’s attempts to evade accountability,” Conyers said in a statement. “The Bush Administration was caught napping at a critical time.”

So, to recap, the recent talking points said the governor didn’t ask for help on time. The facts speak for themselves.

The Governor did indeed make such a request, which was both timely and in compliance with federal law. The report finds that “Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco requested by letter dated August 27, 2005…that the President declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina for the time period from August 26, 2005 and continuing pursuant to [applicable Federal statute]” and “Governor Blanco’s August 27,2005 request for an emergency declaration also included her determination…that ‘the incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of disaster.”

So I gently suggest that people stop leaving comments on blogs using GOP talking points, because sooner or later, you’ll probably have egg on your face. [Via AMERICAblog.]