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Archive Edition for   Friday, September 9, 2005Go to Current Page
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Quoted in this edition:

ABCNEWS
Ace of Spades HQ
  Ace
Althouse
  Ann Althouse
AMERICAblog
  Michael @AmericaBlog
  Joe @AmericaBlog
Amygdala
  Gary Farber
The Anchoress
  TheAnchoress
www.AndrewSullivan.com
  Andrew Sullivan
Angry Bear
  PGL
ArchPundit
  ArchPundit
Associated Press
  Lara Jakes Jordan
  Will Lester
  Don Babwin
  Gordon Adams
  Devlin Barrett
Balloon Juice
  John Cole
THE BELGRAVIA DISPATCH
  Gregory Djerejian
Betsy's Page
  Betsy Newmark
Billmon
  Billmon
The Blogging of the President
  Stirling Newberry
  Hale Stewart
Bradford Plumer
  Brad Plumer
Brendan Nyhan
  Brendan Nyhan
Captain's Quarters
  Captain Ed
CBS News
Centerfield
  Abel Rabinowitz
  Marc W. Schneider
Chronicle of the Conspiracy
  Don
CJR Daily Home
  Edward B. Colby
The Claremont Institute
  Ken Masugi
  Timothy Wheeler
CNN
The Corner
  Kathryn Jean Lopez
  Rod Dreher
  Jonah Goldberg
  John Podhoretz
corrente
  Lambert @Corrente
  Leah A
Crooked Timber
  Henry @CrookedTimber
  Belle Waring
Daily Kos
  Kos @DailyKos
  Armando @DailyKos
Daimnation!
  Damian Penny
Daly Thoughts
  Gerry Daly
Davenetics
  Dave Pell
The Decembrist
  Mark Schmitt
Demagogue
  Zoe Kentucky
Democratic Veteran
  Jo Fish
Donklephant
  Justin Gardner
ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES
  Echidne
EdCone.com
  Ed Cone
Eschaton
  Atrios
Ezra Klein
  Ezra Klein
Gateway Pundit
  Gateway Pundit
Gut Rumbles
  Acidman
The Hill
  Peter Savodnik
Hit and Run
  Jesse Walker
  Julian Sanchez
  Jacob Sullum
  Michael Young
The Huffington Post
  Arianna Huffington
  Hooman Majd
  Charlie Cray
Hullabaloo
  Digby
Instapundit.com
  Glenn Reynolds
Investor's Business Daily
Israel news and commentary from IsraPundit
  Ted Belman
Julie Saltman
  The Mock Turtle
JustOneMinute
  Tom Maguire
La Shawn Barber’s Corner
  La Shawn Barber
The Left Coaster
  Steve Soto
  Marie @LeftCoaster
Left in the West
  Matt Singer
Los Angeles Times
  James Gerstenzang
The Mahablog
  Barbara O'Brien
Majikthise
  Scott Lemieux
Making Light
  Teresa
Mark A. R. Kleiman
  Mark Kleiman
Mark in Mexico
  MarkInMexico
Media Matters for America
mediabistro
  Brian Stelter
  Garrett M. Graff
  Guest Blogger
Michelle Malkin
  Michelle Malkin
The Moderate Voice
  Michael Stickings
  Joe Gandelman
  Jonathan Singer
MSNBC
  Katrina Multimedia
  Spencer S. Hsu
MyDD
  Chris Bowers
Mystery Pollster
  Mark Blumenthal
The Nation
  Eric Alterman
National Review
  Jerry Bowyer
  John Berlau
The New Republic
  Paul Campos
New York Post
  Tom Topousis
New York Times
  Eric Lipton
  Alex Berenson
  David Stout
  Paul Krugman
  Nicholas Wade
  Peter Applebome
  Thomas L. Friedman
  Richard W. Stevenson
  Eric Lichtblau
Newsday
No More Mister Nice Blog
  Steve M.
Obsidian Wings
  Hilzoy @ObsidianWings
  Edward _
Oliver Willis
  Oliver Willis
One Hand Clapping
  Donald Sensing
Opinion Journal
  Mark Helprin
  Bobby Jindal
Outside The Beltway
  James Joyner
Patrick Ruffini '05
  Patrick Ruffini
The People's Republic of Seabrook
  Jack Cluth
Pew Research Center
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  Paula Reed Ward
PoliBlog
  Dr. Steven Taylor
PoliPundit.com
  Jayson @PoliPundit
  Alexander K. McClure
Power Line
  Paul @PowerLine
  Scott @PowerLine
PressThink
  Jay Rosen
PrestoPundit»
  Greg Ransom
ProfessorBainbridge.com
  Steve Bainbridge
protein wisdom
  Jeff Goldstein
QandO
  McQ
Rantingprofs
  Cori Dauber
RedState.org
  Pejman Yousefzadeh
Reuters
  Adam Entous
The Right Coast
  Mike Rappaport
Right Wing News
  John Hawkins
Roger L. Simon
  Roger L. Simon
Romenesko
  Jim Romenesko
San Francisco Chronicle
  Peter Fimrite
Scared Monkeys
  Scared Monkeys
Secular Blasphemy
  Jan Haugland
Signifying Nothing
  Chris Lawrence
Sirotablog
  David Sirota
skippy the bush kangaroo
  Skippy
The Spoons Experience
  Spoons
Steve Clemons
  Steve Clemons
Suburban Guerrilla
  Susie Madrak
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
  Taegan Goddard
Talking Points Memo
  Josh Marshall
TalkLeft
  Last Night
  TChris
TAPPED
  Garance Franke-Ruta
  Matthew Yglesias
»«TBogg»«
  Tbogg
Think Progress
  Judd @ThinkProgress
  Faiz @ThinkProgress
Time
Townhall.com
  Tony Snow
  Robert Novak
  Matthew Yglesias
USA Today
  Jim Watson
USS Neverdock
  Marc @USSNeverdock
The Volokh Conspiracy
  Eugene Volokh
War and Piece
  Laura Rozen
The Washington Monthly
  Kevin Drum
Washington Post
  Spencer S. Hsu
  Petula Dvorak
  Howard Kurtz
  Charles Krauthammer
  David Ignatius
  Charles Babington
  Bradley Graham
  Michael Grunwald
  William Branigin
  Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Times
  Shaun Waterman
WILLisms.com
  Will Franklin
Winds of Change.NET
  AMac
Wired News
  Joel Johnson
Wizbang
  Paul @Wizbang
  Kevin Aylward
Workbench
  Rogers Cadenhead



FEMA Chief Relieved of Katrina Duties
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being relieved of his command of the Bush administration's Hurricane Katrina onsite relief efforts, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Friday.
Joe Gandelman: Brown Is Relieved Of His Hurricane Relief Post — The other shoe —or rather, the FEMA director — has dropped in...
Kevin Drum: But perhaps this clue from the Associated Press is more meaningful: "A source close to Brown, speaking on condition of...
Scared Monkeys: According to the AP, FEMA director Michael Brown relieved of hurricane responsibilities.
Steve M.: UPDATE: Here's the AP story. Brown stays in his FEMA job, but is no longer working on Katrina recovery.
Steve Soto: Unable to admit error, Bush doesn't have the guts to fire Brown, so he is relieving him of command over the Katrina...
Lambert @Corrente: "You're doin' a heckuva job, Brownie"—faking your resumé, that is — Yep, it looks like Inerrant Boy is...
Also: John @AmericaBlog, Joe @AmericaBlog, Joshua Claybourn, Kriston @BeggingToDiffer, Zoe Kentucky, Michael Young

