Nagin and Giuliani, Failure and Success, Despair and Hope

An aerial view of flooded school buses in a lot Thursday in New Orleans.

Look at this picture. That's a lot of buses just sitting in floodwaters.

I assume those buses were there prior to the hurricane.

Why didn't the Mayor of New Orleans use those buses to get people out of the city before the storm hit?

Couldn't he have gotten some people out of there?

This is just one little example of something that could have been done on the LOCAL LEVEL to help avert the enormity of the human suffering in New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- As his city skidded deeper into chaos, New Orleans' embattled mayor accused federal officials of dragging their feet while people are dying in deplorable conditions.

Mayor Ray Nagin's voice cracked with anger and anguish Thursday night in an interview with New Orleans radio station WWL.

"We're getting reports and calls that [are] breaking my heart from people saying, 'I've been in my attic. I can't take it anymore. The water is up to my neck. I don't think I can hold out.' And that's happening as we speak."

Nagin said the time has long past for federal authorities to act on their promises.

"You mean to tell me that a place where you probably have thousands of people that have died and thousands more that are dying every day, that we can't figure out a way to authorize the resources that we need? Come on man," he said.

"I need reinforcements," he pleaded. "I need troops, man. I need 500 buses, man. This is a national disaster.

"I've talked directly with the president," he said. "I've talked to the head of the homeland security. I've talked to everybody under the sun."

...In the radio interview, Nagin's frustration was palpable.

"I've been out there man. I flew in these helicopters, been in the crowds talking to people crying, don't know where their relatives are. I've done it all man, and I'll tell you man, I keep hearing that it's coming. This is coming, that is coming. And my answer to that today is BS, where is the beef? Because there is no beef in this city."
Yesterday, Mayor Nagin failed.

His city descended into lawlessness and desperation after the worst natural disaster in the history of the country.

Did he try to calm the citizens? NO.

Nagin added to the hysteria. It did not help the people of New Orleans, in this time of misery and chaos, for him to lose it.

After 9/11, Giuliani steadied the shaken people of New York, and the country in general.

Had he lost control, had he used the media to lash out at the federal government, had he started casting blame on the President for allowing the attacks to happen, and had he spent his time engaged in finger-pointing, the situation in New York could have spiraled into complete panic.

That didn't happen. Giuliani was a source of strength for the people of his city. He guided them through a terrifying, uncertain time with dignity and confidence.

Granted, Giuliani wasn't dealing with thousands and thousands of people desperate for the most basic needs of food, water, medicine, and shelter. The disaster he was facing was completely different. In that sense, there is no comparison.

Nevertheless, it's fair to compare Giuliani's leadership style in the face of an emergency with Nagin's style.

Since Nagin doesn't hesitate to blame the state and federal government for the problems, I won't hesitate to blame him for failing to effectively carry out his duties as mayor and be a calming presence for the city of New Orleans.

He didn't give the people hope or try to help them deal with the dire conditions. He chose to throw gasoline on a fire.

There is no question that FEMA is not performing effectively. I'm not excusing the failures of the federal government.

BUT--

The way things have played out in New Orleans is not solely the responsibility of the federal government.

The media have almost exclusively dwelled on the Bush administration's failings. (No surprise there.)

They have given the state and local governments of the hurricane ravaged areas a free pass.

Joe Myers, Florida's former emergency management chief, was quick to condemn FEMA. He commented, "I would think that yesterday they could have flown in. Everyone was flying in. Put it this way, FOX and CNN are there. If they can get there ..."

FEMA spokesman James McIntyre insisted that FEMA had moved quickly with its search-and-rescue teams, which took precedence over delivering water and ice.

"We're trying to save lives. The rescue teams are FEMA people. The medical assistance are FEMA people. Right now, getting people off roofs and keeping people from drowning are a priority," he said.

It must be remembered that the local and state governments need to work in a coordinated manner with the federal government.

Nagin and Governor Blanco aren't blameless in this; but so little has been said about their roles. The state and local governments' reactions have not been scrutinzed, at least in the national media.

For instance, it's not mentioned that the relief effort in Louisiana may have been complicated by a scandal within the state emergency management agency. Recently, three top officials of Louisiana's office were indicted in an investigation into the misuse of hurricane funds from last year's Ivan.

Without question, the situation in New Orleans is horrible. There have been failures on multiple fronts on multiple levels--federal, state, and local.

Nagin's lack of positive leadership in this crisis is evidence of the glaring inadequacies on the local level.

Nagin said yesterday, "Get every Greyhound bus in the country and get them moving."

Hey! Nagin! Why didn't you use those school buses BEFORE the storm hit to move some people out?
"They're feeding the people a line of bull, and they are spinning and people are dying," he said.

"I don't know whether it's the governor's problem, or it's the president's problem, but somebody needs to get ... on a plane and sit down, the two of them, and figure this out right now," Nagin said.

"They thinking small, man, and this is a major, major deal," he said.

"Get off your asses and let's do something."

The mayor said except for a few "knuckleheads," the looting is the result of desperate people just trying to find food and water to survive.

Nagin blamed the outbreak of crime and violence on drug addicts who are cut off from their drug supplies and wandering the city "looking to take the edge off their jones."

Obviously, Nagin is no Rudy Giuliani. Rather than behaving responsibly and offering leadership to the suffering people of New Orleans, he made the situation worse through his disgraceful lack of composure.

Overall, the anarchy in New Orleans is a tragedy for the victims.

It reflects horribly on the emergency management teams' ability to handle a large scale crisis.
In addition, it reveals a dangerous weakness that I fear may be seized on by our enemies, the radical Islamic fundmentalists who would love to see our entire country devastated.

Simply put, as President Bush said, "The results are not acceptable."