The Politics of evacuation (part one)

The calvary has arrived and the mopup has begun. Perhaps, like some, you're now focused on 'too little, too late'.

So you think you know who screwed up, bigtime, in New Orleans?

Odds are, you don't. But you will, as these stories work their way up (down?) from the blogospehere to mainstream media.

It turns out that Mayor Nagin, who screamed to the nation that he desperately needed some sort of transportation to save his city's people, had a fleet of buses at his disposal the whole time. Know what's coming next? We do:

1) Once these stories get around (and boy, are they getting around) those who survived Katrina are going to begin a wave of lawsuits that will make the asbestos-lawsuit industry seem like an opening act. They'll try to sue the Feds (because that's where the money is), but when that fails they'll settle for the city and state. We also expect criminal charges to be brought against Mayor Nagin for homicidal negligence. Don't think this hasn't occurred to him - it's the real reason for his shrill indictment of the Bush Administration. And don't think it's not going to go down just this way. We saw suits considered for 9/11, although the NYC cops and mayor were magnificient and the WTC's architects and builders were blameless. (Most of the suits never got anywhere.) It'll happen in N'orleans, and the suits will stick. If the city's not bankrupt now, it soon will be. They'll go after the state, as well.

Those who hate Karl Rove already will find fresh reason to do so. Rove will work behind the scenes to help organize and expedite these suits. The quicker this happens, the quicker the hot spot moves off the President.

2) If things aren't bad enough: What happens when the intemperate Nagin has to negotaite with Federal officials for more aid once the last bunch of citizens are resettled? Think Bush is going to forgive and forget once the TV crews have gone home? Think he feels like handing a few billion over to one of the most politically corrupt states in the nation? (Louisiana makes Jersey's corruption look like shoplifting at the corner bodega.) Result: New Orleans gets screwed, once again, by its mayor.

We'd love to see New Orleans back on its feet. But the real storm hasn't even started yet.

The meme hits the mainstream: We just heard CNBC mention for the first time that lawsuits may be on the way. Wizbang also sees suits coming.

{UPDATE: Not all Nagin's buses sat idle. One was pressed into service - by a young hero who may now be charged with theft.}

{UPDATE 2: The Anchoress expands on the School Bus scandal.}

Part two in this series.

Categories: Corruption, New+Orleans, Flood+aid, Hurricane+Katrina