The Incredible Shrinking Governor

Louisiana guv Kathleen "Penelope Pitstop" Blanco has reversed herself yet again.

A week ago she got caught admitting to an aide that she blew the state response to Hurricane Katrina had to restate this admission publicly and take responsibility for her abject failure.

I, for one, wasn't buying it:

I don't give Blanco any credit for this belated attempt at image rehabilitation. She only offered it because her penchant for bleep-ups is insatiable and continuing to point fingers at her federal benefactors after this gaffe would have made her look clinically insane.

Well, look who just went 'round the bend:

On Thursday [Governor Blanco] endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton's call for an independent commission to investigate the disaster....

In a letter to President Bush Blanco urged:

"I am hopeful that you will join with me and others who have called for an independent commission to investigate this tragedy. . . .

"Only an independent, nonpartisan commission investigation that commands full support from the executive and legislative branches will accomplish what we need - a thorough, comprehensive review which is only concerned with getting to the truth."

Wrong. Blanco, Hillary, and the rest of their party aren't interested in the truth, because the truth is that the botching of the response to Katrina occurred entirely at the state and local level. All they care about is hanging the blame on President Bush. That's precisely what the so-called "independent" 9/11 Commission was all about and this would be no different, which is why the Dragon Queen's proposal, in a rare act of GOP sense, was rejected.

So, Blanco made herself look even smaller, as well as dim-witted for signing onto a trial balloon that was shot down two weeks ago.

You might be asking, in light of the Extreme Media feeding frenzy over Bush's mythically cratering approval rating, what affect the above has had on Blanco's own poll numbers.

I'm glad you asked:

The bottom has fallen out of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco's poll numbers, with her approval rating tumbling sharply in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina crisis.

While President Bush's approval rating has fallen by two or three points in most polls, Survey USA found that Governor Blanco's favorability rating has dropped by a whopping nine points among Louisianans, from 50% to 41% since the last survey in August.

Governor Blanco's negative numbers have shot up by an even higher margin - 13 points. In August, 43% disapproved of the way she was doing her job. Now, 56% give her a thumbs down.

Is this an anti-incumbent/"throw the bums out" sentiment throughout the Katrina disaster area?

Nope:

Meanwhile, the same survey found that in Mississippi, which was also devastated by Katrina, Governor Haley Barbour's approval rating is way up - to 58%.

It was 43% just four weeks ago - a 15 point improvement for Barbour.

There'd be a lesson in this if Democrats were interested in paying attention: leadership counts. Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray "School Bus" Nagin displayed none of it, before, during, or after Katrina hit, or three weeks after the fact. Haley Barbour and his Alabama counterpart, Bob Riley, did, and their respective approval numbers, hearteningly, reflect that.

There's also a lesson in this for President Bush: you can't rebuild your poll numbers by writing checks.

More on that tomorrow.