Comments on the crisis:

Actually Bush could call up the National Guard in LA. But then they would be federalised, i.e. they would now be considered *federal* troops and not *state* troops for purposes of Posse Comitatus. Between Posse Comitatus and the Stafford Act, President Bush's hands were literally tied.

and

The Mayor of New Orleans, who did even less than Blanco, and who has said the bizarre "If the CIA slips me something and next week you don't see me, you'll all know what happened."

and

It is too obvious that (Blanco's) own actions in fact made the disaster much worse than it might otherwise have been. I do think, however, that her actions from the day before the hurricane hit until mid-week were very possibly founded on intent not to let the federal government take control because she feared it would result in credit for President Bush. I think she was so self-serving and hatefully partisan that she never even considered the possibility of the devastation that occured. In other words, her focus was almost totally political, seeking to waylay any perceived advantage for the President and garner advantage for herself.
In this sense, Blanco simply followed the modus operandi preferred by the current Democrat party.

Now, of course, she is working desperately, along with the mayor and other La. Dems, to throw all blame on Bush's leadership -- ironically, given her obstruction of federal control of the relief effort.