Reuters News Service left little to the imagination of its readers as to who they believe is responsible for the death's associated with Hurricane Katrina. The story, "New Orleans collects dead as officials dodge blame" reads more like an opinion piece than it does a news report.

The opening paragraph is about as sneering and partisan as I have ever seen: "New Orleans began the gruesome task of collecting its thousands of dead on Sunday as the Bush administration tried to save face after its botched rescue plans left the city at the mercy of Hurricane Katrina."

James Lee Witt, hired by Governor Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana, stated in one of his first public appearances, on MSNBC on Sunday,

"This was our worst nightmare," Witt said. "You could point the finger at anybody and everybody. ... I don't think they turned a blind eye. I don't think the state did. I don't think the mayor did. I think they worked as fast as they could [to] do whatever they could."

Source: AP.

Witt was formerly the Federal Emergency Management Agency director under President Bill Clinton, which was probably why he received current assignment. It was also probably why, in 2004, his organization was a “teaming partner” in “a more than half a million dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).”

Here’s the announcement of that employment: “In making the announcement today on behalf of teaming partners Dewberry, URS Corporation and James Lee Witt Associates, IEM Director of Homeland Security Wayne Thomas explained that the development of a base catastrophic hurricane disaster plan has urgency due to the recent start of the annual hurricane season which runs through November.”

This president of yours laughs aloud about his electors and citizens while destroying what was left about the USA leadership and glamour. Mind you it's about time someone does :)

Do you americans feel like signing the Kyoto agreement or you prefer another force 5 slap in the face ? I am not sure you understand yet and make a link between your SUV, greenhouse effect and Katrina.

Darwin will show you sooner or later, september is not finished yet.

It was quite remarquable to hear Fidel Castro offering 100 doctors and normal not to hear any response from your president in vacation.

T%he rest of the world after america is watching your empire going down without any political compassion and some human one.

Economical selfishness was invented by the USA along with political abuse and ugly undercover ways with the CIA,

On NBC’s The Chris Matthews Show this morning, Chris moved the discussion in the direction of blaming flooding problems in post-Katrina New Orleans, and the failure to shore up the levee system around the city, on funding for the Iraq war, as well as tax cuts:

A third of our national guard is in Iraq. A lot of our force level. We're not in con-- in conscription but basically everybody in the army is on the way to Iraq or coming back from it. We have an infrastructure problem. It means things like levees. It means things like highways. Protecting yourself from disasters. We have these issues. Could it be that we don't have the money, that in the end we're going to find out that the budget couldn't cover these items? There weren't enough helicopters. There wasn't enough to fix the levees because we're spending too much and not taxing enough -- I'm not selling taxes here but it could it be the books are out of order?

Did we miss it?  Where was the coverage of clergymen ministering to the dead and injured in New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast?

It is hard to believe that all of the churches and synagogues were full of water and empty and that all of the priests, ministers and rabbis fled  along with the New Orleansl cops and city  officials.

Is secularism really that rampant in TV land?

Sounding like a parody of a liberal, but in all seriousness, NPR and ABC reporter Nina Totenberg charged on Inside Washington, at the end of a discussion about how National Guard equipment deployed to Iraq is supposedly impairing rescue efforts, that “for years, we have cut our taxes, cut our taxes and let the infrastructure throughout the country go and this is just the first of a number of other crumbling things that are going to happen to us.” An astounded Charles Krauthammer pleaded: “You must be kidding here.” But Totenberg reaffirmed: “I’m not kidding.”

In fact, under the Bush administration domestic spending has soared much faster than inflation, a trend illustrated by the huge transportation bill this year packed with spending on infrastructure projects. And if infrastructure spending has suffered in some way, massive new spending on such things as a prescription entitlement program are just as responsible.

Video: Real or Windows Media

Full transcript, and more about Inside Washington, follows.

A Los Angeles Times article suggests that NBC made a mistake during last night's "Concert For Hurricane Relief" when it edited from its West Coast feed rapper Kanye West’s assertions that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people”:

By censoring Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West's remarks critical of President Bush during its West Coast feed of the program Friday night, the network violated the most moving and essential moment in an otherwise sterile, self-serving corporate broadcast.

You'd think Kanye West's ill-informed remark ("George Bush doesn't care about black people": Newsbusters link) would be enough to illustrate how misguided it is to politicize a serious fundraiser. But MSNBC's blogger for the NBC/Red Cross event, Mike Miller, could not restrain himself as well. Is it that hard for some people to set aside political differences for just one hour in order to raise some money for some people who are really hurting? From Mike Miller's blog at MSNBC.com, in which he gave a chronological, running commentary of the event (emphasis mine):

5:41: ... "George Bush doesn't care about black people," West said. Myers turns to him and clearly has no idea what to say ...

5:54: Still can't believe Kanye West ripped Bush. That was great.

"Great"? What was great about it? West's view is flat-out wrong. As President, Bush has given tremendous support to Africans and African-Americans.

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died late Saturday evening.  As reported by Gina Holland of AP:

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died Saturday evening of cancer, ending a remarkable 33-year tenure on the Supreme Court and creating a rare second vacancy on the nation's highest court.

Rehnquist, 80, was surrounded by his three children when he died at his home in suburban Arlington.

Sadly, the AP couldn’t wait to remind its readers of Mr. Rehnquist’s political leanings, his involvement in the Florida Recount Debacle, or that this will likely impact the upcoming hearings for the appointment of John Roberts to replace the recently retired Sandra Day O’Connor: