Hurricane Katrina

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The devastation caused by the storm is unbelievable. You can contribute to the relief effort by visiting RedCross.org.

Gross Incompetence

The federal response to the disaster last year was an embarrassment. President Bush seemed hopelessly out of touch as thousands of citizens were stranded throughout New Orleans for days without food or water. On Wednesday, even before the mess at the Convention Center was broadcast on television, the New York Times published a scathing editorial blasting President Bush's response to the crisis and cuts that helped cause the flooding. Unfortunately for Bush, this was only the beginning of the criticism, as the situation became much worse that night and then on Thursday. Bush's incompetence in this situation rivals the miserable conduct of the war in Iraq.



Commentary

Robert Novak points out that even Republicans are furious over the lawyerly responses given by Mike Brown and Michael Chertoff to allegations that their preparation and response were woefully inadequate.

Charles Krauthammer points blame at the Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana's Governor, Mike Brown, President Bush and Congress. We can quibble with the order, but that's probably a good start.


Problems at FEMA

FEMA's incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina can probably be traced in part to the lack of experience of top agency officials. Starting with Mike Brown, it appears that the Bush administration stacked the agency with political appointees who had little experience in this field. Another problem is that FEMA was downgraded from a Cabinet-level agency to a part of the Homeland Security Agency.

The Washington Post reports that five of the eight top officials at FEMA were political appointees who had virtually no experience in handling disasters.

Brownie gets the boot - After getting praised by Bush for doing a "great job," FEMA director Mike Brown was finally sent back to Washington and relieved of his responsibilities for overseeing the Katrina disaster. He should be fired.

Time Magazine has done more digging to find that several items on Brown's already meager resume do not appear to be accurate.

Mike Brown must resign. If he refuses, Bush should fire him. Bush needs to call for a real investigation. If an independent investigation occurs, it's likely that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will also have to go.



Lack of Preparation

The mess in New Orleans is causing many to question why the city was unprepared to stop the flooding. Editor & Publisher is reporting that funding for hurricane and flood control were slashed by the Bush administration in the past several years as funds were diverted to the Iraq War effort. Apparently local papers had been reporting on the lack of funds throughout 2004 and 2005. Knight Ridder gives more details on the funding cuts for New Orleans flood control.


Environmental Debate

Robert F Kennedy, Jr. has generated some controversy by placing blame for the hurricane on Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and other politicians who resisted efforts to lower emissions standards. Money quote - "Now we are all learning what it’s like to reap the whirlwind of fossil fuel dependence which Barbour and his cronies have encouraged. Our destructive addiction has given us a catastrophic war in the Middle East and--now--Katrina is giving our nation a glimpse of the climate chaos we are bequeathing our children." James Glassman rips Kennedy's post.


Role of the National Guard

Howard Fineman asks the tough question - do we have enough National Guard troops to help Mississippi and New Orleans, and couldn't we use the guardsmen currently serving in Iraq? Fineman predicts a political firestorm over this issue.   


Rebuilding New Orleans

David Brooks has written an excellent column outlining issues to consider when rebuilding New Orleans, particularly the poorer areas that previously contributed to the cycle of poverty among many of the city's residents.


Katrina Timelines   

Newsweek explains how Bush blew it, giving a blow by blow account of how things unraveled after the storm.

Timeline from TalkingPointsMemo.com.

Time gives some more details on how Bush's bubble prevented aides from telling him the truth.