FEMA chief relieved of Katrina duties
  By / MSNBC   —   Permalink 
BATON ROUGE, La. - Amid harsh criticism of federal relief efforts, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff announced Friday that Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is handing over Hurricane Katrina relief duties to a Coast Guard official and returning to Washington to oversee the national office.
Jan Haugland: FEMA boss relieved of duties — FEMA boss Michael Brown has been sent back to Washington DC, where he presumably can't do too much damage.
Chris Lawrence: Brownout — Michael Brown is apparently being pushed aside at FEMA in favor of his deputy.
Edward _: Good News and Better News Friday — The good news is that FEMA Director Michael Brown is being relieved of his role in...
Kos @DailyKos: 'Brownie, you're doing a helluva job' — Well, maybe he isn't. [snipped quote] He isn't being fired, just removed from doing his job.
Last Night: (Typical!) Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen takes over. Another update: MSNBC is reporting with video that he is out.
Steve Clemons: How Many Deaths is He Responsible For? FEMA Chief Michael Brown is reportedly being relieved of his duties. It's about damned time.
Also: Jeff Jarvis, Matt Singer, Gary Farber, Glenn Reynolds, Will Baude

Cops trapped survivors in New Orleans
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
Police from surrounding jurisdictions shut down several access points to one of the only ways out of New Orleans last week, effectively trapping victims of Hurricane Katrina in the flooded and devastated city.
Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Moral Values by hilzoy From UPI: [snipped quote] *** 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy...
Jeff Goldstein: From UPI: [snipped quote] I blame Michael Brown. (h/t Glenn) Meanwhile, smiling conservative populist Trent Lott brags of his own bravery to FOXNews' Major Garrett.
John Podhoretz: In the most jaw-dropping story of the week, UPI has the police chief of Gretna, Louisiana, admitting that he closed off...
Damian Penny: But this story proves, once again (and contrary to what some people* would have you believe) that there are many people...
Teresa: Here's UPI: "We shut down the bridge," Arthur Lawson, chief of the City of Gretna Police Department, confirmed to...
Rogers Cadenhead: Two San Francisco paramedics who were staying in the French Quarter for a convention have written a first-hand account...
Also: Betsy Newmark, Glenn Reynolds, Kevin Drum, Gary Farber

FEMA director Brown recalled to Washington
  CNN   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen will replace Michael Brown, the embattled FEMA director, as the on-site head of hurricane relief operations in the Gulf Coast, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced at a news conference in Baton Rouge Friday afternoon.
Joe Gandelman: "But a source close to Brown, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the FEMA director had been considering leaving..."
Last Night: Update: It is now posted on CNN.com. CNN itself says he's history: "He wasn't the right guy for the job."
Paul @PowerLine: FEMA director Michael Brown has been recalled to Washington, D.C. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen is now in charge of the on-site Katrina relief effort.
Scared Monkeys: From CNN, "Chertoff would not allow Brown to answer a reporter's question."
James Joyner: FEMA director Brown recalled to Washington (CNN) "Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen will replace Michael Brown, the...
Dave Pell: Throwing Out the Baby with the Bayou Water — Michael Brown, who was doing a great job according to W's comments, has...

How Reliable Is Brown's Resume?
  Time   —   Permalink 
When President Bush nominated Michael Brown to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2003, Brown's boss at the time, Joe Allbaugh, declared, "the President couldn't have chosen a better man to help...prepare and protect the nation."
Jan Haugland: Luckily, it appeared Time magazine provided Bush with a good excuse by disclosing Brown had been less than honest in his resume.
Garance Franke-Ruta: I learned that Michael Brown was only a city management intern who "always had on a suit and a starched white shirt,"...
Steve Soto: This poll confirms that in a way, when you see that even with these low overall approval numbers for Bush and the...
Joe Gandelman: Add to that the most recent scandal that popped within the psat 24 hours about him allegedly padding his resume —...
La Shawn Barber: According to TIME, Brown padded his resume big time: [snipped quote] That's not the worst, only the first. Read on.
James Joyner: Katrina: FEMA Director Mike Brown's Resume — TIME magazine asks, "How Reliable Is Brown's Resume?" Apparently, not very.
Also: Judd @ThinkProgress, Damian Penny, Christy @ThinkProgress, Michael @AmericaBlog, Steve M., Joshua Claybourn, Jane Galt, Oliver Willis, Faiz @ThinkProgress, Tbogg, Jo Fish, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, Jesse Taylor, Brendan Nyhan, Matt Singer, Mark Kleiman, Betsy Newmark, Jeff Goldstein, Taegan Goddard, The Mock Turtle, Josh Marshall, Last Night, Jonah Goldberg, Soonergrunt @DailyKos, Echidne, Matt Welch, Rob @AmericaBlog, Kathryn Jean Lopez, Andrew Sullivan, ArchPundit, Dave Pell, Gary Farber, Laura Rozen, Atrios

Political Issues Snarled Plans for Military Help After Hurricane
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 - As New Orleans descended into chaos last week and Louisiana's governor asked for 40,000 soldiers, President Bush's senior advisers debated whether the president should speed the arrival of active-duty troops by seizing control of the hurricane relief mission from the governor.
Abel Rabinowitz: Some within the media are straying from the status quo and trying to ascertain facts, as evidenced by Simon's post yesterday and today's New York Times.
Josh Marshall: I'd really like to hear more about today's article in the Times about troop delays in NOLA from people who have knowledge of the relevant law and/or history.
Susie Madrak: The court system is in shambles because all their records are obliterated (so much for "law and order Republicans"), and...
Michael Young: Avoiding Insurrection — George W. Bush may have behaved like a twit after Katrina, but the New York Times is suggesting...
Damian Penny: Channelling Kos — Everybody's talking about this New York Times story, which outlines some of the jurisdictional...
Cori Dauber: "Political Issues Snarled Plans for Troop Aid."
Also: Andrew Sullivan, Laura Rozen, Gary Farber

Announcement Follows Barrage of Criticism; New Chief Is Named
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, the principal target of harsh criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, was relieved of his onsite relief command Friday.
Joe Gandelman: The AP reports: "WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being relieved...
McQ: Brown Out — I wonder what effect this will have on the baying of the wolves. Increase or diminish it?
Ezra Klein: Message: I'm In Charge — FEMA Chief Michael Brown is leaving to spend some more time with his family/the horses/people who like him.
John Cole: Brown Out, Allen In Brown replaced by Coast Guard honcho: Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael...
Jeff Goldstein: BREAKING: FEMA head Michael Brown removed from Katrina relief, recalled to Washington — Revelations over...

FEMA Chief Relieved of Katrina Command
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, the principal target of harsh criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, was relieved of his onsite relief command Friday.

Earlier, Brown confirmed the switch.
Joe Gandelman: Add to that questions about his qualifications (his background with a horse organization made him seem most qualified to...
Jo Fish: BrownOut — Was it the power of the press? Or just hoist on his own petard of marginal competance? Brown? Gone.
James Joyner: Update: FEMA Chief Relieved of Katrina Command (AP) "Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is...
Laura Rozen: From the AP: "Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing...

Coast Guard admiral assumes Katrina relief responsibilities
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being relieved of his command of the Bush administration's Hurricane Katrina onsite relief efforts, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Friday.
Skippy: usatoady: brown is being sent back to washington from baton rouge, where he was the primary official overseeing the...
Michelle Malkin: Via USAToday/AP: "FEMA, the federal government's lead disaster management agency, has been accused of poor planning, a...

Iraq hurt Katrina response, general says
  AP   —   Permalink 
BAY ST. LOUIS, Mississippi (AP) — The deployment of thousands of National Guard troops from Mississippi and Louisiana in Iraq when Hurricane Katrina struck hindered those states' initial storm response, military and civilian officials said Friday.
Kevin Drum: KATRINA AND IRAQ...From CNN today: [snipped quote] To be honest, I don't consider this a very strong argument against...
Steve Bainbridge: Iraq and Katrina — Remember when I said George Bush was pissing away the concervative moment by his mishandling of the Iraq war and its aftermath?

In Poll, Most Say Abandon Flooded Areas
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than half the people in this country say the flooded areas of New Orleans lying below sea level should be abandoned and rebuilt on higher ground.
An AP-Ipsos poll found that 54 percent of Americans want the vast sections of New Orleans that were flooded by Hurricane Katrina moved to a safer location.
Mark Blumenthal: Katrina: AP-IPSOS and More from SUSA — Two news polls today on the response to Hurricane Katrina: another one-night...
Glenn Reynolds: NOT SO EASY ON THE BIG EASY: [snipped quote] "But the fourth one stayed up!"
Joe @AmericaBlog: AP-Ipsos: Bush approval at 39% Lowest so far: "President Bush's job approval was at 39 percent, the lowest point since...
Greg Ransom: A majority of American's don't want the N.O. death trap rebuilt — Americans don't want to put more lives at risk by rebuilding the parts of New Orleans which lie below sea level.
Josh Marshall: AP: "President — "Bush's job approval was at 39 percent, the first time it has dipped below 40 percent since AP-Ipsos began measuring public approval of Bush in December 2003."

Leaders Lacking Disaster Experience
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their posts with virtually no experience in handling disasters and now lead an agency whose ranks of seasoned crisis managers have thinned dramatically since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Glenn Reynolds: CRONYISM AT FEMA: "Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their posts with virtually...
Laura Rozen: "Check out this front-pager from the WaPo."
TChris: Look who's left in senior FEMA management: "Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to...
Jeff Goldstein: As it is , I hope he's having a few extra belts of Glenlivet, or at the very least inviting a lovely young escort to...
John Cole: In addition, the WaPo has another piece about the backgrounds of top FEMA officials: Five of eight top Federal...
Stirling Newberry: Five Facts about FEBAR 1. FEMA has been hackpacked and there has been a brain drain.
Also: Kevin Drum, Brad Plumer, Frederick Maryland, Justin Gardner, Josh Marshall, ArchPundit, John @AmericaBlog

Flight 93 marker design picked
  By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — It will serve as a living tribute. With each wind, each breeze, a set of chimes housed in a 93-foot tower will create a different song in memory of the 40 people who sacrificed their lives trying to save the lives of others.
Captain Ed: In what seems to be a typical case of cluelessness among memorial designers, the site will prominently feature the...
Justin Gardner: From the story: "Four years after United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a reclaimed strip mine near Shanksville,...
Michelle Malkin: FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL: CONTROVERSY ***scroll down for updates*** The Flight 93 Memorial design, titled "The Crescent of Embrace," was unveiled this week.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: WHERE'S CAIR ON THIS? Have you seen the plans for the Flight 93 memorial, "Crescent of Embrace"?

Political Issues Snarled Plans for Military Help After Storm
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 - As New Orleans descended into chaos last week and Louisiana's governor asked for 40,000 soldiers, President Bush's senior advisers debated whether the president should speed the arrival of active-duty troops by seizing control of the hurricane relief mission from the governor.
Rod Dreher: That said, I was startled to see a quote from a "senior administration official" in a Times story today, explaining why...
Jeff Goldstein: "Political Issues Snarled Plans for Troop Aid" — From The New York Times: "As New Orleans descended into chaos last...

The Over-Responders
  By / Townhall.com   —   Permalink 
Hurricane Katrina not only covered New Orleans in toxic goo, it also flushed out a large, vocal and potentially pestilential cadre of First Over-Responders.
Rep. Bob Wexler set the stage just minutes after the first levee burst by accusing President Bush of gross incompetence.
Michelle Malkin: Question #1: Does this make President Bush a member of the "bed-wetting right," too?
McQ: Quote of the Day — It comes from Tony Snow, who blasts the extremists of both the left and right who've done their...

Oil for Food as Usual
  Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
"The scandal, quote, unquote, is, in my view, nonsense." Thus did Denis Halliday, a former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, opine in November 2004 on the U.N.'s Oil for Food program.
Roger L. Simon: From today's WSJ editorial on the Volcker Comittee Report... Oil for Food offered a lifeline of cash and influence to a regime that was starving its people.
Ted Belman: The Security Council is to blame — Opinion Journal of WSJ takes a look at the Volcker Report on Oil for Food Scam and...
Mike Rappaport: Oil for Food — The Wall Street Journal explains the nature and significance of the Scandal.
Scott @PowerLine: Coincidentally, the lead editorial in the Wall Street Journal bears on a related point: "Oil for food as usual."
Betsy Newmark: The Wall Street Journal blasts the U.N. and the oil for food scandal.
Glenn Reynolds: UNSCAM UPDATE: The Wall Street Journal editorializes: [snipped quote] Indeed.

A dubious resume
  Newsday   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — New questions surfaced yesterday about whether the White House inflated FEMA chief Michael Brown's past work experience when he took over the agency, where several of the most senior managers bring little or no disaster-response experience to their posts, including Brown.
Mark Schmitt: They made the appointment with a total lack of interest in any qualification other than loyalty, and as this article suggests, may have been complicit in the exaggeration.
Kevin Drum: Meanwhile, in other Mike Brown news, Newsday reports on yet another piece of resume padding from his 2003 nomination to head FEMA.

Embattled FEMA Chief Removed From Hurricane Relief Efforts
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Michael Brown, the embattled head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was removed today from a direct role in running the relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, announced.
Kevin Drum: On the contrary: "The department said Brown was returning to Washington to manage FEMA's national operations because it is still hurricane season."
Echidne: Quasi-Firing — Michael Brown has been quasi-fired from his FEMA job: [snipped quote] Why wasn't he kicked out on his arse?

Fewer Bodies Than Expected Found in Sweeps
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
NEW ORLEANS - Authorities said Friday that their first systematic sweep of the city found far fewer bodies than expected, suggesting that Hurricane Katrina's death toll may not be the catastrophic 10,000 feared.

Ebbert declined to give a new estimate of the dead.
Josh Marshall: And this morning there's this off the AP wire: [snipped quote] Obviously, the numbers are certain to be horrific even if they're far less than 10,000 dead.
Don: THIS WAS INEVITABLE — Suddenly we're getted guided down in Katrina New Orleans death toll expectations.
Edward _: The better news is that initial sweeps of New Orleans revealed far fewer dead bodies than was previously estimated

Almost 5 Million Serving
  By / NRO   —   Permalink 
Let's call it Bowyer's Law: The emphasis that the mainstream media give to unemployment while a Republican is in the White House is directly proportional to the rate of unemployment.
Will Franklin: America's Resilient Economy. The American economy is powerful, and resilient, both as a rule, and today specifically.
PGL: Unemployment: Bowyer's Law — More proof that the only thing the National Review cares about is excusing the failures of...

Police made their storm misery worse
  San Francisco Chronicle   —   Permalink 
Larry Bradshaw and Lorrie Beth Slonsky, two San Francisco paramedics trapped in New Orleans for five days last week, have a different story to tell than many of the tales that have come out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Skippy: the john carpenter film we'd like to see: escape from n'awlins via atrios who linked us to workbench, we find this...
Belle Waring: The Gretna Police Chief (Chief B.H. Miller, UPDATE: Arthur Lawson, guilty as charged.) ? The mayor (Ronnie Harris)?

