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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us September 6, 2005 Leadership failed at most basic level of response What is ultimately most grievous about what is transpiring in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast is that it reveals, in the starkest terms, the stunning lack of leadership and imagination of the current administration. We believe it will take both if we are to fully respond to this unparalleled natural disaster and its aftermath. We also believe, in ways we still cannot fully grasp, that the worst is yet to come. The tragic loss of life will only be gradually revealed as the waters of New Orleans begin to recede and the city is finally emptied of the toxic detritus now engulfing it. Any observer of recent events can see the failure of leadership from the top down before and after Katrina's arrival. Yet, early response from the administration suggests that there was no roadmap for “ultra catastrophic” events and that all the “should have’s” now, are nothing more than Monday morning quarterbacking. We disagree. Ample warning allowed for resources to be mobilized. As the floodwaters poured into the city, the response was slow, disorganized and seemingly disinterested. Leadership “should have” set a rehearsed, aggressive plan in motion before the hurricane ever punched the New Orleans shoreline. In the early aftermath (before the Mayor of the city broke down in tears of failure), martial law should have been declared. The Superdome should have been immediately supplied with food, water and generators (using whatever aircraft necessary), and buses from every source available assembled. Troops should have been dropped in (lead scouts, if you will), by parachute if necessary, to identify dry staging areas and assess the continuing damage. Others should have followed and order established. Command centers should have been set up and all local and state police blended into a cohesive effort. An armada of boats of Dunkirkian proportions should have been assembled and rescues begun. Tent cities should have been set up at the New Orleans Airport, or anywhere on high ground. Triage centers should have been planned for and hospitals immediately resupplied with fuel and emergency materiel for their generators and patient care. And on and on. None of this requires hindsight. It only required genuine concern and leadership from the outset, not a planned photo op and tour days after the events unfolded. The president has at his fingertips the men and women of the armed forces who are trained to move at lightning speed. In less than 12 hours we can have boots on the ground in Afghanistan. Can't we? But this president spent Tuesday in San Diego speaking about terrorism. Is it too much to ask that in these days of rife politics, true leadership can still assert itself without checking polls first? DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams