BUSES (CONT)

When Bush returned to the state a few days later, he didn't tell Blanco he was coming. The night before that second visit, Blanco learned about the visit from a news reporter and wrangled an invitation to accompany Bush on his tour.
There was a noticeable tension between the president and the governor throughout the trip.

"What was going on is the national media people started picking on the president. So the White House began to defend the president. So they turned some guns on me," Blanco said.

"It was a colossal waste of our time and energy to get into the blame game," she said.

Blanco said things are now fine between her and Bush.

Bush has since acknowledged that his administration failed to respond adequately to the hurricane. The president has ordered a review of the sluggish response.

"Four years after the frightening experience of Sept. 11, Americans have every right to expect a more effective response in a time of emergency," he told the nation in an address from Jackson Square Thursday night.

"When the federal government fails to meet such an obligation, I as president am responsible for the problem, and for the solution," Bush said.

Blanco is less emphatic in taking blame for the breakdown.

She said she takes responsibility "for assuming that help was on the way" when it wasn't.
Blanco said she's also learned a lesson.

"In the end, in a really dangerous, life-threatening situation, there is no army that's going to be there to save you," she said. "It's going to be person-to-person, helping each other. Some people are putting their lives on the line to help other people whose lives are at risk. And that's the bottom line."

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