Tight Constraints on Pentagon's Freedom Walk
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Organizers of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial Freedom Walk on Sunday are taking extraordinary measures to control participation in the march and concert, with the route fenced off and lined with police and the event closed to anyone who does not register online by 4:30 p.m. today.
Zoe Kentucky: How the Bush Administration Celebrates Freedom — Sunday's 9/11 absurdly-named "America Supports You Freedom Walk" is...
Atrios: Freedom — Bush Style: Organizers of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial Freedom Walk on Sunday are taking extraordinary...
Julian Sanchez: Ah, Freedom — You can't script this stuff: "Organizers of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial Freedom Walk on Sunday are...
Matthew Yglesias: The Pentagon's planned "freedom walk" to commemorate September 11 on Sunday seems to involve precious little freedom, as Atrios notes.
Gary Farber: WHAT THE HELL IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RIGHT TO ASSEMBLE coming to in this country?
Cori Dauber: You Make the Call — Look at the security measures put into place for the memorial walk the Pentagon is sponsoring...
Also: Chris @AmericaBlog

Holdouts on Dry Ground Say, 'Why Leave Now?'
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 8 - Ten days ago, the water rose to the front steps of their house. Four days ago, it began falling. But only now is the city demanding that Richie Kay and Emily Harris get out.
Addie Hall and Zackery Bowen prepared dinner in a darkened New Orleans Wednesday night.
Laura Rozen: It's hard not to admire these people, as crazy as they are. And maybe the need to evacuate at this point is overblown?
Gary Farber: How very traditional: [snipped quote] Also: [snipped quote] Read The Rest Scale: 3 out of 5 for more on the holdout/evacuation issue.
Ann Althouse: Don't you kind of love the holdouts? Don't you feel as though you've already seen a movie about them?
Jacob Sullum: High Ground in New Orleans — A New York Times story about New Orleans residents who don't want to leave the city...

Announcement Follows Barrage of Criticism; New Chief Is Named
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 - Michael D. Brown, the embattled head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, today was relieved of his duties overseeing recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announcing the decision to send Michael Brown, the FEMA chief, back to Washington.
Last Night: Another update: MSNBC is reporting with video that he is out. The NY Times take on it. "Brownie, you're doin' a heck of a job."
Gary Farber: TIME TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH THE FAMILY. Heh.

Discrepancies Found on FEMA Chief's History
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, The Associated Press has learned.
Related How Reliable Is Brown's Resume?
Photos from a devastated region.
Faiz @ThinkProgress: Brown Wants a Stiff Drink — Michael Brown, you just failed to prepare the federal government for one of the greatest...
Judd @ThinkProgress: FEMA Director Michael Brown "is being removed
The Mock Turtle: Anyone else have a problem with that? Update: The Times has picked up the story.

Standing in the Way Of a Good Story
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
When NBC anchor Brian Williams and his crew were trying to take pictures of a National Guard unit securing a Brooks Brothers shop in downtown New Orleans, a sergeant blocked the footage by ordering them to the other side of Canal Street.
Brian Stelter: Aftermath: Reporters Face Restrictions — Howard Kurtz: "When NBC anchor Brian Williams and his crew were trying to take...
Jesse Walker: Don't Worry, We've Still Got the Third Amendment — Howard Kurtz has done a decent column about the restrictions on reporters covering Katrina.
Laura Rozen: Howard Kurtz on journalist run ins with officials trying to restrict access.
Jay Rosen: From Deference to Outrage: Katrina and the Press — Spine is always good, rage is sometimes needed, and empathy can often reveal the story.
Jim Romenesko: Journalists criticize media access restrictions in New Orleans — Washington Post NBC's Brian Williams, who had a run-in...

Political Issues Snarled Plans for Troop Aid
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 - As New Orleans descended into chaos last week and Louisiana's governor asked for 40,000 soldiers, President Bush's senior advisers debated whether the president should speed the arrival of active-duty troops by seizing control of the hurricane relief mission from the governor.
TheAnchoress: Do you want to blame President Bush for not doing enough to bring relief workers and the military into Louisiana...
John Cole: More on the Katrina Fall-Out First up, the NY Times, discussing the problems between federal and state coordination: ...
McQ: But let's examine the present case study to figure out why that's just dumb: "As New Orleans descended into chaos last...
Digby: As the chairmen of the 9/11 commission said yesterday: [snipped quote] Josh Marshall has a full rundown on the various...
Belle Waring: I have seen nothing to convince me that she has been at all competent in dealing with this catastrophe.
James Joyner: Political Issues Snarled Plans for Troop Aid (NYT) "As New Orleans descended into chaos last week and Louisiana's...
Also: Venkat @BeggingToDiffer, ArchPundit, Glenn Reynolds, Kevin Aylward, Greg Ransom, Andrew Sullivan, Kathryn Jean Lopez, Harry Shearer, Alcibiades @KesherTalk, Jonah Goldberg, Tom Maguire, Josh Marshall

Advance Men in Charge
  NYT   —   Permalink 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced this week that it didn't want the news media taking photographs of the dead in New Orleans. A FEMA spokeswoman talked unconvincingly about the dignity of the dead.
Edward B. Colby: Today, a New York Times editorial slammed the FEMA leadership, writing that "It's not really all that surprising that...
Michael @AmericaBlog: The lead NYT editorial blasts the cronyism at FEMA, its emphasis on pr instead of rescuing the endangered and points out...
Lambert @Corrente: Unbelievable? All too believable? NOTE And why the f**k is this fine reporting on the Times editorial page? WTF?
Susie Madrak: Think of how much more effective- and cheaper - this could have been if experienced people had been at the helm.
Tbogg: New York Times breaks the snark barrier — Ouch: Michael Brown was made the director after he was asked to resign from...
Laura Rozen: Advance men in charge of FEMA.
Also: Echidne

A Barrier That Could Have Been
  LAT   —   Permalink 
Congress OKd a project to protect New Orleans 40 years ago, but an environmentalist suit halted it. Some say it could have worked.
In the wake of Hurricane Betsy 40 years ago, Congress approved a massive hurricane barrier to protect New Orleans from storm surges that could inundate the city.
Steve Bainbridge: The LA Times quasi-buried this story on page 10, but at least they reported it: [snipped quote] The group in question is called Save Our Wetlands.
Gary Farber: Perhaps, but, then, I really don't know the opposing issues, so I'm reserving judgment for now. But read about the case for it.
Ken Masugi: Might the environmentalist movement be to blame for halting construction of a barrier?

On New Orleans' dark streets, patrols assume the worst
  By / San Francisco Chronicle   —   Permalink 
New Orleans — I did not actually count the number of automatic weapons pointed at me, but there were at least five, and I was certain they were all locked and loaded, or whatever that military phrase is signifying that a gun is ready to blow a hole in somebody.
Jim Romenesko: Newsman has tense confrontation with New Orleans police — San Francisco Chronicle Peter Fimrite figures there were at...
Laura Rozen: From Romenesko: "Newsman has tense confrontation with New Orleans police San Francisco Chronicle Peter Fimrite figures...

Where to Point the Fingers
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
In less enlightened times there was no catastrophe independent of human agency. When the plague or some other natural disaster struck, witches were burned, Jews were massacred and all felt better (except the witches and Jews).
Donald Sensing: I agree with Charles Krauthammer that Mr. Brown was "late, slow and in way over his head" in coping with Katrina.
John Cole: Krauthammer's View Charles Krauthammer pens a piece that will have people talking (or, as it is here, yelling at each...
Greg Ransom: UPDATE II: Krauthammer nails the Governor of Louisiana: "It's her job to call up the National Guard and get it to where it has to go.
Michael Stickings: Krauthammer on Katrina I rarely quote him, and I find much of his work quite objectionable, but Charles Krauthammer has a must-read column in today's Washington Post.
TheAnchoress: Good for him, says I. Charles Krauthammer also has some straightforward words that some won't like.
MarkInMexico: Dr. Charles Krauthammer cuts through the fog of recriminations to lay the blame for the continuing nightmare in New Orleans at the feet of those most responsible.
Also: Betsy Newmark

Point Those Fingers
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
To understand the history of the Bush administration's response to disaster, just follow the catchphrases.
First, look at 2001 Congressional testimony by Joseph Allbaugh, President Bush's first pick to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Lambert @Corrente: Katrina: The shrill one — Politicizing: Maybe I'm confused.
TChris: Blame Is Not A Game — Paul Krugman: "It might make sense to hold off on the criticism if this were the first big...
Susie Madrak: Keep Pointing Those Fingers Krugman: All that's missing from the Katrina story is an expensive reconstruction...

