From today's New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Dear Mr. President:

          We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our

devastated city and the Gulf Coast and said, "What is not

working, we’re going to make it right."

          Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise

before believing you. But we have good reason for our skepticism.

          Bienville built New Orleans where he built it for one

main reason: It’s accessible. The city between the Mississippi

River and Lake Pontchartrain was easy to reach in 1718.

How much easier it is to access in 2005 now that there are

interstates and bridges, airports and helipads, cruise ships,

barges, buses and diesel-powered trucks.

          Despite the city’s multiple points of entry, our nation’s

bureaucrats spent days after last week’s hurricane wringing

their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue

the city’s stranded victims nor bring them food, water and

medical supplies.

          Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who

work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city

via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning,

that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers headed

into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.

Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown

New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid

Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a "Today" show

story Friday morning.

          Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people

whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those

who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad

song about how our city was impossible to reach.

          We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be angry long after

our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been

pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who

could have been were not. That’s to the government’s shame.

          Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he

allowed those with no other alternative to seek shelter from

the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We still don’t

know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the

Superdome not been opened, the city’s death toll would have

been higher. The toll may even have been exponentially

higher.

          It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people

inside the Superdome would not be returning home. It

should have been clear to our government, Mr. President. So

why weren’t they evacuated out of the city immediately? We

learned seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened,

that the Dome isn’t suitable as a long-term shelter. So

what did state and national officials think would happen to

tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning,

overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food,

water and other essentials?

          State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said

the city didn’t have but two urgent needs: "Buses! And gas!"

          Every official at the Federal Emergency Management

Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially.

In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said

his agency hadn’t known until that day that thousands of

storm victims were stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention

Center. He gave another nationally televised interview

the next morning and said, "We’ve provided food to the people

at the Convention Center so that they’ve gotten at least

one, if not two meals, every single day."

          Lies don’t get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President.

Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told

him, "You’re doing a heck of a job."

          That’s unbelievable.

          There were thousands of people at the Convention Center

because the riverfront is high ground. The fact that so many

people had reached there on foot is proof that rescue vehicles

could have gotten there, too.

          We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American

than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic

Seaboard. We’re no less important than those from the Pacific

Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.

No expense should have been spared. No excuses

should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous

as the claim that New Orleans couldn’t be reached.

          Mr. President, we sincerely hope you fulfill your promise

to make our beloved communities work right once again.

When you do, we will be the first to applaud.

I'm getting sick of this administration's government by photo-op ways but evidently not the editors over at National Review Online.  They take it a step further and suggest nothing could be more moving than the empty political symbolism of having the 2008 Republican National Convention in New Orleans.  I would just be happy with some actual evidence that they can govern competently instead of looking to another disaster as a  means of political positioning.  Moving the 2004 convention to New York City and having it as close to September 11th as possible was sad enough, but how would they make this fuck up look like anything but a fuck up?

President Bush met this morning with members of the Red Cross at its headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Coincidentally, news cameras were there.  Bush gave an "impromptu" speech.  In three minutes, Bush mentioned the words "Red Cross" no less than thirty times, and referred to its volunteers repeatedly as an "Army of compassion."  He then asked Americans to pony up "hard cash donations to the Red Cross" if they want to help out in the hurricane relief effort.

Aside from him confusing the Salvation Army with the Red Cross, Bush tipped his hand on how he will deflect criticism and deny any accountability for the government's pathetic and criminally negligent response to Hurricane Katrina.  His not so hidden message?  Don't blame the government; it's not the government's job to help people in need and provide emergency relief.  That's a job for the Red Cross.

Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré has stepped up and began to provide the first real leadership in the efforts to rescue stranded New Orleans. 

He commands the First Army, and coindentially is from southern Louisiana. 

An example:

The general came to rescue of one young mother trying to carry her twin babies down the street in the terrible heat and humidity of New Orleans, Starr reported. The mother was so exhausted the children were almost falling out of her arms.

The general went up to the woman and took both of her babies, handing them off to soldiers to carry, as he promised the mother that they were going to get her some help. The troops helped the three hurricane victims to a Coast Guard ship, where they were treated for exhaustion and dehydration.

His cell-phone interview on CNN was stirring, with the General calmly explaining the steps being taken and absentmindedly punctuating his answers with a simple "over" as if he was transmitting orders to subordinates.   

