Great stuff, Pat, especially on the key difference between an 'overtopping' and a 'breach', which the mainstream media has managed to totally bury. That last comment on Ebrahim's name might strike some as a bit racist, though.

Dave

The point is not whether the president was briefed on the leevees being breached OR overrun.
Either way the water from the lake, would be in the streets of New Orleans
It is the complete lack of immediate response and the dragging of feet once they did respond, that is the issue.

Nagin is a twit, first off, trying to get reelected. He's got to try anything. As for breach vs. overtop, there is a difference and it's likely much less water would have entered had it only been overtopping. Overtopping could lead to what we witnessed, but it would've taken a much stronger hurricane to raise the lake and river level that high.

Still the response was catastrophically bad, and that finger points at all 3 levels--local, state, and federal. The feds can't escape this one. Even if you assume all the local agencies and such should be sacked, and the governor should go, you still have an impotent response from FEMA.

A recent article on TomPaine.com sums this one up in my opinion: "There's a realization going around Washington these days. It goes something like this: If an administration gets elected by saying government is bad, it follows that they will appoint people who don't care about governing. Hurricane Katrina demostrated this in spades last year."

Not caring about government is how the administration allowed a crony like Michael Brown, from the horse administration, to be in charge of a vitally important agency.

"From the times I've seen Newt Gingrich out and about the man has been anything but coy about his presidential ambitions. By me Newt has a chance to beat John McCain for the Republican nomination because so many conservatives are disgusted with "moderate" McCain."

I'd vote for John McCain (Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross, POW for 7 years) over Newt Gingrich (draft-dodger, four deferments) in a heartbeat.