Hey, GOPer Gulf Coast governors: where are the National Guard troops President Obama authorized you to call up to help clean up and protect the Gulf? In this emergency that you blame the federal government for not addressing, what are you doing besides political showboating?
According to theChristian Science Monitor:
While most of the criticism has been heaped on federal agencies and the Obama administration, questions are being raised about the extent to which the four Gulf state governors (all Republicans) are responding too – specifically, on deployment of National Guard troops under their command.
In a recent investigative report, CBS News found that Louisiana's Gov. Jindal had deployed just 1,053 of the 6,000 troops available to him. "Alabama has deployed 432 troops of 3,000 available," according to CBS. "Even fewer have been deployed in Florida - 97 troops out of 2,500 - and Mississippi - 58 troops out of 6,000."
And, by the way, why do you keep harping on what you know won't work--like thoseberms of salvation, which risk destroying more than they might save, and will likely dissolve in the next big storm?
Or all the hoohaw you're spewing about how the Jones Act is preventing foreign vessels from helping, when it isn't? (As the Monitor story also asserts.) And that skimmers and other vessels from elsewhere are deployed?
Actually, what little skilled reporting comes from the Gulf (some of ithere at Kos,) suggests exactly why. The GOPer Governors of the Gulf are in bed with the oil companies--perhaps the whole region is. They have to showboat for the public on the Gulf gusher, but they can't alienate or blame the oil companies. So what's left? Turn all the heat on the federal government. Blame Obama.
Now the Busher feds were and apparently still are in bed with the oil companies as well, and the Obama administration wasn't able to turn the ship of state on the proper course fast enough to dodge this particular iceberg. But they're trying to turn that ship. The same can't be said for the GOPer Governors of the Gulf, who just want to blame somebody other than the oil companies or themselves for not being ready for this.
And the media seems to be letting them get away with it.