Check with anyone from Texas, Perry is a lot of things, but "Conservative Firebrand," isn't one of them.
The good ol' boy network is alive and well here in Texas thanks to Slick Rick. And given a few hours I could elaborate but the above quote says it all, so I'll spare everyone.
99% of the time I'm not a fan of the good ol' boy network but every rule has an exception. In this case that exception was hurricane Katrina. No movie will ever be made about it and I don't think any books have been written yet, but never in my life have I seen heaven and earth moved so quickly in response to a disaster. I witnessed the impossible happen right before my very eyes.
Most states can't organize a conference call without three meetings, checking with the lawyers and allowing a two week lead time. Governor Perry picked up the phone, called a few key people, and told them to, "go". And that's all it took. In a matter of hours thousands of people, massive amounts of equipment, buses, food, water, and medical personnel were on the move. And that was just the initial response. Then things got tricky.
So, yes, I'll bitch all day long about the good ol' boy network. But if you ever need heaven and earth moved by God right now - you can't beat it with a stick.