Brain May Still Be Evolving, Studies Hint
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Two genes involved in determining the size of the human brain have undergone substantial evolution in the last 60,000 years, researchers say, leading to the surprising suggestion that the brain is still undergoing rapid evolution.
Andrew Sullivan: The name escapes me ... BAD NEWS FOR MOST EVANGELICALS: Humans are still evolving - and at quite a brisk pace, according to new research.
Ann Althouse: The human brain is evolving rapidly, some scientists think: [snipped quote] Oh, no. One dreads reading on.

President Faces Series of Challenges
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
Washington Post associate editor Robert G. Kaiser was online Friday, Sept. 9, at noon ET to discuss the current issues challenging President Bush , from the Supreme Court to Hurricane Katrina to the war in Iraq.
The transcript follows.
Albany, N.Y.
Jim Romenesko: Will WP's Kaiser ever rise to "a more reputable position"?
Josh Marshall: Bob Kaiser thinks they should look into it ... [snipped quote] From an online Q&A this morning at the Post website.

A compassionate Bush was absent right after Katrina
  By / USA Today   —   Permalink 
The most stirring image of Bush's presidency came when he spontaneously grabbed a bullhorn at Ground Zero and vowed retribution against 9/11 terrorists. Tears filled his eyes when he took the oath of office in 2001, and he has wept publicly when talking about U.S. troops slain in battle and his respect for his father.
Skippy: personally, we'd finish the sentence like this: in the event of a major natural disaster, the federal government should...
Joe @AmericaBlog: "Detached and Unaware" — Yep, that's our President...I'd say this is accurate: "But there's another side to Bush.
Taegan Goddard: But those qualities eluded him for days after Hurricane Katrina, and the lapse could become a defining moment of his White House tenure," USA Today reports.

A Legal System in Shambles
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
BATON ROUGE, La., Sept. 8 - At Rapides Parish Detention Center 3 in Alexandria, which normally holds convicted felons, there are now 200 new inmates who arrived hot, hungry and exhausted on buses this week after being evacuated from flooded jails in New Orleans.
John Cole: Legal Problems Another effect of the hurricane I hadn't really thought about otherthan what they were going to do with...
Gary Farber: LEGAL CHAOS. I was expecting this to be the case: [snipped quote] The whole thing is worth reading.

Fault Lines
  Investor's Business Daily   —   Permalink 
Katrina: Hillary Clinton says FEMA was more effective when her husband was president. The victims of Hurricane Floyd might venture a different opinion, and it wasn't FEMA that kept supplies from the Superdome.
It obviously was rejected by this administration."
Don: Josh points to an Investors Business Daily story that says, Just ask the tens of thousands of people left stranded up and down the Eastern Seaboard by Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
Glenn Reynolds: INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY says that FEMA has never been fast: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing, which suggests that today's problems aren't an aberration, but part of a pattern.
Paul @PowerLine: Diana also points out that federal responders were on the ground in force within 48 hours after the flooding began, which is a rapid response by historical standards.

Colin Powell on Iraq, Race, and Hurricane Relief
  ABCNEWS   —   Permalink 
Sept. 8, 2005 — In 35 years of service as a soldier, Colin Powell earned a reputation as the quintessential disciplined warrior. As secretary of state in President Bush's first term, Powell was widely seen as a disciplined, moderate — and loyal — voice for the administration.
Jo Fish: Apparently, Colin Powell now feels really, really bad about his performance at the UN before the invasion of Iraq.
Dave Pell: It's The (lack of) Economy, Stupid — Colin Powell on Katrina: [snipped quote] Does it ever seem like only former...

Bush's power to detain US enemy combatant upheld
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush has the power to detain Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen who has been held in a South Carolina military brig for more than three years as a suspected enemy combatant without any charges, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday.
Jayson @PoliPundit: But at the Circuit Court level, and East of the Ninth Circus, they practice judging, not social engineering or left-wing activism.
Michelle Malkin: BUSH VICTORY ON U.S. ENEMY COMBATANTS — Just in over the last hour via Breitbart/AP: [snipped quote] WaPo/Reuters coverage here.

The Party of Performance
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
In the aftermath of Katrina, there's an opening for a different kind of politics in America. The new politics isn't about values; it isn't about settling scores. It's about performance. It's about putting a wounded, shaken country back on its feet, much as Franklin Delano Roosevelt did in his famous First Hundred Days.
Matthew Yglesias: To wit, David Ignatius' praise of Gingrich for the latter's recognition that screwing things up all the time is poor...
Kevin Drum: POSTSCRIPT: In a somewhat different way, David Ignatius makes the same point today: "This is the moment for the Party of Performance to take center stage.
Laura Rozen: Changing the playbook?
Armando @DailyKos: Gingrich: "The Values Fight Is Over" — WaPo Op-Ed Column: [snipped quote] What is Gingrich REALLY saying here?
Andrew Sullivan: Newt Gingrich, getting it.

After Katrina fiasco, time for Bush to go
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - The disastrous federal response to Katrina exposes a record of incompetence, misjudgment and ideological blinders that should lead to serious doubts that the Bush administration should be allowed to continue in office.
Garance Franke-Ruta: Sometimes I think Bush's critics (and here I am speaking broadly, and not about Kevin or Sam) are so obsessed by a...
AMac: The Army?—can't do any better than this!?" read the rest! » The Baltimore Sun's position is exemplified by Gordon...

'They Are All So Wrong'
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
September 11 was not so much a discrete event as part of a continuum. It was the result of broad strategic failures that, preceding it by decades, continue to this day and are likely to continue on.
Ted Belman: "They are all so wrong"—WSJ — Four years after 9/11, Washington keeps courting strategic error.
Andrew Sullivan: QUOTE FOR THE DAY II: [snipped quote] - Mark Helprin, today. A very astute piece, I'd say.

Found in the Flood
  By / The Nation   —   Permalink 
The New Orleans flood produced a dizzying array of images both striking and shocking, but what was perhaps most unusual about them was the return to American television screens and newspaper front pages of poor people in a manner that was neither condescending nor condemnatory.
Jim Romenesko: > "While MSNBC played far above its usual batting average, it was CNN whose aggressive and impassioned reporting...
Brian Stelter: CNN's "aggressive and impassioned reporting provided the biggest surprise and offered perhaps the finest coverage in the network's history," Eric Alterman writes in The Nation.

CIA leak probe may be nearing end
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York Times reporter Judith Miller, locked up for refusing to reveal who told her a covert CIA operative's name in a probe that may be nearing a conclusion, works part time at the jail laundry helping clean fellow inmates' green jumpsuits and dirty linens.
Jim Romenesko: Is NYT's Miller hammering out a deal with Fitzgerald?
Garrett M. Graff: Is jail getting old? The Reuters story yesterday certainly leaves some wiggle room.

New Orleans and Baghdad
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Memo to: Iraq's Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni leaders.
From: An American friend.
Dear Sirs: As someone who really wishes you well, I am writing to give you my best sense of how the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is going to affect the U.S. mission in Iraq.
Hooman Majd: Hooman Majd: Baghdad Bayou — It took Thomas Friedman of the New York Times less than two weeks to offer possibly the worst, if not most offensive, analogy for hurricane Katrina.
Ed Cone: Reading Friedman for Greensboro — Reading Friedman for Greensboro...Today, we feel a little better about the N&R...

Leader Who Rose in 9/11 Slips in Wake of Storm
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 - Nine days after the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush stood before a joint session of Congress and rallied the nation to a new mission.
Taegan Goddard: The New York Times says the hurricane left Bush "groping to find his voice" in a situation very different from the terrorist attacks.
Dr. Steven Taylor: As such, I think that the following piece from the the NYT makes some very valid points: Leader Who Rose in 9/11 Slips...

Cost of Recovery Surges, as Do Bids to Join in Effort
  NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 - With Congress primed to spend billions of dollars on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, lawmakers and industry groups are lining up to bring home their share of the cascade of money for rebuilding and relief.
Justin Gardner: I understand that we need to make sure we're not grossly overpaying people, but given that we appropriated $87 billion...
Gary Farber: THE COSTS are going to be spectacular.
Mark Kleiman: $100 billion for Katrina: policy analysis and politics The Federal government is expected to spend $100 billion on disaster relief and reconstrucution in the wake of Katrina.

Bush Pledges Aid for 'Long Haul'
  LAT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — President Bush on Thursday promised the hundreds of thousands displaced by Hurricane Katrina that the government would be with them "for the long haul," and Congress voted to provide $51.8 billion in emergency funds to finance the relief and reconstruction programs.
Brad Plumer: (But workers, don't get too excited: the president also suspended the 'prevailing wage' laws for reconstruction.
Gary Farber: BECAUSE IN A DISASTER, YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE PAID LESS. That's the compassionately conservative way.
Kevin Drum: How about some more union busting? [snipped quote] It's a good thing we have a president who doesn't believe in playing politics, isn't it?

Teams find New Orleans holdouts wavering
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — More stragglers seemed willing to flee the filthy water and stench of death Thursday as increasingly insistent rescuers made what may be their last peaceful pass through swamped New Orleans before using force.
Jack Cluth: Concern over toxic water grows Damn, eventually people will have to start drinking beer…hey, you say that like it's a bad thing….
Billmon: But last night I came across an account of the search for real bodies — not metaphorical ones — in the stinking ruins of New Orleans.

Partisan Rancor Accompanies Passage of Disaster Aid Bill
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Democrats sharpened their criticism of the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina yesterday, refusing to participate in a Republican-controlled investigative panel and displaying a photo in the Senate of the president strumming a guitar the day New Orleans was inundated.
Leah A: Finger Pointing Crises: Ken Mehlman Is On The Case — And the case he is on is the one about keeping as much information...
Kevin Drum: Already, last week's images are fading, media outrage is in decline, and the Republican counterattack appears to have...
Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: The Amazing Self-Refuting Talking Point by hilzoy From the Washington Post: [snipped quote] This is actually quite funny.
Brendan Nyhan: Tom DeLay is one classy guy — Here's Tom DeLay's classy response to Nancy Pelosi's refusal to appoint Democrats to a...

FEMA leaders lack disaster experience
  By / MSNBC   —   Permalink 
Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their posts with virtually no experience in handling disasters and now lead an agency whose ranks of seasoned crisis managers have thinned dramatically since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Tbogg: Bring back the adults — Children at the controls... Posted by Picasa Besides the obvious, what is wrong with FEMA: Five...
Gary Farber: FIVE OF EIGHT. Yes, at FEMA. [snipped quote] So, you're feeling reassured now, right? Read The Rest Scale: 0 out of 5.
Oliver Willis: UPDATE: FEMA leaders lack disaster experience Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to...

Bush lifts wage rules for Katrina
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush issued an executive order Thursday allowing federal contractors rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to pay below the prevailing wage.
Justin Gardner: So first, the Congress just approved over 50 BILLION in relief aid, but now Bush is telling contractors that they can pay people less to rescue and recover New Orleans.
Echidne: And Still More Unrescue — This made me really angry, not that everything else hasn't already.
Hale Stewart: CNN Link Permalink Hale Stewart - Comments (17)
Marie @LeftCoaster: Money-CNN"
Barbara O'Brien: Sold Down the River — Via Hale Stewart at BOP News, CNN reports: [snipped quote] Yeah, who in Louisiana needs money in...

Some Urge Greater Use of Troops in Major Disasters
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
The breakdown of local and state agencies that tried to respond to Hurricane Katrina has spurred fresh debate about whether disasters of such magnitude ought to be turned over to the U.S. military and other federal authorities to manage at the outset.
Cori Dauber: More Damn Excuses — The Post has an article that asks whether there should be a larger role for the military in major disasters.
Greg Ransom: And a debate started here a week ago about the importance of establishing the legality for a lead Federal role in...

With Rove heading to N.D., GOP hopes Hoeven can be coaxed into Senate race
  By / The Hill   —   Permalink 
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove is planning to travel to North Dakota later this month to rally GOP activists and, Republicans hope, persuade Gov. John Hoeven (R) to challenge Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) next year.
Alexander K. McClure: 2006 North Dakota Senate Race — Republicans are stepping up the pressure on North Dakota Governor John Hoeven to challenge Democratic incumbent Senator Kent Conrad.
Gerry Daly: , GOP hopes Hoeven can be coaxed into Senate race The Hill: [snipped quote] The political lay of the land will be a lot clearer by then in any case.

Legal Brief
  By / TNR   —   Permalink 
By now, the basic contours of Mike Brown's ascendancy to director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (fema) have come to light. Journalists have uncovered that Brown had almost no relevant experience for the position and got hired by fema because he was a longtime friend of George W. Bush's close associate Joe Allbaugh.
Scott Lemieux: "After the lies spread about Brownie by people who despise this country, we carefully scrutinized the credentials of all viable candidates, and Andy just knocked us out.
Damian Penny: But when you read Paul Campos' absolutely devastating profile of Brown in The New Republic, it's almost impossible to...
Gregory Djerejian: The "tonic of honest accountability" starts with Exhibit A—he of the Arabian Horse judgeships.
Henry @CrookedTimber: But as Paul Campos observes today this logic cuts both ways - manifestly unqualified candidates can land plum positions...
Kevin Drum: For the full story, go first to Eric Umansky, who excerpts a Time investigation of Brown's early years (circa 1975-81),...
Brendan Nyhan: Brown is out — Finally, after reports from The New Republic and Time about his weak/inflated resume, Michael Brown is out.
Also: Matt Singer, Dr. Steven Taylor, Gary Farber, Last Night, Josh Marshall, Andrew Sullivan, Tom @Corrente, ArchPundit, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings

Money Flowed to Questionable Projects
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Before Hurricane Katrina breached a levee on the New Orleans Industrial Canal, the Army Corps of Engineers had already launched a $748 million construction project at that very location. But the project had nothing to do with flood control.
TheAnchoress: You want to complain about distribution of government monies in order to fortify levees, well…then you have to...
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Myth Shattering — We learn from this story that contrary to popular opinion, Louisiana not only received its share of...
Gateway Pundit: This post from Instapundit and the Washington Times today divulges that it wasn't the money that was going into the...
Brad Plumer: Misguided and self-interested congressional spending, after all, is partly how New Orleans got into this mess in the first place.
Damian Penny: Where the money went — A story in The Washington Post provides some perspective on the controversy over funding cuts to...
Donald Sensing: ALL of the suffering is Bush's fault, not the hurricane's result, not the incredible incompetence of the New Orleans...
Also: Mark Schmitt, Steve Soto, Jeff Goldstein, Orin Kerr, Will Collier, MarkInMexico, Michelle Malkin, Tim Graham, James Joyner, Glenn Reynolds, David Bernstein, Gary Farber, Dr. Steven Taylor, Marc @USSNeverdock, Betsy Newmark, Joshua Claybourn, Nick Gillespie, Ken Masugi

Huge Racial Divide Over Katrina and Its Consequences
  Pew Research Center   —   Permalink 
The American public is highly critical of President Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Two-in-three Americans (67%) believe he could have done more to speed up relief efforts, while just 28% think he did all he could to get them going quickly.
Chris Bowers: A Pattern Has Formed — AP-Ipsos: "President Bush's job approval was at 39 percent, the first time it has dipped below...
Brian Stelter: Aftermath: CNN Makes "Greatest Gains" In Viewership, Pew Says — "As occurred after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and...
John Hawkins: Seniors Die In Beds; Troops Find Beaten Bodies In Convention Centre's Freezer" "Over The Five Years Of President Bush's...
Guest Blogger: Most of Pew's respondents look favorably upon the media's treatment and coverage of Katrina: [snipped quote] The full Pew study is worth a bit of your perusing time today.
Steve Soto: Pew Poll Shows That Even The GOP Thinks Bush Hasn't Done Enough — In today's events, I didn't have a chance to look...
Gary Farber: So here is the latest Pew survey; Pew is the poller I tend to distrust least, much as I find polls inaccurate, at best...
Also: Mark Blumenthal, Jerome Armstrong, Josh Marshall, Taegan Goddard, James Joyner

New Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes
  NYT   —   Permalink 
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 8 - Waters were receding across this flood-beaten city today as police officers began confiscating weapons, including legally registered firearms, from civilians in preparation for a mass forced evacuation of the residents still living here.
Jack Cluth: New Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes OK, so NOW what are people supposed to do for entertainment.
Gary Farber: IT'S ALL A PLOT TO DESTROY THE 2ND AMENDMENT, I tell you.
Spoons: I hope Louisiana authorities reconsider their ill-advised plans to confiscate lawfully-owned guns from hurricane survivors.
Acidman: So how do they respond NOW, way too late? They want to confiscate guns, of course. Bejus. Who's giving them such orders?
Eugene Volokh: Constitutions and Emergencies: The New York Times reports: [snipped quote] Note, though, that the Louisiana Constitution, art.
Glenn Reynolds: NEW ORLEANS: WE CAN'T PROTECT YOU FROM LOOTERS — but we can confiscate your guns! Unless you're hired security for rich people.
Also: Perry de Havilland

Deadly Bureaucracy
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
BATON ROUGE, La.—Over the past few days, America has been both moved and disturbed by television footage of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. But for those of us in Louisiana still struggling to cope, the troubling images are of opportunistic politicians playing the blame game while there is so much real work to do.
McQ: Red Tape and common sense — Bobby Jindal, a congressman from Louisiana, points to some of the problems he's heard about...
Timothy Wheeler: Cam & Company Cover Katrina — NRANews.com has been all over the stories out of the Gulf Coast, including referencing...
Pejman Yousefzadeh: "Deadly Bureaucracy" — Congressman Bobby Jindal from Louisiana blows the lid off the claim that larger government will...
Steve Bainbridge: Second, Congressman Bobby Jindal reports on how red tape has interfered with efforts to aid his constituents: "There...
MarkInMexico: Main Page Private companies responded in early hours Rep. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, writing in the WSJ, says that...
Gary Farber: BOBBY JINDAL, THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN from Louisiana, after some boilerplate about how we mustn't finger-point,...
Also: Glenn Reynolds, Radley Balko, Rich Lowry

CBS Poll: Blame All Around
  CBS News   —   Permalink 
(CBS) Americans think the response to Hurricane Katrina was inadequate, and spread the blame around all levels of government. President George W. Bush finds disapproval on his handling of the matter, too — and the public now shows diminished confidence in his...
Jonathan Singer: I wonder what that says about the direction the Democratic Party needs to go in*... CBS News also finds widespread...
Steve Soto: Along those lines, the Survey USA daily tracking poll taken on Wednesday, again in the middle of Rove's blame the...
Matthew Yglesias: If Only The Czar Knew — There's some striking stuff in this CBS poll on Katrina. 58 percent disapprove of Bush's handling of the hurricane, and just 38 percent approve.
Mark Blumenthal: The results are remarkably similar to the CBS News poll released this morning that was also conducted Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
Garance Franke-Ruta: There is no reason on earth that his Katrina response approval rating had to sink to 38 percent, as it has in the latest...
Taegan Goddard: A new CBS poll has similar results, showing 58% of Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of the disaster and just 38% approving.
Also: Andrew Sullivan, Oliver Willis, Atrios, Armando @DailyKos

Democrats' anti-Bush petition also seeks political contributions
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — A new Democratic effort to whip up indignation about the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina also tried to raise money for Democratic candidates.
John Cole: And the games continue: A new Democratic effort to whip up indignation about the Bush administration's handling of...
Roger L. Simon: This one, of course, is something of a new low.
Kevin Aylward: Democrats Caught Using Hurricane Katrina As A Fundraising Tool — The Associated Press catches Democrats using Hurricane...
Marc @USSNeverdock: Newsday reports on the Democrats attempts to use the Katrina disaster to raise funds for the party.

Berger to Pay $50,000 Fine for Taking Papers
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge on Thursday ordered Sandy Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser, to pay a $50,000 fine for illegally taking classified documents from the National Archives.
John Cole: A fine: A judge on Thursday ordered Sandy Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser, to pay a $50,000 fine...
Dr. Steven Taylor: Berger to Pay $50k Fine — VIa the AP/NYT: Berger to Pay $50,000 Fine for Taking Papers "A judge on Thursday ordered...
Glenn Reynolds: SANDY BERGER UPDATE: [snipped quote] Bizarre, indeed. (Via The Corner).
Gary Farber: SANDY BERGER SENTENCED today. [snipped quote] He was stupid and irresponsible, and the punishment is just; disregard for the security of classified material is a serious thing.
ArchPundit: Of Other Trainwrecks — Can someone, anyone explain why Sandy Berger can theoretically get access to classified documents ever again?
Jonah Goldberg: THAT'S A LITTLE BETTER — Sandy Burglar's fine upped to fifty grand.

CIA leak probe may be nearing end game: lawyers
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York Times reporter Judith Miller, locked up for refusing to reveal who told her a covert CIA operative's name in a probe that may be nearing a conclusion, works part time at the jail laundry helping clean fellow inmates' green jumpsuits and dirty linens.
Tom Maguire: The Plame investigation won't be over until the slim lady sings, but Reuters tells us that Judy Miller is practicing...
Arianna Huffington: Buried in the middle of this afternoon's Reuters story on Miller, her lawyer, Floyd Abrams, offers up a bombshell: Miller is looking for an out.
Judd @ThinkProgress: Plame leak investigation drawing to a close.
John Cole: Plame I guess now is as good a time as ever to reignite the Plame debate donnybrook in the comments section: New York...
Joe @AmericaBlog: Plame/Rove Investigation Finishing Up? That's what Reuters says: [snipped quote] Hmmm....sure Rove did nothing wrong. Sure.

Group's TV ad uses storm's aftermath to target Roberts
  USA Today   —   Permalink 
The televised images of poverty-stricken evacuees from Hurricane Katrina are part of a provocative, last-minute effort by a liberal interest group to divert federal Judge John Roberts' path to confirmation as chief justice.
Michael Stickings: Yet that is precisely what the irrepressibly left-wing MoveOn.org is set to do, and in a particularly tasteless way:...
Jan Haugland: PS: In the United States, loonie left group MoveOn.org wanted to use televised images of Hurricane victims in an ad opposing John Roberts' confirmation to the Supreme Court.
Ann Althouse: USAToday reports: "MoveOn.org Political Action plans to unveil a TV ad on Monday that questions whether Roberts is...
John Cole: Someone Explain This I will publicly acknowledge and credit anyone who can explain how this is not the shameless...
Paul @Wizbang: Loony Liberals Blame Roberts for Katrina — Sometimes I just have to thank the whacky members of the Loony Left, they do...
Justin Gardner: (Found on USA Today)
Also: Kathryn Jean Lopez, Jayson @PoliPundit

SHAME ON BUSH! SHAME ON BUSH!
  NRO   —   Permalink 
When MoveOn rallied at the White House, things didn't go exactly as planned.
The next time MoveOn.org's political team in Washington schedules a protest at the White House, they will undoubtedly check to make sure there are no competing demonstrations scheduled for the same place at the same time.
Patrick Ruffini: It's topped only by this revealing exchange between Freeper Kristinn Taylor and a MoveOn interlocutor transcribed by...
Kathryn Jean Lopez: MOVEON — And Byron has the full report here.
John Cole: "If President Bush Ate a Babyâ" Reason #12274282 why I hate protests/rallies, regardless the issue: "I'll tell you why I'm here," the MoveOn woman said.