The general wows them wherever he goes, says his deputy commander Maj. Gen. John A. Yingling:

"He’s like a rock star — ‘Mick Jagger’ Honoré."

Here he is demonstrating his "hobby"--tomahawk throwing:

He's as good at getting the job done as he is at throwing those tomahawks.  The results are showing already--

There were quick successes. Minutes after the military convoy halted near the convention center, Guard members were hiking up the ramp to where thousands were waiting — some cheering, some cursing. The soldiers set up mess lines for food and water, ladling out pork rib lunches and bottled water to the famished refugees.

Said New Orleans Mayor Nagin, previously critical of the slow response of the federal government:

That's one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done.  He came off the doggone chopper and he started cussing and people started moving.

Not a second too soon.

Kos has Grover Norquist's latest memo urging U.S. Senators not to let the disaster left by Katrina hold up the elimination of the Federal Estate Tax.  It seems making sure you take away tax revenue that might go to rebuilding the Gulf Coast or Iraq or God knows what else is more important in the grand scheme of things.  Its especially touching how eliminating the estate tax will bring statistically unfounded magical levels of economic growth that in Norquist's words, "...is exactly what the residents of the Gulf Region need at this time to start the rebuilding process for there neighborhoods and more importantly for their lives."  He really has no shame does he?  Puke....

CNN:  Let's see if we can find another CNN employee with relatives in the disaster area so we can film another tearful family reunion.

MSNBC:  Our disaster expert tells us dropping food and water to stranded masses of people a couple days ago was impractical because evidently C-130s dropping huge pallets of supplies is his only conception how to get food to people in a disaster area.

FOX:  Forget all the bad news because the cavalry's arrived.  If we're lucky we'll be able to get some footage of gun battles between criminals and the military.

It looks like the Homeland Security chief is being kept out of the loop or else nobody in his office has had the time to watch the news? 

I guess we can merely be thankful that Rumsfeld hasn't yet appeared to say "Stuff happens."

"It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed."

                           Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R) IL

If New Orleans only sent more Republicans to Congress, then again I suspect Congressional Republicans will probably spend alot more energy blaming Gulf Coast residents for this predicament then actually coming up with anything constructive... especially if it means protecting the President from criticism.

When I read articles like this or watch CNN's coverage of what a disaster the relief effort in New Orleans has been so far is it out of bounds to ask how prepared we would be for something like a mass casualty terrorist attack?  I mean we at least had several days advanced warning about Katrina and how powerful she was, but besides getting people out of the city who had the means to leave can somebody point to any extraordinary steps taken to have things in position for a worst-case scenario?  I'm not trying to be snarky I'm just a little bewildered and saddened by it all and dumb statements like "nobody predicted the levees would break" don't quite cut it.

"AS THE EXTENT of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation became clearer on Tuesday — millions without power, tens of thousands homeless, a death toll unknowable because rescue crews can’t reach some regions — President Bush carried on with his plans to speak in San Diego, as if nothing important had happened the day before.

Katrina already is measured as one of the worst storms in American history. And yet, President Bush decided that his plans to commemorate the 60th anniversary of VJ Day with a speech were more pressing than responding to the carnage."

New York Times?  Washington Post?  Time?  Newsweek?  CNN?   Nope, the conservative Manchester Union Leader editorial page on Wednesday.

Kevin Drum delves into the recent Pew Research poll on Religion and asks how the 42% of respondents who believe the earth has existed in it present state since creation stand up against the 25% of respondents to a recent NSF survey who believed the sun revolves around the earth?  Hmmmm....

While we're on the subject of bashing foreigners, why is the Bush administration going out of it way to provoke a trade war with Canada?  This was just passing news last week but Ed Kilgore mentioned it at New Donkey the other day and it made me wonder what domestic political or business concern could place undermining the principle trade agreement with our largest trading partner above everything else?  Better yet, why did we go to all the trouble of creating a free trade agreement with Canada if we weren't going to respect the basic rules of the treaty? 

Yesterday in the amply misnamed "Common Sense" segment of his Fox News show, Neil Cavuto took advantage of the aftermath of Katrina not to offer words of encouragement, condolence or perseverence but to bash foreigners for not coming to our aid.    I've always thought Cavuto was a petty blowhard hosting a business show that rarely concentrates on much of anything related to business but this is ridiculous. 

