In recognition of the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin was interviewed on 60 Minutes.
To whet the viewers' appetites, CBS hyped the segment late last week with this comment from Nagin:
"You guys in New York can't get a hole in the ground fixed and it's five years later. So let's be fair."
Nagin was being defensive about the criticism that he's received over the slow pace of the city's renewal. So, he drew a comparison to the World Trade Center site, referring to that sacred ground as a "hole."
Not surprisingly, Nagin immediately came under fire for his remark.
Earlier this morning, in another EXCLUSIVE interview, Nagin talked about the comment with Tim Russert on Meet the Press.
Transcript
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Mayor, you said some things to “60 Minutes” late in the week which will air tonight, that has generated an enormous response from people, particularly in New York. Let’s just watch a little bit what you said.
(Videotape):
MR. BYRON PITTS: But you can’t get the cars out yet, you can’t get this demolished.
MR. NAGIN: That’s all right. You guys in New York City can’t get a hole in the ground fixed. And it’s five years later. So let’s be fair.
(End videotape)
MR. RUSSERT: “A hole in the ground,” referring to the devastation left behind by September 11. Peter King, the New York congressman, had this to say. “It’s really disgraceful and shameful. ... Ground zero is sacred ground. ... To refer to it as a hole in the ground, to me, is shocking and inexcusable. ... Especially considering Mayor Nagin’s own record. I mean, when Katrina was there, he was the one who had 500 school buses under water, he’s the one who wasn’t able to evacuate his city, he’s the one who lost his composure on national television several times.” You’ve now had several days to reflect on this. Will you apologize for calling what many believe is sacred ground, the place where thousands of Americans died, as a hole in the ground?
MR. NAGIN: You know, Tim, let me make sure that you understand the context of that discussion. You know, “60 Minutes,” we did that piece about two months ago, and I got a very direct e-mail from them saying that I shouldn’t do this interview because they thought they had an exclusive two months ago. Then we started to see all these promos and what have you. The context of that discussion was about why has it taken so long for New Orleans to get back up to speed, and I was mainly using the comparison of the site. And I should have probably called it an undeveloped site as of yet. But I used the—a term that seemed to have gotten some people upset. But I think once people see the “60 Minutes” piece in its entirety, I think they’ll, they’ll calm down a little bit. I meant no disrespect for anyone. I have seen death, I’ve seen the destruction, and I was just using it as a comparison to show how difficult it is for people to rebuild after a major disaster.
MR. RUSSERT: But you are sorry for the families who lost loved ones on that ground, who...
MR. NAGIN: Absolutely. I’m—Tim, I am...
MR. RUSSERT: They believe it’s sacred ground, not a hole in the ground.
MR. NAGIN: I—Tim, I am very sorry for that because I have seen death in my own city. And New York and New Orleans has a special relationship. After 9/11, we sent trucks, we sent resources, we sent food. We prayed for New York. When we had Katrina, they reciprocated. So I understand what they’ve gone through, and I hope they understand that—what we’ve gone through. Eighty percent of our city has been damaged and we are struggling with this disaster and it never goes away.
MR. RUSSERT: You wish you had used other words?
MR. NAGIN: Yeah, I wish I would have basically said that it was an undeveloped site, which it is. And you know, I’ve gotten some calls from New York, as I said. You know, no one has really said this and really pointed us to the fact that it’s five years after the fact. So maybe this will help us refocus on this because there needs to be a memorial to make sure that we treat that site with the respect it deserves.
Think of all the really stupid things that Ray Nagin has said, besides calling the site that holds the remains of thousands of people killed on 9/11 as a "hole in the ground."
His infamous Chocolate City speech definitely makes the highlight reel.
"We ask black people ... It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans – the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans.
"And I don't care what people are saying in Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day.
"This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."
Nagin keeps stepping in it, but at the end of the day, he stays alive politically and rises again to say something else that's just as offensive.
He's forgiven. He gets a pass every time.
Compare that with George Allen's "macaca" comment.
A Democratic operative was following Allen around with a video camera, essentially harassing him. When he saw the young man at a campaign rally, Allen made the remarks that The Washington Post turned into front page news FOR DAYS.
At a campaign rally in southwest Virginia on Friday, Allen repeatedly called a volunteer for Democrat James Webb "macaca." During the speech in Breaks, near the Kentucky border, Allen began by saying that he was "going to run this campaign on positive, constructive ideas" and then pointed at S.R. Sidarth in the crowd.
"This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great," Allen said, as his supporters began to laugh. After saying that Webb was raising money in California with a "bunch of Hollywood movie moguls," Allen said, "Let's give a welcome to macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia." Allen then began talking about the "war on terror."
Allen apologized repeatedly for the incident, FOR DAYS.
He even personally called the deeply offended Dem volunteer to apologize.
Still, the lib media and the lib talking heads won't let it go.
They have officially declared Allen's presidential hopes dead.
Double standard?
It's so clear that it's truly embarrassing.
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