I'll admit, I too was wondering why there was not a more expansive busing out program for the poor and I was wondering if perhaps the local officials could have done more.
Then it occurred to me: THE LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE ABLE TO GET OUT 80% OF THE CITY IN ONE DAY! And on top of that, they were able to get a significant portion of those left behind into the Superdome before the storm hit. IN ONE DAY! Do you realize how impressive that was? They actually got things done when it was in their ability to get things done.
However, after the Hurricane struck and the levees broke, it took the Federal government more than 4 DAMN DAYS of sitting on their damn hands before they even started to get supplies to the dying people who needed them. In that time people were dying preventable deaths at a time when the Federal government was the only power that could actually get anything done.
(More below the jump)
So let's think about that: in ONE DAY, the local authorities manage to get out 80% of the people of NOLA. However, the Federal government can't even get out the remaining 20% in an entire week because they're busy vacationing and acting like bureaucratic pussies.
How dare they try to blame the local officials. Is it true that the state and local governments could have done more? Probably yes, but at least they did something, which is light-years more than the nothing that the Federal government did while infants, seniors, and the infirmed died unnecessary deaths.
I think that Mr. Born Again President would do well to read a few verses from the Gospels, namely Matthew 7:3-5, in which Jesus states:
7:3 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 7:4 Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.
Mr. President, the state and local officials may have specks in their eyes, but you have one BIG FUCKING LOG in yours. It's a log that has killed thousands of people and you better deal with that log first before you send your hypocrite heartless kiss-asses to go point out specks.