A very good, coordinated press conference on right now on CNN

[DemsUnited]

NO Police Chief is point man, flanked by General Honore, a (COMPETENT FOR A CHANGE) FEMA official, fire chief, many others. A really good PR person is keeping things going.

Looks very cohesive, organized, in control. Everyone sounds like they know what they are doing. Making it clear that the city is in charge, everyone else is support.

Looks like James Witt is getting things together.

ON EDIT: They will be doing this conference every morning.

[mzmolly]

1. Glad Witt is getting stuff rolling.

To bad it didn't happen sooner.

[speedoo]

2. No Mayor, huh?

Interesting.

[Spazito]

4. This was for the local officials not politicians, imo

It would have been inappropriate for him to be there, this was a press briefing by each of the officals in charge of their departments to brief the press on what is going on.

[DemsUnited]

5. No, but the NOLA officials mentioned him many times, talking

about the mandatory evacuation orders & martial law and other laws that give him authority to do these things.

Big theme was that all the right people are all on the same page doing all the right things.

Honore holding back. I get the feeling that he wants it clear that his role is support, not command.

[Spazito]

3. Yep, there is NO question in my mind, this coordination is Witt's

work. They now have a central command and control set up, something else that was FEMA's responsibility that wasn't even started until Witt came in.

[madokie]

6. The folks in N O needed this coordination a week ago.

Is James Witt a former fema or something official.

[Connie_Corleone]

8. Former head of FEMA during the Clinton Administration.

[Coexist]

7. Witt will show those idiots how its done

he actually got his job at FEMA because he was qualified.