Nagin seeking foreign aid!

If you wanted the real state of the union, this is it: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, fed up with federal foot-dragging, is seeking foreign aid for his hurricane- and flood-ravaged city. From Reuters:

"I know we had a little disappointment earlier with some signals we're getting from Washington but the international community may be able to fill the gap," Nagin said when a delegation of French government and business officials passed through on Friday to explore potential business partnerships.

Jordan's King Abdullah also visited New Orleans on Friday and Nagin said he would encourage foreign interests to help redevelop some of the areas hardest hit by the storm.

"France can take Treme. The king of Jordan can take the Lower Ninth Ward," he said, referring to two of the city's neighborhoods.

Nagin, clearly at the end of his rope and exhausting every possible option, also called for President Bush to keep the promises he made from Jackson Square last September:

"We need your undivided attention over the next six months," he said. "We need backup. We need for you to make the words that you spoke in Jackson Square a reality."

Sad, isn't it, that a major American city nearly wiped off the map by disaster and federal mismanagement doesn't have the reasonable expectation that its government will help rebuild?