"But Emperor, please put some close on"!

"Democrats playing politics" could be translated into “Democrats trying to keep their jobs by appeasing the people”, which could be translated into “Doing their job to keep their job”, which could be translated into “Good job democrats”. Thanks for the complement, Dana Perino. And I agree. Good job democrats.

"Give him hell, Harry"

Ken - Hear, Hear. Everytime the WH makes a statement it only makes it harder to keep from screwing up your face like it's kareoke night at the animal shelter. They are simply out of their minds.

Here's some Capitol Hill GOP sleaze I just read in the Times-Picayune: An anonymous Republican senator has blocked bipartisan legislation designed to take Louisiana and Mississippi homeowners off the hook by voiding a rule that forces them to use hurricane rebuilding grants to immediately pay off government rebuilding loans. The homeowners would have instead had to pay over the life of the loan, which would have been 30 years and been much easier on them financially. The objection was lodged on behalf of this nameless senator by Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was able to do this because under Senate rules, members can place an anonymous hold on legislation that otherwise would be waved through unanimously. McConnell needs to be forced to IMMEDIATELY come clean and reveal the name of the repulsive jerk who put the hold on this vital piece of legislation and then to lift the hold. His closing ranks behind this piece of elephant dung who obviously doesn't want to see New Orleans and the rest of the storm zone recover is evil--and if Louisiana and Mississippi homeowners fail to recover because of the onerous requirement this piece of legislation is going to lift, it will be on his conscience. If he does not do this, the people of Kentucky should vote to recall him. For what he is doing is terribly wrong.

I think it's about time for the Justice Department to take a real hard look at Harry Reid and his lobbyist son's shady real estate deals. LMAO

I don't think the replublicans have a chance of spinning this into something that it is not.The democratics are doing their job and I for one appreciate it, the rubber stamp day's are just a fond memory for Mr. Bush.

Lee, kareoke is the worst thing the Japanese ever did to us. I'll forgive them for Pearl Harbor, but not that.

Oliva a lot of people think too much money is being wasted on new orleans, why do you insist that taxpayers subsidize people who demand leaving in a city that will be reclaimed by the sea eventually,is the taxpayer supposed to finance a special fund for new orleans so every time it submerges we can rebuild it.If they are so interested in staying there let them do it at their own risk don't ask eyerone else to pay for it, tell them they better invest in a personal flotation device.

all bush has to do is pull his pen out and sign on the line

The White House wants its' Pork but doesn't want anybody else to have it. Congress gave him more than what he asked for initially, so now he wants even more. The Corporate No-Bid Profiteers AKA 'Gods' Own Porkers', are on the recieving end of much of this latest little Treasure. Dubya wants it with no strings and especially no time limits, since in his little 'Alwaysland', Corporate Pork should be Endless. And the Troops? Oh yeah, some for them too.

MK,MO--Those who think too much money is being wasted on New Orleans are at the very least ignorant. She is a historic city with a strategically-located port which is the gateway to the central part of this country. And Louisiana is a valuable state which has given America far more than she has taken, including being a source of oil and natural gas. Were Louisiana to go down the tubes, as many Republicans and milquetoast Democrats who don't see her value seem all too happy to allow her to do, you'd probably be paying $10/gallon to fill your tank. New Orleanians who wish to stay and help their beloved city rise from ruin have a right to do so and I don't mind my tax dollars' being used to help them do so. I'd rather see them used to help rebuild New Orleans and the other areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the rest of the storm zone, than squandered overseas. What we've spent in Iraq alone could have been used to rebuild New Orleans many times over. Wouldn't you rather see your money used to rebuild the over Great Britain-sized area of the Gulf Region that was devastated by Katrina and Rita, than thrown at foreign countries like so many Mardi Gras beads?

MM,MO: You are forgetting that New Orleans is the terminus of the Missippi and a major shipping port that is vital to the US economy. If we let New Orleans wither we loose a major peice of our economic puzzle. Just because you may have not ever gone to there doesn't mean that your life wouldn't be seriously impacted if we let the city continue to decline.

Greg- Don't know if the word "close" was a typo, or not, but either way, it makes sense.

Olivia, I've been wondering for a week or two now if you had read this article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17745438/site/newsweek/). I am very curious about your thoughts on this matter. Although we don't agree on most political matters, I am curious what you think about this particular article. Also, I am curious if you have been to N.O. lately. Again, even though we have very differing views on many things, I appreciate your opinion and passion on this very important issue. Also, I second the comments by you and John Doe that MK, MO is ignorant on this matter at best!

He can't sign the bill they sent him? Get a tutor for him. They can go over his letters with him.

MK, MO - how the situation in New Orleans is resolved will tell all Americans what we can expect if a major disaster occurs in their area and what can be expected in federal emergency management. I take it in your area (Missouri) the disaster threat is from flooding, which happens time to time. It seems you think NO is simply scamming the federal government and they should just go away and abandon the city, since it's in a flood plane. New Orleans is a rich American cultural center, important to many Americans. It deserves a robust preservation effort. This is a cultural issue more than a political issue. We as a country need to preserve our heritage otherwise all we will have left are a bunch of shopping malls and WalMarts all built exactly alike full of Chinese built products.

So we build new shipping ports.

Bush consistently shows childish behavior. He reminds me of a 3 year old that can't have his way. Temper Tantrums. Good Work Reid. Score 2400+++++++++

We can just abandon the low parts of New Orleans, and build in a sensible location. Like what is happening with Detroit.

"I'm just wild about Harry...."

The President muust set aside his emperor complex and listen to the will of the people. I agree pork should not be part of a budget deal, but speedy withdrawal from Iraq is a must. Mr. President, present a military appropriation request that both houses of congress and the American people can live with. When it is approved, sign it without delay and then be honest with the American people about how you plan to pay the national debt you have accumulated in your time in office.

Olivia, a story for you. A congressional subcommittee has accused Google of "airbrushing history". Google has replaced post hurricane Katrina satellite imagery on its map portal with images of the region taken before the storm's devastation.Swapping images, showing an idyllic New Orleans, has locals suspicious that the company and civic leaders were trying to potray the area's recovery progress as being better than it is.

Per an MSNBC article I just read about Google Earth replacing post-Katrina views of New Orleans with pre-Katrina views of a normal-looking city in an obvious attempt to deceive exiled New Orleanians googling their city to see what their homes and neighhborhoods look like: My guess is the Bush Administration made Google do it.

All the southern cities and country side that was wasted by Katrina belongs to us. Iraq does not. get my drift.

Well,I am a person designated as part of ROTUS, Round Up The Usual Suspects. Have you ever seen FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton , rapping and making jokes during a time of war? If you have, give me a time and date to verify.

"General Pace has made clear that there will be real consequences if we do not fund the troops by mid-April". So what exactly are the real consequences?? Sounds like a little kid saying "You'd better watch out!" Funding for the troops has been provided by Congress. It's up to Bush to either sign the bill and thus provide funding or veto the bill and therefore reject funding for the troops. That's the way it works per the Constitution. Democracy. A concept Bush continues to lecture the rest of the world about but a concept which he cannot bring himself or his administration to uphold and adhere to here in the United States. Pathetic.

Olivia ~ "MK,MO--Those who think too much money is being wasted on New Orleans are at the very least ignorant." Just because an individual does not agree with your opinion does not mean they are ignorant. This is similar to a previous post in which you said those suffering from Katrina Fatigue hate New Orleans. We do not live in a black or white world. There are shades of gray in there. Everyone (including you) is entitled to their opinion. Respect this just like everyone knows your opinion.

Olivia, we both saw the same article and posted at almost the same time. Great minds think alike.

Oliva, I love your posts on N'Awlinz and the lack of recovery efforts and other shenannigans as I gear up for my annual Jazz Fest visit. Your are correct about its importance as a port, its natural resourcs and its culture. Keep up the pressure and the good fight. One thing I believe that has been lost in the Katrina discussions lately has been the development on the bayous, the deforestation of the area and generally how the environment has been raped which was the protection against hurricanes. Replant the trees and swamp grasses returning nature to the way it should be in order to protect the city. This post is no April's Fool joke.

After a heavily guarded trip to a Baghdad market, Sen. John McCain insisted Sunday that a U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown in the capital was working and said Americans lacked a "full picture" of the progress. The U.S. military later reported six soldiers were killed in roadside bombings southwest of Baghdad. Four soldiers were killed responding to the blast that killed the first two, the military said. Britain, meanwhile, announced that one of its soldiers had been shot to death in southern Its 104th combat casualty since the war started four years ago. McCain, a Republican presidential hopeful who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, acknowledged a difficult task lies ahead in Iraq, but criticized the media for not giving Americans enough information about the recent drop in execution-style sectarian killings, the establishment of security posts throughout the city and Sunni tribal efforts against al-Qaida in the western Anbar province. "These and other indicators are reason for cautious, very cautious optimism about the effects of the new strategy," said McCain, who was leading a Republican congressional delegation to Iraq that included Sen. Lindsey Graham

Rick, in Germany. Don't look now partner but they will soon be building ports in Mexico on the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico below the US border. Now that Bush pushed for Mexican trucks full implementation of NAFTA on our hiways and our idle surplus new trucks waiting for shipping, those hard to fill drivers seats, with American drivers to Mexican drivers. Just watch how many of those idle trucks setting in AR., LA., TX., OK., that has Schinerder, J.B. Hunt, M.S. Carriers and a host of other carriers names on them that will take those trucks and hire $4.00/day drivers. All this is under the United States of North America. No borders, no tarrifs, trade restrictions or immigration control. Those drivers that will be hired there won't even speak English or read English. Sure glad I no longer have to compete with the low wage jobs. Thanks to the Teamsters.

Bob. Lipsett Sr. ~ Well said! Most of these drivers do not have drivers' licenses, insurance or trucks that will pass minimum safety checks. We have seen their impact on border states with their unmarked trucks coming through. Personally, I have sat in traffic behind trucks with bald tires and shifting loads. NAFTA was supposed to be a two-way street. I believe it has only benefited Mexico.

I don't understand efforts by the GOP and the press alike to equate this Iraq funding situation with the 1995 government shutdown. In '95 the GOP congress didn't care if the government continued to run or not, forgetting that anyone who uses government services or works for the government wanted those offices open. Now the President wants to keep the war an open-ended operation with no prospect of successful completion, a position opposed by about 70% of Americans and an even higher proportion of Iraqies. The common denominator isn't Congress putting strings on funding, it's Republicans on the wrong side of an issue.

Fed Up--Thanks for directing me to the Newsweek article on Gov. Blanco. It was most interesting and informative. It was good news in light of what happened during and after Katrina that Blanco bowed out of the gubernatorial race. Regarding New Orleans' flooding, she was really in over her head, and the way the global climate has been going more big storms that could hit Louisiana are expected in the future--so it would be best for her to have a governor who can handle them competently not only when they occur, but in preparation and the aftermath. Though I also wonder how many other state governors would have handled something of that overwhelming disaster's magnitude competently--aside from any Florida governor because of Florida's long experience with hurricanes (and even then I worry how she'd handle a massive storm that took out a large part of Miami, Tampa/St. Pete or another large urban area.) Mississippi Gov. Barbour has often been cited as a paragon because of how he handled Katrina but based on what I've read lately the recovery in that state, like in Louisiana, isn't coming along very well. I'm not diminishing what Mississippians have been through, because many on the Gulf Coast who saw their communities obliterated are still going through hell, and as with Louisiana, storm recovery aid hasn't been flowing to the many thousands still in FEMA trailers. But, regarding Mississippi (and coastal parts of Louisiana), Katrina left her mark and moved on so the people could start cleaning up. New Orleanians had to wait for the water to be pumped out and the area to dry out until they could return to what was left of their homes and start cleaning up. I haven't been able to visit New Orleans since the flooding, but I often feel as if I've been there in spirit and wish I could actually go there. Were I in better shape physically and financially I'd want to go there or to Mississippi and pick up a hammer for Habitat for Humanity. I regularly keep up with what's going on that city and Louisiana by reading the Times-Picayune, Baton Rouge Advocate, and other papers online. Back to Blanco, while as noted she could have done much better in dealing with New Orleans' flooding, I also feel that instead of treating Louisiana as a foreign adversary as they did, the Bush Administration should have worked hand-in-hand with Blanco, Nagin and other state officials to help Louisiana get back on her feet.

Thank God for Harry Reid in the Senate and the Democratic Leadership in the House. Finally, the Legislative Branch of government is working as it should. Mr. Bush has been, for the past six years, approaching the presidential decision making process with a lack of seriousness and maturity. He now has an administrative equal in Harry Reid, who by comparison, is making Mr. Bush appear as a dim-witted lightweight. It's time (long overdue) for Mr. Bush to face the music, and be held accountable for the failures that his unchallenged Iraw War policies have netted. You will no longer get what you want by crying and stomping your feet and warning of the boogie man approaching in the night. Welcome to the real world Mr. Bush.

John B.: "I don't understand efforts by the GOP and the press alike to equate this Iraq funding situation with the 1995 government shutdown.".... The GOP are a bunch of disengenuous criminals who have no valid point to put forward and have instead resorted to a strict diet of straw man arguments and jingonistic rhetoric and lies (denigrate, obfuscate, reiterate). The MSM? You never know what the liberal conspiracy that chokes the MSM is going to do. Bloody bastards.

Desmond--That is quite a coincidence how we both ran across the same news story. Dave, Sun City--You're right about how environmental factors are being lost in the talk about Katrina. For example, Louisiana's wetlands, which for years had served as "speed bumps" in the path of major storms. They've been washing away at the rate of a football field every half hour, and since 1930 Louisiana has lost the equivalent of the state of Delaware. And Katrina and Rita have accelerated this process. I agree 100% that reforestation and replanting the swamp grasses should be a top priority. Also, per Jim, Santa Cruz's post--our handling of Katrina does reflect upon how we'll be handling future major disasters in other places in this country, and that's why more attention should be paid to both the incompetent response and the slowness of the recovery than there has been. And there's something I just thought about New Orleans--particularly her importance as a cultural site. I wonder why the UN doesn't get involved in helping preserve her--I mean, they're trying to preserve cultural sites around the world.

Sorry, ladies, if you haven't pointed a working end of an AR15 at someone's nose, you are not entitled to an opinion about the Iraq War. Pick something else to opine on.

jtb, as my Grandpa would say, "who died and made you king?"

"Sorry, ladies, if you haven't pointed a working end of an AR15 at someone's nose, you are not entitled to an opinion about the Iraq War. Pick something else to opine on. " Good! Does that mean Bush and Cheney are going to STFU?

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