Look, over and over I hear the same thing. The feds should have come down here and dealt with the drug dealers and the thugs. Why weren't the mayor and the police doing this well before the hurricane? Is there that big of a thugocracy in New Orleans?
And this official, Riley, issued a slander against our troops and the war in Iraq:
"For 72 hours this police department and the fire department and handful of citizens were alone rescuing people. We have people who died while the National Guard sat and played cards. I understand why we are not winning the war in Iraq if this is what we have."
Who said we weren't winning in Iraq? There are elections coming up. People are taking responsibility. It sounds like we should have pulled out of New Orleans years ago, if all that are still there are the thugs and such.
What we have here are angry people who realize there was a breakdown. However, instead of self-assessment, they strike out at others. You know, the feds have protocols that have to be followed before they can move in. Unfortunately, they are slaves to bureaucracy. They moved as fast as they can. This gets encumbered when people are shooting at you as you are trying to rescue them. I am ashamed for the people of New Orleans that this is the type of leadership they have, this guy and Nagin.
Here is what happened. No one saw the disintegration of the police force, of 1700, happening, but it did. So, as soon as the assessment was made, the Guard moved in. The charges here that Americans sat back and did nothing is hateful and callous and wrongheaded thinking about our men and women in uniform.