Does Mr. Cavuto really want foreign governments to come to our aid?  Is he really even asking them too?  No, not really.  His so-called business program often plays like a grand showcase for American exceptionalism but evidently he couldn't pass up the chance at a good cheap shot.  Par for the course, I guess.

Update (9/1):  In an answer to Mr. Cavuto, there are evidently search and rescue teams from Canada waiting to head to Louisiana but there seems to be so much confusion within our own federal gov't at this time that they are waiting for clearance from Homeland Security?

Update II (9/1):  What's this?  You mean more outpouring of support from the rest of the world?

Tony Pierce has the goods.

Reading this article by David Segal about his remembrances of great unscripted rock concert moments from his days as a music critic at the Post brought back so many old memories of when I used to go see bands three or four nights a week that I was inspired to ask our loyal IRONMOUTH readers to write in with their own favorite Rock Concert moments.  I'll start us out:

My favorite rock and roll moment happened at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC in October of 1999.  The concert (dream) bill was Cheap Trick with Guided by Voices and some unknown Boston band opening.  During the Cheap Trick set, in the middle of  "Southern Girls" suddenly Bob Pollard from GBV drunkenly stumbles onto stage holding a half-drunk bottle of Jack Daniels, throws his arm around bassist Tom Peterssen's shoulder and starts belting out the chorus with the rest of the band.  The crowd went fucking crazy and I still reminisce about it with friends to this day.

Have fun!

I think I agree with Atrios when it come to this Sally Jenkins piece in the Post but right now I'm still trying to figure out what the hell she's talking about?  I've heard of using sports metaphors to explain things but this takes the case!

Right now its looking like Louisiana is in bad shape but missed the worst of Katrina, however coastal Mississippi is getting its ass kicked. 

 One of my colleagues at work has a sister who lives in New Orleans.  We asked her this morning what plans her sister's family had made to which she replied, "They went to Florida on Sunday."  Our other colleague replied, "You know its serious when people are going to Florida to avoid a hurricane."

CNN reminds us that today is the 25th anniversary of the founding of Solidarity, the first independent trade union movement in the Eastern Bloc and another nail in the coffin of Soviet control of Eastern Europe.  Funny, but I'm reminded of the old joke of how Ronald Reagan actually supported trade unions just as long as they remained in Poland.  Happy Birthday Solidarity!

Andrew Sullivan on the Iraqi "The dog ate my homework" constitution:

It reveals that although the U.S. is obviously heavily present as a force for ultimate order, the Iraqis themselves are figuring out how to run their country again.

You must be watching another war Andrew, because it sure seemed to me that the problem was that the U.S. wasn't acting as a force for order, ultimate or otherwise, and that the Iraqis had no clue how to defend themselves on their own or provide electricity or water, or pump out the oil that was supposed to make the occupation "pay for itself."

The unique facts about this war are that the Potemkin villages in Iraq exist only in right-wing pundit's heads. 

Yes, we are 1 year old today.  With this post on August 26, 2004 we opened up the Iron Mouth for everything in the world.  This is post number 542.  Alas, the world as it is, politics has been our primary focus since then.  Don't worry culture hounds, we will satisfy your appetites as the situation permits. 

So what has been the best thing about the Iron Mouth?  The commenters, of course.  With a relatively low visit count, we have had lively threads, sometimes reaching over 70 comments for a single post.  Although we have a leftward tilt, we have attracted an intrepid band from other parts of the poltical landscape, people looking for more than validation of their own point of view.  These sorts are rare indeed, and we hope they continue to visit us.

For a long time, pundits of the rightist persuasion have held that our presence in Iraq attracts terrorists there, making it easier to kill them.  Pundit no. 1 on this bandwagon was Andrew Sullivan, who proudly paraded it over his website on numerous occasions.  So it was quite a surprise to see Andrew's post today entitled "The Flypaper Fallacy," even if it was only a link to Greg Djerejian's post at the Belgravia Dispatch. 

But what I don't see Djerejian or Sullivan touching on is the utter stupidity of the idea on its face.  We are allegedly attempting to create a democracy in Iraq at the same time we are attempting to draw thousands of murderous terrorists from outside the nascent democracy who are attempting to tear it down.  Didn't anyone on the right ever think of this?  Its hard enough planting the seeds of democracy in a place where it has never existed while attempting to invite thousands of people to try and pull those seeds up at the same time. 

Tommorow . . .a very special day here.