Dangerous Indecision

There is increasing evidence that after the crisis has ended and it is time for an accounting of who was an asset and who was a liability, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco may well set an all time world record for indecisiveness.

When lives are on the line, that's a liability.

Today Gov. Blanco let the press know she was not happy about Mayor Ray Nagin's mandatory "we'll use force if necessary" evacuation order.

"The mayor certainly has ordered that but the governor, and that would be me, would have to enforce it or implement it. We are trying to determine whether there is an absolute justification for that," she told FOX News.

There are two problems with her statement. One, Nagin said he was ordering New Orleans police officers to enforce the "get out of town now" orders, not state police or National Guard (who are still under Louisiana, not federal, authority). Two, Blanco says she is looking for "absolute" justification. Therein lies her problem; unless she views something as giving her absolutely no choice, she can't seem to make a decision. Perhaps she is protecting her turf. Perhaps it is her personality to waffle. Maybe both.

Thus she refused to cooperate with President Bush on some aspects of rescue operations -- it was just "too complex and complicated" for her -- and now she is cutting the rug out from Mayor Nagin.

The mechanism of disaster relief is complicated enough without adding a governor who likes to throw wrenches into the gears. Once they have their crisis behind them, Louisiana residents should consider impeachment or recall of Blanco, depending on the legal remedy available to them.