Still high on Amsterdam trip, Landrieu promotes adoption of Dutch model (part one)

Still high on Amsterdam trip, Landrieu promotes adoption of Dutch model (part one)
By Admin
Editor’s note: US Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has returned from leading a group tour of the Netherlands to explore the feasibility of adapting Dutch strategies to reduce flood risk in Louisiana. Mary’s post-trip comments suggest that she has decided to climb two political “Everests:” (1) promoting the adoption of the Dutch model for “saving” the Mississippi River delta; and (2) challenging the authority of the US Army Corps of Engineers to continue managing the Mississippi River and its delta. These related subjects both made my (two) typing fingers itch so I decided to write about them in serial fashion again (this is the first piece, which is much longer than normal but I couldn’t decide how to subdivide it).

Back from Holland, our "Little Dutch Girl" demonstrates a low tech solution to flood control!
First, I think that Mary deserves a hearty pat on the back for articulating the geopolitical analogies between Holland and Louisiana. These comparisons are not original but Mary’s words carry much more clout than mine - and probably yours!
Senator Landrieu has a strong record of support for restoring the Louisiana coast and it’s terrific to see her get fired up, devoting serious time and energy to coastal issues again. Thus, I sincerely celebrate her coastal enthusiasm. 
On the other hand, I’m concerned that some of Mary’s statements, if taken literally, may raise public expectations on the basis of optimism that isn’t tempered by realism. For example, promises to preserve and secure all of south Louisiana from future flooding are not grounded in credible science and they fail the “pollyanna sniff test.”
The goal of this piece is to critically review what has been written about Mary’s current vision. My impressions of her point of view were informed by: (1) a letter on the Dutch trip from the Landrieu office; (2) a recent first hand report on the trip by Steven Sabludowski in an essay published on June 2 in BayouBzz.com; (3) articles written by Richard Webster and Mark Schleifstein subsequent to a June 6 Landrieu press conference, published in CityBusiness and the Times-Picayune, respectively; and (4) a June 8 story by Evan Lehmann in EEnews.net, also based on the press conference (link doesn’t access full article).
Quotes from the underlined sources are shown in blue and my editorial comments are in red:
Landrieu letter: