Gov. Blanco Hires Frmr FEMA Dir. as Liason to BUSH Admin's FEMA

[FrenchieCat]

La. gov. hires former FEMA director Witt for Katrina recovery
9/3/2005, 3:05 p.m. CT
The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency joined the Louisiana government Saturday to help direct the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

James Lee Witt, who ran FEMA from 1993 to 2001, said he will stay as long as he as needed.

"He will sit at the table for me, and he will be my voice at the table," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said.

Louisiana officials are getting stretched too thin and need help, she said. "I like to hire the smartest people in the country," she added.

Witt has more than 25 years of disaster management experience. He was appointed to head FEMA in 1993, after President Clinton took office. FEMA had been strongly criticized in 1992 for its slow response to Hurricanes Andrew and Hugo; after Witt took over, it won praise for its vigorous reaction to Midwest floods and the 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles.
More....
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1125778441267231.xml&storylist=louisiana

[FrenchieCat]

1. More on Witt

read this blogged article
http://talkleft.com/new_archives/012074.html
Thursday :: September 01, 2005
Where is James Lee Witt when we need him?
James Lee Witt, http://www.wittassociates.com /
an Arkansan, was FEMA Director under President Clinton, and he had the cojones to immediately go to the scene and take control. Clinton gave him power, and he used it for the national good. We were served well by him. In any natural disaster, he was there, he was on TV telling us what was going on, and he got things done. He did not sit on his hands in a Washington office getting information from CNN or FoxNews.

James Lee Witt works in Little Rock, and I'll bet my house he's working on this disaster somehow. If he ran FEMA, the response would be markedly different, instead of the "what do I do now?" look of Michael Chertoff we see today.
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NOTE: JLWA had bid on planning emergency work for New Orleans via IEM, but were not awarded the contract.
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About James L. Witt& Associates (JLWA)--

Our Team


What we do

Founded in 2001, James Lee Witt Associates (JLWA) is a crisis and emergency management consulting firm based in Washington, DC with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, and Sacramento. JLWA has unrivaled experience and hands-on knowledge of public safety, disaster mitigation, continuity of operations, and emergency management issues. JLWA bridges government agencies and non-profits with industry and constituents, advises educational institutions, and assists state and local governments, as well as international bodies to prepare for and recover from disasters and crises.

JLWA is uniquely positioned to bring together policy architects and technical experts in public safety, with leaders from all levels of government and private sector partners to forge solutions to emergency management challenges.

The JLWA staff includes seasoned crisis and emergency management leaders with significant experience in the public sector to provide consultation on key issues of public safety. The team is proficient in the details of emergency management, committed to the responsibility of the profession, and understands how crisis and emergency management work fits into a larger political and social climate.

JLWA is comprised of two main practice areas: Crisis and Consequence Management and Strategic Advisory Services.

http://www.wittassociates.com/1162.xml

[Penndems]

30. Wow, that's quite a team!

Former Director Witt, former Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, and retired General Wesley Clark.

Experience with a capital "E", professional to their cores, and dedicated public servants to boot (and I miss every last one of them)!

Outstanding choice, Governor Blanco.

[DODI]

2. Show them how it's done James!

[Maestro]

3. Bring in the dems to help in the face of tragedy

Those PNACers need to learn something from this.

[applegrove]

4. Finally - a true expert. Witt will wipe the place clean with the ***holes

And he will make a super witness for the investigation into what Bush did.

[wakeme2008]

5. Very smart move

and James probably still knows the good ppl in FEMA to get things done.:applause:

[Be Brave]

8. I agree. Excellent decision. n/t

[Dogmudgeon]

6. Good for Gov. Blanco!

There are people here on DU who are ready to lynch her, in some misguided attempt to "hold our own accountable, too". This should restore some of her good name (though not for everybody).

What Gov. Blanco has done is like hiring Sherlock Holmes to supervise Inspector Clouseau.

Laissez le Guillotine de Vérité roulez!

--p!

[Kali]

9. Inspector Clouseau was much to lovable to be

a republican suck-up, but the imagery you invoke is pretty good!

:toast:

[Kingofalldems]

7. Does anyone honestly believe that FEMA

under this president will work with a Dem?

[susanna]

10. I don't see that they have much of a choice.

If he's the governor's liasion, well, they'll just have to suck it up. She has a seat at the table, and if she gives it to him, that's her right.

Good for Blanco. This should nicely contrast with the dimwit political hack that is supposedly running FEMA right now.

[belle]

20. They'll do it, same as they're currently running to Clinton (!!!) for help

They just won't ever be remotely gracious about it. Wretched little fuckstains, god I loathe them.

[susanna]

23. I don't disagree that it will be a sulky sort of compliance.

That said, I don't give a sh!t. They can suck it up and help the people who desperately need it.

I am so changed by this week. I will never remember anything else as well as I remember what I saw NOT HAPPENING when citizens of this country were in danger.

[Sven77]

11. fema is holding back the help from getting in

fema turned away help, just like bush did.

[Blue_Roses]

12. Way to go Blanco!

Great move!:applause:

[Buns_of_Fire]

13. "I like to hire the smartest people in the country," she added.

The subtext being, of course, that President Poopy-Pants doesn't. (We all knew that anyway, but it's always nice to hear someone else say it out loud and be quoted on it in the MSM.)

What a most subtle and elegant FU to BushCo. :thumbsup:

[WCGreen]

16. My thougths exactly..... Here Here

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. Smart lady

She can't do it all herself so she brings in an expert. What a concept. Bush would have appointed a know nothing political cronie.

[RamboLiberal]

15. Smart Move Governor

Show them how it's done, James. And speak out if it isn't.

[goforit]

17. Brilliant!!!.....Way to secede immediately!!!....Screw the Feds!

[damntexdem]

18. Well, it won't be difficult to hire the smartest people in the country ...

to negotiate with the Bushistas. None of them work FOR the Bushistas.

[Lochloosa]

19. This quote is very telling...WHY DO YOU NEED A VOICE AT THE TABLE....

"He will sit at the table for me, and he will be my voice at the table," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said.

The people of LA, MS and AL are the voice....and when they are heard the BFEE will tremble in the wake....

I'M AS PISSED AS I HAVE EVER BEEN IN MY LIFE. DO NOT COME NEAR ME RIGHT NOW!

[FrenchieCat]

21. You have a point there......

Instead of saying HER PLACE she should have said Louisianians' PLACE at the table. Good Catch.

And yeah.....It's the voice of those she represents that should be listened to in terms of their needs.

But I can tell you that Mr. Witt is good at listening, and does care, and is good at what he does....so I still say it's a great move for the Governor of LA.

Considering what they are all going through over there....I wouldn't hold her misspeak against her...

[TheDonkey]

22. Finally, the grownups are back in control of things!

[goforit]

24. Kick!!!

[JoFerret]

25. Gotta follow the blame game story

...and make sure BushCo don't off-load unwarrented responsibility of the mayor and the governor and the other local officials.
You just know they are spinning and spinning.
As the NYTimes today says - this is Bushé big polital test. He is in crisis mode - not over Katrina but over the decline in his popularity.

[goforit]

26. Hmmm...And now he has Renquist to distract, how convenient.

[Dervill Crow]

27. Gov. Blanco is my hero. n/t

[melody]

28. Brilliant move n/t

[kodi]

29. Witt wrote the book on crisis response + has to show FEMA the page to read

if there was ever a an exhibition of the bushevik modus operendi of hiring ideologues over competence this is it