Blame Amid the Tragedy

Bob Williams writes on the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Page that Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin failed their constituents. It's a fantastic piece, and includes this gem:

"A year ago, as Hurricane Ivan approached, New Orleans ordered an evacuation but did not use city or school buses to help people evacuate. As a result many of the poorest citizens were unable to evacuate. Fortunately, the hurricane changed course and did not hit New Orleans, but both Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin acknowledged the need for a better evacuation plan. Again, they did not take corrective actions. In 1998, during a threat by Hurricane George, 14,000 people were sent to the Superdome and theft and vandalism were rampant due to inadequate security. Again, these problems were not corrected."

What do they say about learning from the mistakes of the past?