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| | TIME.com: Kathleen Babineaux Blanco | Louisiana -- Nov. 21, 2005 -- Page 1 |
 | | When it mattered most, Blanco appeared "dazed and confused," says Bernie Pinsonat, a bipartisan political consultant in Baton Rouge, La. When NBC's Matt Lauer asked her whether it was hard to find words to reassure the public, she tried to muster optimism, then circled back to despair. |
 | | She was slow to call the legislature back into session to deal with a nearly $1 billion decline in tax revenue. |
 | | In 21 years in state politics, Blanco, a Democrat, was always cautious and deliberative. |
| www.time.com /time/magazine/article/0,9171,1129534,00.html (420 words) |
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