Gustav Takes Aim On New Orleans: Could Katrina Have Been Just The Dress Rehearsal?

Gustav approaching New Orleans. Images of Katrina which cannot be repeated

HERE COMES GUSTAV

"Brownie, you've done a heck of a job!" With those words to FEMA honcho Michael Brown, the Bush administration began its downward spiral from which he's never required. The Federal response looked big, clumsy, and ineffective while pictures of constant suffering were streaming across televisions and computers nationwide. Further, why was the President playing golf in California when he should have been in the "war room" on Pennsylvania Avenue. Truth be told, the decisions that made the avoidable aspects of this tragedy rest much more on the shoulders of the pseudo-hip mayor, Nagin, who did not order evacuations as demonstrated by a parking lot of dozens of flooded school buses. Everything needed to initiate Federal assistance had to cross the desk of Governor Blanco who insisted on signing off on every minute detail causing long delays. The storm hit Monday. Not until the military got involved on Thursday was real progress taking shape.

Here comes Gustav. The key executives, Bush and Nagin are still in office. Blanco is gone replaced by Bobby Jindal. New bureaucrats are in place on the Federal level supposedly with real hands on experience.

It could work out that Katrina was but a dress rehearsal for what's zeroing in on Louisiana right now. It looks like the storm will either hit New Orleans or go a little to the west. If it goes just a little west that puts the most deadly part of the hurricane right over New Orleans.

The 9th Ward still stands largely empty from Katrina's wrath. Not much to evacuate there. The rest of the populated city is emptied out, gone, not about to repeat tragedy. Reports vary on how effectively the levees protecting the city have been restored. While the downtown business and entertainment districts are back to business as usual, New Orleans is still a devastated city on the mends. Some areas appear to be written off never to be restored.

Three years later, what lessons were learned from Katrina remains an open book. President Bush is where he needs to be -- at the White House. Ray Nagin is singing a very different tune -- all business, this time around. New players seem better prepared. Bobby Jindal has done everything possible to get out in front of the impending disaster in much the same way Jeb Bush handled approaching storms in Florida, taking charge and directing citizens exactly what they need to do. R. David Paulison certainly has the background to handle the job at FEMA far more impressive than Michael Brown's claim to fame before joining the Bush administration was acting as Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horses Association. Brown was forced to resign after numerous challenges to his disciplinary decisions. From there, he entered the Bush administration as General Council to FEMA. How a person like this could ever have been appointed to the administration in the first place is a mystery. His bungling and stiffly bureaucratic handling of the Katrina aid efforts became the face of a system that wasn't working.

It appears better manpower is in place and those who remain know there will be zero tolerance for mistakes on their part. What can't be calculated is how vicious this storm will be. By Tuesday afternoon we'll know.

Held in the balance is the Republican Convention, after all the hoopla and specticle of the Demcratic Convention in Denver, perhaps a low key, all business affair respectfully scaled back for the sake of Gustav could be exactly what the Republicans need to put the right face on their run for the White House. Rest assured, every human tragedy will be laid right on the feet of the Republican Party with the classic Democrat, "They're killing babies! They're starving seniors!" rhetoric reverberating through out the media. No matter how well Bobby Jindal handles the situation as Governor of Louisiana, the Democrats won't miss an opportunity to attempt to tarnish his golden boy image. Naturally, any opportunity to lay the smack down on President Bush will allow their usual feeding frenzy and then by extention to John McCain...four mour years of Bush!! Watch what they do not what they say.