From: "Mark" 

The problem with civilian leadership, though I prefer that too, is that you
don't really know if those you've elected really have what it takes until
it's too late. i.e. Floridians know it, because Jeb has proven himself, but
they didn't know it until the first storm hit under his watch. Still, the
locals will always be more intimately aware of special circumstances in
their own areas.

This blog is a good read, in general, not just for this excerpt further
illustrating the negative consequences for LA because of that lack of
leadership:

 "This time, its first deployment [the world's first complete mobile
trailer-based hospital, Med-1 from North Carolina.], was a little more
problematic. The Med-1 team was ready to go just after the storm; an
agreement between the governor of North Carolina and Governor Blanco of
Louisiana was prepared and faxed to Governor Blanco. 24 hours elapsed and
the agreement was not signed. The team was ready to leave on Friday,
September 2, and the agreement was not signed. The team was then
federalized by FEMA and ordered to deploy. They made it as far as
Mississippi-still no agreement. So instead of heading for Louisiana, Med-1
came to Bay St. Louis, where it serves as a temporary replacement for
Hancock Memorial while the latter is out of commission."
http://www.dr-goodheart.blogspot.com/


"Robert G Lewis"  wrote in message
news:432c88bf{at}w3.nls.net...
>
> "John Cuccia"  wrote in message
> news:3a1pi15cjmlla3c9vbjbjfgu1g7ij1pt8b{at}4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 17 Sep 2005 10:52:28 -0500, "Robert G Lewis"
>>  wrote:
>>
>>>I think its more than just policies, but I want to wait to see some
>>>details.
>>>I have some reservations about what little I've read .
>>
>> And I'm trying to be diplomatic .
>>
>> The military does seem to have a place in efforts like Katrina relief,
>> but I think one of the primary lessons we should take from this is
>> that a well-defined (pre-defined, too) and unified command structure
>> is perhaps the most important factor in providing effective response,
>> no matter what resources are used.
>>
>
> Agreed. I prefer the Military to be in a secondary / support role , rather
> than a command role here. Civilian leadership is a must. Since we are
> being diplomatic I won't add anything else .
>
> Bob Lewis
>
>

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