Greens vs. Levees
  By / NRO   —   Permalink 
With all that has happened in the state, it's understandable that the Louisiana chapter of the Sierra Club may not have updated its website. But when its members get around to it, they may want to change the wording of one item in particular.
Michelle Malkin: See also John Berlau on Greens vs. Levees (hat tip: reader Mike M.): "âThe national Sierra Club was one of...
Jayson @PoliPundit: Cause and Effect — Writing in NRO, John Berlau outlines the connection between leftists' enviro policies and Katrina's...
Gateway Pundit: And, Michelle Malkin and National Review Online have the skinny on the environmental groups: "...The national Sierra...
Ace: Sierra Club Sued To Block Army Corps Of Engineers Upgrades To Mississippi River Levees — They stated they wanted to keep the area "wet and wild."

Cheney Expresses Strong Support for Relief Efforts
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Vice President Cheney, dispatched by President Bush to troubleshoot hurricane relief efforts on the Gulf Coast, expressed strong support today for a joint House-Senate inquiry proposed by Republican leaders and defended putting political appointees in charge of organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Jack Cluth: Congress Passes $51.8 Billion Relief Package Well, that should just about cover the Saints.
Andrew Sullivan: "VERY IMPRESSIVE": Cheney weighs in on the effort to deal with athe aftermath of Katrina.
Justin Gardner: More from the Washington Post: Cheney Expresses Strong Support for Relief Efforts

Stossel: Price gouging ensures that scarce resources go only "to those who really need it"
  Media Matters for America   —   Permalink 
In his September 7 syndicated column, ABC News 20/20 co-anchor John Stossel defended price gougers, writing that by charging $20 for a bottle of water to a person whose baby needed it to live, "the price gouger makes sure his water goes to those who really need it."
Matt Singer: Sigh. John Stossel pretends to be a mediocre economist: [snipped quote] That last line simply isn't true.
David Sirota: They are now defending corporate price gougers. COMMENTS: Go to Sirota's Working Assets site to comment on this entry
Steve Bainbridge: Media Matters for America on Price Gouging — MMFA blasts John Stossel for telling the truth about price gouging.

AIR AMERICA ADJUSTS $TATIC
  By / New York Post   —   Permalink 
Air America has agreed to put the entire $875,000 it received from a Bronx-based Boys & Girls Club into an escrow account while the controversial loan is investigated by the city, the network's bosses announced yesterday.
Kevin Aylward: The New York Post reports today that the network owners have agreed to repay the entire $875,000 the network received...
Michelle Malkin: And now... Nine months after acknowledging the liability in a signed settlement agreement with the network's former...

Lawyers vs. Katrina
  By / Townhall.com   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — "I've got this down," Michael Chertoff boasted to aides last weekend as he staved off questions on television about handling the Katrina disaster. It turned out, however, that the secretary of Homeland Security did not begin to have it "down" when he subsequently was interrogated by Tim Russert on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Brendan Nyhan: Update 9/8: Via Andrew Sullivan, here's Bob Novak with more on GOP support for firing Brown: The Democrats on the...
Gary Farber: Yes, even his Dark Lordship, Robert Novak is lashing Brownie and Chertoff on behalf of Republicans. The world goes mad, I tell you, mad!
Andrew Sullivan: "I'VE GOT THIS DOWN": Bob Novak rips into Michael Chertoff.
Laura Rozen: Novak calls for heads to roll.

Disaster Relief Continues Along the Gulf Coast; Nancy Pelosi Internview
  CNN   —   Permalink 
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Checking charities, now. How can you be sure that your donations to hurricane victims are really helping? Well, the head of Charitynavigator.org joins me live this hour.
Skippy: note: ok, we admit, neither kyra phillips nor rep. nancy pelosi were anywhere near biloxie when this cnn interview took place.
Atrios: Pelosi/Phillips Transcript
Tbogg: President Faith Based Dumbf**k: The responsibility of caring for hundreds of thousands of citizens who no longer have homes is going to place many demands on our nation.

Mexican troops cross into U.S. for hurricane relief
  AP   —   Permalink 
LAREDO, Texas (AP) — A Mexican army convoy began crossing into the United States on Thursday to bring aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Carrying water treatment plants and mobile kitchens that can feed 7,000 people daily, the convoy bound for San Antonio is the first Mexican military unit to operate on U.S. soil since 1846.
Tbogg: Across the borderline — Michelle Malkin blocks their advance... Posted by Picasa The Mexicans are coming! The Mexicans are coming!
Gary Farber: Oh, wait: "LAREDO, Texas (AP) — A Mexican army convoy began crossing into the United States on Thursday to bring aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
James Joyner: Katrina: Mexican Troops Cross Border for Hurricane Relief — Mexican troops cross into U.S. for hurricane relief (AP) ...

Former FEMA Chief Is at Work on Gulf Coast
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
During his two years as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during President Bush's first term, Joe M. Allbaugh traveled to Louisiana for a series of disasters, from tropical storms Allison and Isidore to Hurricane Lili.
Billmon: Bolten — the OMB director — said most Katrina-related contracts would be funneled through former FEMA director and...
Taegan Goddard: Former FEMA Chief Seeks to Profit from Katrina — While FEMA chief Mike Brown comes under fire for his agency's slow...
Charlie Cray: Cheney's in Mississippi while Joe Allbaugh, the former head of FEMA is helping clients obtain disaster relief contracts in Louisiana, the Washington Post reported today.
Gary Farber: DISASTERS ARE GREAT FOR DISASTER BUSINESSES and Joe Allbaugh knows how to do good for others by doing good for himself.

Chertoff Draws Fire on Briefing
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 - Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary who has been the Bush administration's point man in fielding criticism of the hurricane relief effort, came under fire Wednesday from some Congressional Democrats for private remarks about the conditions faced by storm survivors that struck the lawmakers as insensitive.
Paul @Wizbang: Chertoff Draws Fire on Briefing WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 - Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary who has been the...
Jeff Goldstein: "Chertoff Draws Fire on Briefing" — From the New York Times: [snipped quote] This has become the calling card of the...
Marc W. Schneider: According to this story in the NYT, Michael Chertoff is being ripped for being "insensitive" to the suffering from the hurricane.
Gary Farber: Chertoff frustrates lawmakers.

Army's engineers spent millions on Louisiana projects labeled as pork
  AP   —   Permalink 
Before Hurricane Katrina breached a levee on the New Orleans Industrial Canal, the Army Corps of Engineers had launched a $748 million construction project at that very location. But the project had nothing to do with flood control.
Paul @Wizbang: Army's engineers spent millions on Louisiana projects labeled as pork WASHINGTON, D.C.
Ace: Louisiana Received More Corps of Engineers Funding Than Any Other State Over Past Five Years — Blame... Bush?

Astrodome Radio Station Blocked
  By / Wired News   —   Permalink 
HOUSTON — KAMP 95.3 "Evacuation Radio Services", a low-power FM station for Hurricane Katrina evacuees housed at the Astrodome, is still stuck in limbo. Although the group trying to organize the station has wrangled three 90-day licenses from the FCC, as of...
Jesse Walker: Radio Free Bureaucratic Jackasses — If anyone's compiling a master list of the asinine roadblocks the government has...
Gary Farber: THE RADIO STATION AT THE ASTRODOME THAT ISN'T. BoingBoing has been documenting this story on an ongoing basis, in...